Dan Dillon is the owner and founder of Aquaphobix, which applies a thermally fused plastic-polymer coating to boat hulls as a replacement for traditional bottom paint. Joe Solano is the president of Ecofinish, the manufacturer of the base coating technology. After Dan's first appearance went viral, the two came back to answer the questions boaters and dealers kept asking: how a flame-applied coating does not damage gel coat, why the technology has more than a decade of testing behind it, and how it compares to the competition.
Dan and Joe describe Aquaphobix as a thermally applied polyethylene-based plastic-polymer coating with a silver additive for antimicrobial properties. They explain the powder becomes liquid at a much lower temperature than traditional powder coatings, which is what lets it be applied to a boat hull without damaging the fiberglass or gel coat.
Yes. Dan and Joe explain that even though a flame is used, the substrate temperature rarely exceeds around two hundred degrees because the flame is constantly moving. They say they have applied the coating across hundreds of thousands of square feet of fiberglass without thermal damage or delamination, and have even demonstrated it on paper.
Joe explains that Ecofinish has been applying the coating to fiberglass swimming pools since 2009, giving the technology more than fourteen years of field testing before it was used on boats. He notes pool walls are in some ways more demanding than hulls, which gives him confidence in how it performs on the water.
Dan and Joe describe a foul-release approach rather than a biocide approach. The silver additive creates an antimicrobial surface and the low surface tension makes it hard for organisms to attach, so growth that does form can be released by running the boat or wiping it off.
Dan walks through competitor warranty fine print, pointing out limits such as speed restrictions and recoating requirements, and argues some efficiency demonstrations compare a fresh coating against a fouled bottom rather than new gel coat. He contrasts that with testing directly against new hulls.
Dan says he is actively looking for dealer installers worldwide and points people to aquaphobix.com to leave their information. He describes training that covers surface preparation, application, and the thermal-spray technique.
Dan's first appearance blew up, and the questions kept pouring in, so I wanted to give him and Joe room to actually answer them. This is one of those episodes where the science makes the product more interesting, not less. I wanted to understand the thermal dynamics, the testing history, and the honest limitations, and Dan and Joe were willing to get into all of it.
The most striking thing about Aquaphobix is watching what looks like a blowtorch shoot powder onto a boat. The obvious question is how that does not destroy the fiberglass. Dan and Joe explained the thermal data, the constantly moving flame, and the surprisingly low substrate temperatures. Hear the full breakdown in the episode.
Before this coating ever touched a boat, Joe says it spent years on fiberglass swimming pools. That history is the foundation of everything they claim. He explained why pool walls are in some ways a tougher test than a hull, and what that means for boaters. Listen to that part.
Dan does not hold back on competitors. He read through warranty fine print, pointed out restrictions most marketing skips over, and explained why some efficiency demos are not apples to apples. Whether you agree with every point or not, it is a useful look at how to evaluate these products. Press play to hear his case.
What impressed me most was their willingness to be transparent about being new to boats while backing it up with more than a decade of data from pools. Dan's competitive analysis was not just sales talk, he was reading from the actual documents.
If you are tired of the cost and mess of traditional bottom paint, or you are in the marine trade looking at new opportunities, listen to the whole thing.
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Dan Dillon is the owner and founder of Aquaphobix, which applies a thermally fused plastic-polymer coating to boat hulls as an environmentally friendlier replacement for traditional bottom paint. Joe Solano is the president of Ecofinish, the manufacturer of the polyethylene-based coating technology, which has been applied to fiberglass swimming pools since 2009. Together they bring more than fourteen years of field-testing experience to the marine coatings world and returned to the show to answer technical questions about how the system works.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.