Surfaces & Coatings - Alexseal Yacht Coatings

yacht surfaces & coatings trendsInterior Coating Systems from International ®So, it’s only paint?of developing a coating that is greener andwill outlast its current version in durability,life expectancy, aesthetic capabilities andcost is the major and on-going challenge.The type of coating that has seen themost innovation to date is the bottompaints or anti-fouling paints used onthe underwater hulls of the vessels. Theeventual goal of all bottom systems is toeliminate the growth of fouling, whichincludes algae, slime, grass, and barnacles,and to increase the vessel’s performance.The ideal bottom system is one that keepsall marine growth from attaching to theunderwater hull.Underwater hull coatings arebeing developed constantlyand require an incredibleamount of time, research anddevelopmental costs to bringto market.However, up to now, what has made antifoulingswork are the toxins used in thematrix of the paint and have included suchpoisonous chemicals as tributyltin (TBT),copper, creosote, arsenic, mercury, DDT,zinc, silica, magnesium and aluminium,just to name a few. Today’s products haveeliminated most of the aforementionedtoxins and use various combinations ofcuprous oxide and biocides like Econea ® .These combinations do not eliminatemarine growth entirely, but they doprovide a more environmentally friendlyproduct, which helps to increase efficiencyfor a while. These products are selfpolishingor ablative, and must be recoatedevery year or two in order for them towork.About 20 years ago, the development offoul-release systems started the next waveof underwater hull coatings. Their use inthe last eight to 10 years has been on therise, especially with the cost of fuel soaringat an all-time high. Foul-release coatingsprovide a smooth, non-toxic surface thatmakes adhesion of marine growth difficultand with the slightest movement of thevessel the hulls clean themselves and haveproven to last upward of six years on asingle system and provide fuel efficiencyduring the system’s life expectancy.The increase in the vessel’s propulsionefficiency leads to fuel savings and areduction of emissions of greenhousegases, helping the vessel to meet one ofIMO’s newly implemented regulationsin 2013, the Ship Energy EfficiencyManagement Plan (SEEMP).Underwater hull coatings are beingdeveloped constantly and require anincredible amount of time, research anddevelopmental costs to bring to market.Their costs continue to rise, but at leastthese new coatings continue to contributeto the vessel’s fuel efficiency and emissionreductions. Keep your attention focused –this industry will continue to make a hugeimpact on the boating world.Ritvan MetsoManaging director, Thraki YachtPaintingYachting by its very nature is a nichemarket, and weird colours, vinyls andspecial-effect coatings are another nichewithin it; we are certainly seeing sometrends towards this. Will we find moreowners who want to pay extra for this‘speciality’? Probably. Are we ready forthat? In my opinion, not really. It iscertainly necessary to count the numberof yards that have the infrastructureand know-how to get involved with suchchallenges – there may be three to four atmost.First of all, we should not forget that alot of the new builds delivered are enteringrefit yards with warranty issues only ashort time after their departure from theyard – the problems are commonly relatedto fairing, and on some occasions thetopcoats are not performing as expected.While this basic problem is still an issueare we ready to attempt something morespecial?Applying a matt colour or a vinyl on ahull is definitely interesting, eye catchingand also environmentally beneficial, butwhat does it mean practically? From anapplicator’s point of view, while you can dothis on a car with one sprayer only, when itcomes to a hull on an 85m, you may need10 instead in order to apply it properlywithout ending up with overspray anddust. Ease of repair is also a major issue;when it starts to peel away at the edges,for example, it would be a nightmare toperform a partial repair (the joints arevisible even in cars).I am aware that our industry is all aboutspeciality, and although our market isconservative, there is a trend towardssuch special coatings. The industryneeds to establish a good understandingof the practicality of these coatings,predominantly by the yards, so they don’tpromise miracles to owners before they