Having served the Pacific Northwest and Alaska for more than 70 years, it’s no surprise that much of our commercial painting work centers around the region’s thriving marine industries. Trawl doors, used in commercial net fishing, are a great example of how our durable marine coatings protect against the harsh, salty waters of the Pacific.
What are trawl doors?
Trawling is a fishing method that involves pulling a large net behind a boat, either along the bottom of the ocean or in midwater. The net is suspended between two fully submerged trawl doors, one positioned on the port side and the other on the starboard side. The trawl doors act as the net’s “arms,” keeping it open so that it can collect fish, squid or shrimp as it’s dragged through the water.
Trawling diagram by Anilocra via Wikimedia Commons
When bottom trawling, trawl doors are dragged along the seabed, making contact with the rocks and sand. This friction, combined with the corrosive saltwater, is why it’s so important that trawl doors are coated in durable marine paint.
Painting trawl doors at Puget Sound Coatings
Trawl doors come in all shapes and sizes, varying based on what’s being fished, the size of the vessel and the preferred position of the net in the water (i.e. bottom trawling, semi-pelagic trawling or midwater trawling). Many trawl doors include moveable vents, bails and plates that the crew can adjust in order to change the angle of the net and the width of its opening. As with any of our projects that have intricate parts and cutouts, we take care to ensure there are never any drips, runs or dry patches.
Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of coating many different types of trawl doors for some of the region’s largest suppliers of trawling equipment. The coating process begins with blasting the doors to remove any rust, old paint or mill scale. Once blasted, the doors are lifted into the paint booths for priming and painting. With several large paint and blast booths, customers are able to send us several large trawl doors at once and can expect a speedy turnaround.
Serving the marine industry
We understand the tough, corrosive conditions of the marine environment. From metalizing marine decking to painting ferry boat benches, our work for the marine industry over the years has been vast and diverse.
Among the types of marine protectants we use are epoxy products, moisture curing coatings, and a range of antifouling products to prevent the growth barnacles, seaweed, algae and other marine organisms. We’re also able to apply environmentally-friendly antifouling coatings to avoid contamination and help keep our oceans beautiful.
Situated just minutes from one of the country’s busiest shipping ports, the Port of Seattle, we’re proud to be the region’s marine coating experts.