Phil Donohue is a smart man. A successful automobile dealer, Phil left behind the hectic world of wheels in 1992 when he purchased the Waveland Marina in Hull, Massachusetts. The seaside community jutting into Massachusetts Bay offered spectacular views of the Boston skyline and a steady clientele of recreational boaters.
The saltwater provided an incredibly harsh, corrosive environment for Donohue's galvanized metal dock floats and "fingers," (floating supports). Any break or scratch in the galvanizing resulted in a rust area that spread quickly.
Phil knew that the best protection against rust is zinc, so year after year he tried various brands of cold galvanizing compound. "I tried several inexpensive galvanizing topcoats," recalls Donohue. "But that proved to be totally inadequate. In fact, they caused more problems beneath the surface of the coating."
That's when Mr. Donohue got smarter. In 1998, he "bit the bullet" and sandblasted his corroding dock structures. But Donohue's real success came when he discovered ZRC Worldwide's 95% zinc cold galvanizing system. He applied two coats of ZRC to his floats and fingers, hoping for better results.
What he got was "an amazing transformation," according to Donohue. "My maintenance costs went way down. ZRC indefinitely extended the lifecycle of the floats." Donohue even realized lower insurance costs, thanks to the improved condition of his dock equipment.
Waveland Marina's floats and fingers are in use three full seasons, constantly submerged, banged and bumped and subjected to a range of weather conditions. Donohue removes the floats for the winter, a time he uses for "minor touch up of" any areas suffering damage. But there has been no significant rust in any of the floats since 1998. "ZRC has kept my floats in original condition."
