---
title: "Timeline photos Timeline photos Timeline photos Timeline photos…"
date: 2021-11-30
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships added 4 new photos.
---

# Timeline photos Timeline photos Timeline photos Timeline photos…

*November 30, 2021 · Facebook*

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![](img/2021-11-30-fb-003-img01.webp){style="max-width:100%; margin:1em 0"}![](img/2021-11-30-fb-003-img02.webp){style="max-width:100%; margin:1em 0"}![](img/2021-11-30-fb-003-img03.webp){style="max-width:100%; margin:1em 0"}![](img/2021-11-30-fb-003-img04.webp){style="max-width:100%; margin:1em 0"}
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Algae, barnacles and other sea life will eventually grow on any boat hull that sits stationary for any length of time. Such life must be cleaned off periodically, or else the cruft will slow the boat\'s passage through the water and increase fuel costs. Periodic hull cleaning is thus a costly and laborious chore for boat owners.\
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Historically, boat owners have used copper impregnated paint or other biocidal coatings to prevent/slow algae growth. However, marinas are increasingly banning such toxic materials, due to the ill effects that toxic hull coatings have on other life in the water.\
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I recently ran across a material that might work better, a plastic called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE, Tefzel). Tefzel has a number of desirable properties:\
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1. strong enough to bear 400 times its own weight\
2. thin and lightweight\
3. stretchable to three times its length without loss of elasticity;\
4. can be glued, sewn, and welded; repaired by welding patches of tape over tears\
5. nonstick with a surface that resists dirt and birds\
6. expected to last as long as 50 years.\
7. doesn\'t burn, although it can melt before it self-extinguishes.\
8. highly resistant to UV, saltwater, most chemicals\
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It\'s commonplace to apply boat wrap to boats in wet climates to prevent moisture from entering the boat.\
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What if you applied Tefzel boat wrap to the hull? I predict that doing so would be like coating your boat in Teflon, and it would prevent marine life from growing easily on the boat.\
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Tefzel does have some disadvantages:\
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1. Not widely used outside of large architectural projects. Difficult to work.\
2. Transmits more sound than glass, and can be too noisy for some places.\
3. A plastic, and not a \"natural\" material. Doesn\'t degrade well.\
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Tefzel might also be useful for skin on frame canoes and rowboats.\
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Holscot in England will make custom panels and windows that can be fitted to normal door and window frames.\
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[https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-etfe-new-bubble-buildings-177662](https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-etfe-new-bubble-buildings-177662){target="_blank"}\
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[https://holscot.com/products/etfe-panels/](https://holscot.com/products/etfe-panels/){target="_blank"}\
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[https://www.etfeproducts.co.uk/ketchup/uploads/2015/02/Solar-Buildings-Brochure.pdf](https://www.etfeproducts.co.uk/ketchup/uploads/2015/02/Solar-Buildings-Brochure.pdf){target="_blank"}
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