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OAR Box 1384 

Prepped by Charmelle Mathews 

/Document Number: 

i#2oe 206TII-E-16 y 6 

Docket Number: 

A-94-52 

Printed 7/2/2008 8:42:10 AM Sheet 206 of 264 
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*ERG 

EASTERN RESEARCH GROUP. INC. 

Telephone Call Record 

Incoming call _X_ Outgoing call 

A 94 52 

Distribution: 

Project Number 

0085-00-019-004 

Project Name 

Boat Manufacturing NESHAP 

General Subject 

Regulator Marine 

Date of Call 

Monday, July 6, Monday July 13, and 

Friday July 14,1998 

Person Called/Company 

Jeff Mason and Owen Maxwell 

Regulator Marine 

187 Peanut Dr., P.O. Box 49 

Edenton, NC 27932 

Person Calling 

Brian Palmer, ERG, Inc. 

Telephone Number 

(252) 482-3837 Fax: (252) 482-5577 

Signature and Date Telecon Confirmed 

(Confirmed over the telephone with Jeff Mason OP. 

July'21,1998, by 3rian Palmer). 

TOPICS DISCUSSED AND ACTION TAKEN 

I called Mr. Mason and Mr. Maxwell to collect information on indirect costs associated with switching to 

lower emitting resin and gel coat application equipment and lower HAP materials. Regulator Marine is a 

small company with about 40 employees and builds about 120 saltwater fishing boats per year that are 21 

to 26 feet long. The company is currently planning to move into a larger facility in the next six months and 

double their production. They will also start building a 32-foct boat in the new facility. 

The facility currently uses three Sinks air-atomized chopper spray guns to apply resin and one air-atomized 

spray gun and one HVLP spray gun to apply gel ccat. Regulator Marine has three full-time lamination 

workers and one gel coat applicator. The three resin workers are each dedicated to small parts; hulls; and 

decks, liners, and stringers. Other workers also perform lamination operations when needed, but are not 

dedicated to lamination. The boats built by Regulator Marine do not have deep narrow parts, such as those 

found on the cockpit sides of some fishing boats, according to Mr. Mason. 

One chopper spray gun operates at 35 psi at the pump and the other two operate at 55 psi at the pump. 

The chopper motors operate at 60 psi. Mr. Mason reported that at a chopper motor air-pressure below 45 

psi, the chopper motor, which also pulls and cuts the roving, begins to lose power. As a result the motor is 

more likely to jam if a small knot in the roving catches in the guides or in the chopper-head. In addit'on, the 

chopper-head does not achieve the same glass distribution pattern at lower air pressures as it does at 

higher pressures. However, the chopper-motor air-pressure should not affect emissions, according to Mr. 

Mason. 

Regulator Marine is currently testing a Magnum internal-mix flow coater. Mr. Mason reported that internalmix flow coaters and spray guns have a lower catalyst odor than external-mix guns. However, they require 

about 20 minutes more maintenance per day per gun than external mix flow coaters or spray guns. They 
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plan to eventually purchase three more flow coaters and the estimated cost will be $6,000 per unit The 

$6,000 will include the flow coater and the resin and catalyst pump. They will purchase new resin and 

catalyst pumps because they are switching from Sinks to Magnum products. They wiU use the booms from 

the spray guns they are using now. Mr. Mascn estimated the laminators spent about two days learning 

hew tc use the flow coater. They will puchase two new booms when they move to the new shop. 

The resin, workers at Regulator Marine currently wear half-face respirators. However, in the new facility the 

workers using the internal-mix fiow coaters will probably not need respirators because of a more efficient 

ventilation system and because of reduced emissions from the flow coaters. 

Regulator Marine has not-yet investigated lower stvrene resins. They will begin to do so after they have 

settled into the new facility, according to Mr. Mason. Mr. Mason commented that the resin is a basic 

ingredient determining the quality of the beat He explained that resin and ge! coat can continue to cure for 

about six months, if improperly applied, after a boat is constructed. During that time, print-through can 

occur as the resin and gel coat shrink. If that occurs, or if the gel coat cracks, this could lead to warranty 

issues and the company could be responsible for replacing the hull of the boat. 

They are currently applying gel ccat with one air-atomizsd spray gun and one HVLP spray gun. The spray 

guns are operated at 45 psi pump pressure. Mr. Mason reponed the gel coat operator can start the gun on 

the mold, rather than off the mold, and srjfl be sure the material is property catalyzed. 

Mr. Maxwell described some of the differences they have observed and encountered in switching to 

chopper flow coaters. They have been testing chopper flow coaters by Venus and Magnum. They have 

found that on smaller parts, the flow coaters may be able to produce better parts than spray guns because 

the worker has more control over the resin. The worker also has less resin overspray blowing back towards 

them so they have a clearer view of the part they are building. This is particularly true when laminating 

inside enclosed parts such as the inside of a console. 

Mr. Maxwell reported that when building hulls, they are still experimenting with different tip sizes on the 

chopper flow coater to achieve the same production rate as they can with the chopper spray guns. To 

increase the resin delivery rate with a chopper spray gun. the operator simply has to increase the fluid 

pressure. However, with the chopper flow coaters. they have to stop and switch gun tips to increase the 

delivery rate. This leads to a break in the work flow, according to Mr. Maxwell. Mr. Maxwell did not feel 

that the chopper flow coaters would prevent them from building any of the parts they are new currently 

building. He also noted that the work environment is cleaner with the flow coaters than v/ith the spray guns 

and the workers have accepted using the flow coaters and in some cases prefer them. 

The chopper flow coaters must be flushed v/ith acetone solvent if there is a break in the work flow and they 

are put down. Mr. Maxwell estimates that a couple of ounces of acetone are used per flush. The flushed 

acetone is typically shot onto the floor and allowed to evaporate. Acetone is also used for cleaning small 

tools and other pieces of equipment. In these cases, the acetone is stored in safety and dip cans. 

Regulator Marine also takes ether safety precautions with acetone, such as grounding the acetone buckets 

and barrels to prevent static electricity. Mr. Maxwell reported that they have not yet found an alternative 

solvent that works as well as acetone. 

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