A watertube panel portion for a fluidized bed reactor and a corresponding method. The watertube panel portion includes multiple parallel metal tubes having a tube length L1, an outer surface, an original outer diameter OD1, and an original wall thickness WT1, and a circumferentially extending recess formed in a central portion of each of the tubes, between first and second end portions. The recess has a constant depth D that is less than the wall thickness WT1. The recess encircles the outer surface of the central portion of the metal tube. A circumferentially extending metal coating has a constant thickness of at most the depth D of the recess to blanket the recess of each of the multiple metal tubes. A fin is continuously welded between each pair of adjacent tubes.