CrabCoat Exterior Marine Finish Clear, UV TopCoat

I have used CrabCoat for about 8 years. It is a great protective, non-yellowing coating that holds up in the humid, intense sun of south Florida. The only issue I have had with it (and I lost almost 2 expensive gals of the material) is that for some reason, it partially polymerized in the jugs after about 5-6 years. The result was a "mayonnaise" like consistency that made the CrabCoat useless. One of the gal jugs had never been opened. I will definitely use CrabCoat for future projects requiring high durability, but recommend using it within a year or two of purchase. Note that the manufacturer states that, outside of freezing, it should be stable for 5 years.

All water borne finishes are more difficult to work with than older solvent based finishes. CrabCoat is no different than others in this regard. That having been said, Crabcoat is a tough, resilient finish which is not too hard on your lungs and the environment. Make sure the temperature isn't too low when applying and curing. (specifics on the containers' labelling)
Gloss Crabcoat is less glossy than other brands glossy, and also, the satin is more matte than other finishes designated as satin, not so much so as to be a dealbreaker however.
I have had some fish-eye issues till I paid closer attention to the temperature and, more importantly, when spraying, I give it a dust coat and wait a little while for it to tack up, then finish by spraying enough more to wet out the surface(s) I want done. This seemed to prevent most (but not all) of the fisheyes. Plan out your "attack" as to quickly wet out the work piece without overspray forming. In other words, work into new areas with fresh coverage as you spray not out of them. Like with solvent borne finishes you want to keep a wet edge while spraying.
When brushing it pays to start by doing the edges and corners and tricky parts, then brush out the rest quickly with straight, long strokes. Avoid brushing the same places repeatedly. Your goal is to quickly apply Crabcoat with a minimal amount of "backbrushing". Do the tricky parts first, and be sure your brush strokes always move outward across any edges.
Crabcoat will have brushmarks in it if you apply it and then brush back over it to fix problem areas, but on the other hand if you walk away and let it cure you will see it's remarkable self-levelling qualities.
If you do not fully cover an area Crabcoat can pull back (the wet edge recedes) leaving an uncoated area that you previously brushed out, so watch closely and frequently to correct such problem areas. They typically are around edges and corners.

Excellent sealer

Love it
I’m finishing my fairy doors with sparkles and waiting a couple more hours in 2 days to coat at least 4 times more as they will be place outside in NYC area .. hopefully they will last the weather raining conditions
I’m glad I did my research and your product.
Thank you
The fairy door girl

Love it, works great!!