Surfaces & Coatings - Alexseal Yacht Coatings

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yacht surfaces & coatings trendsRupert SavageManaging director, Rolling StockCoating a vessel is a very labour-intensive and expensiveprocess – it is, however, what gives the yacht its professionalshine and bling and makes it stand out from the rest. Overrecent years, clients are demanding not only increasinglyhigher quality but also different and more exotic finishes– everything from metallic, pearlescent, chrome, matt,satin, full gloss to other textured and special effects likethose created with vinyls. These coatings need to be appliedprofessionally and efficiently as well as being easy to maintainand have longevity.We have to adapt to the market’s demands and gainexperience in all the technology available. Every type ofcoating and application method has its pros and cons; thequestion is, what is the most influential factor?Robotic filler application machines have been tried andtested with different levels of success to reduce the fairingtime in new builds. The problem is that they are mostlysuited to simple hull forms in a production line and struggleto cope with the complexities of superstructures and the factthat almost every yacht is different.Metallic, pearlescent, chrome and matt finishes, if appliedwith suitable skill, can look incredibly striking – the problemwill always remain that these finishes are very difficult tomaintain and effectively repair. Certain specialised polishesare increasingly popular as an excellent option to maintainand prolong the painted surface, but this will always be atemporary solution.Vinyl wraps are increasingly more sophisticated and canbe applied relatively quickly to a multitude of smaller areas,tenders, toys, dashboards, etc., to create an assortment ofdifferent effects and colours. They are restricted, however, bythe width of the roll (unsuitable for large areas) and do notoffer the same depth of gloss or distinction of image as a paint.Despite these options, all of which have merits and remainimportant, a professionally applied solid coloured yachtpaint system remains both the most popular and practicalcoating solution. In recent years, paint has been changingits composition to reduce its negative environmental impactyet still produces the greatest depth of gloss, distinction ofimage, reparability and durability.Marc SchulzCEO, FL CoatingsSome 25 years ago I was astonished to meet someone whoput clear liquid on his windscreen and told me that fromnow on he wouldn’t need any wipers. Eight weeks later hewas disappointed that the coating had vanished.This year, and certainly in the coming years, we will facethe same problems if we do not take responsibility for whatwe do. For years the innovation process for coating materialshas been stagnant. The ‘big players’ only look at the massmarket. The colours are still the same and for some playerseven metallic is not standard.This opens niche markets for some small companies in thissegment. The main risk is that many decision makers don’tknow much about coatings. If these niche companies seethe market as an opportunity for ‘quick money’ the wholesector will suffer as a result. I’ve seen some products at theMonaco Yacht Show, for example a five-micron nanotechcoating (which is a very well-marketed product), where someowners will soon be standing in front of their yachts lookingas disappointed as the guy 25 years ago.Nanotechnology started an invisible revolution. It needshighly specialised companies to provide the market with safe,tested, certified and reliable solutions.Coatings that look like real steel or fully transparent antifoulingwill approach the market in 2013. As in the past, thesmall players will deliver the real innovations while the globalplayers will ask how we pulled the rabbit out of the hat!Chris TooleGlobal brand manager, AwlgripBefore considering the coatings trends, we believe thereare three drivers that will influence these: firstly regulatoryand legislative requirements, or changes, that will propelthe trend towards certain coating types as, simply speaking,they will be the only compliant ones available. These will bethe ‘unseen innovations and trends’ of 2013, as most enduserswill not even know they have occurred. The seconddriver is the need to increase the competitiveness of acoating. Coatings that reduce work/cycle time and increaseproductivity will directly affect which coatings trend. Finally,enabling builders and applicators to replicate a designer’svision in the real world will be key in 2013 (if it wasn’talready!). It goes without saying that any products that fit thisthird driver will also have to comply with the first two.A tough challenge, but then who said coatings were easy?Clear coatings for wood, in all manner ofgloss levels, will always be trendy and itwon’t be any different in 2013. Coatingsthat allow a designer to use the naturalbeauty of wood yet don’t swallow upa large part of the coating schedule arealways going to do well. So, on to the trends: we believe that those interior coatings/technologies that satisfy the above three drivers, whileallowing designers to exercise their creative side and don’tcreate havoc for the builders, will see a surge this year. Withinthis area there are several coatings types.Clear coatings for wood, in all manner of gloss levels,will always be trendy and it won’t be any different in 2013.Coatings that allow a designer to use the natural beautyof wood yet don’t swallow up a large part of the coatingschedule are always going to do well. Textured finishes are definitely more in demand andare going to become a common sight on yachts. As manyconsumer items such as mobile phones, tablets and musicplayers evolve, so has the need to make them feel moreluxurious and premium. Many would be surprised to knowthat the soft touch or suede effect on their mobile coversis actually produced by adding different additives to liquidpaint! These coatings will allow the designer to incorporate aluxurious visual and tactile aspect to the design/vision, withthe benefits to the owner and crew of low maintenance andeasy-to-clean surfaces.104 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 141
yacht surfaces & coatings trendsFinally, faux finishes; we often envisage coatings as merelyliquid paint, yet over the course of 2013 coatings in theform of films will appear. These high-tech films can bedigitally printed upon to deliver a finish that will matchreal timbers used within the cabin yet will not burn innormal atmospheres and have been certified for SOLASrequirements. As such, they meet LY2 and PYC and theirextremely low calorific value can significantly reducethe calorific loading in a cabin, allowing more freedomelsewhere to use combustible materials in a design. Withthe ability to have finishes such as wood-grain effect, marbleeffect, chrome and other bright metals, 3D effect finishesand digital print on film – which means any image canbe printed on to the film – designers will really be able toexpress themselves!Giles TruscottSales manager, Tribos CoatingsNow, more than ever, presentation and appearances matter.It’s this fact that means surface coatings remains one of thehot topics in our industry, and as such the protection andprolonged enhancement of surfaces is also a key issue. Tocontinually deliver on the exacting standards, it is essential todevelop, research, innovate and improve.Our industry demands the very best, but no longer hasbottomless pockets. Paint companies and the applicators oftheir products are always under pressure to deliver the veryhighest standards. With an increasing numbers of ownerslooking to refit instead of buying new, this is more criticalthan ever.Customers are no longer satisfied bytheir paint just lasting longer; what theyreally want is for it to look like new forlonger with minimal effort.Customers are no longer satisfied by their paint just lastinglonger; what they really want is for it to look like new forlonger with minimal effort. More and more, we are findingthat owners are demanding better and that means addingadditional protection and enhancement to deliver on theirhigh expectations.We don’t see this in just our superyacht business, butalso throughout our automotive and aviation businesses aswell. Across the board, the bar is now considerably higher,resulting in less effective products dropping out of themarket. The continual drive for better, faster and cheapernever ceases; innovation and responding to this demandremain the key to success.Kay WredeFounder, Wrede ConsultingBoat buyers and the yacht market are certainly changingpreferences at the moment, with the trend towardseverything that is unusual – and that means even for yachtsof over 100m with high-gloss silver-coloured coatings all theway to matt olive or fish scales as design. It is not the case thatthere are no longer the white classics, the real yachts, butthere are simply also new customers who find it fun havingnew forms and materials and are often keen to come up withsomething out of the ordinary.We are frequently confronted with entirely new problems.Much greater care is needed with application, which pushescosts up. The reasons for this are, for example, thin layerlacquers such as metallic and clear coat, which are extremelyintolerant to any type of dirt. With matt lacquers, on theother hand, we need to ensure absolutely identical layerthicknesses because of the aggregates. Without these, thematt effect becomes unacceptably differentiated.For repairs, a special surface effect isgenerally also more expensive thana standard colour. Even insurancecompanies sometimes still do not knowthat neither matt nor metallic lacquersare easy to repair.A great deal of know-how is required here; sometimessix or more painters stand one above the other on thescaffolding when coating a superyacht and simultaneouslyhave to create exactly the same lacquer gloss finish; we callthis the painter’s fingerprint. We analyse this fingerprintbefore the project, train the painters and finally synchronisetheir work.We are working on some unusual designs, which we areimplementing, but also have to maintain. There is, of course,also a warranty for coatings, which is between one and twoyears, as for other products. With matt, open-pored surfaces,the UV stability of the coating decreases and the surfacesbecome slightly clogged with dirt and are difficult to clean.This can quickly cause dissatisfaction for the owners – and inparticular the crew – if we do not refer to it promptly.For repairs, a special surface effect is generally alsomore expensive than a standard colour. Even insurancecompanies sometimes still do not know that neither mattnor metallic lacquers are easy to repair. Even if there isonly minor damage, frequently the entire section must alsobe lacquered, possibly involving docking and undocking,erecting scaffolding, putting up a tent, ventilating andlacquering in several layers. Then the repair of an effectlacqueringcosts many times that of a white ship. Although, inour experience, the owners’ representatives face up to this,effect-lacquering is on the increase.We see, incidentally, the application of vinyl foil, eitheras design or corrosion protection, as a definite trend. Wereadily deploy the foils in the same colour as the lacqueringat highly stressed places, where the crew’s activity wouldotherwise cause a great deal of damage. We are alsoincreasingly making stripes and decorative elements in thewaterline area with foil, or we protect heavily stressed areas,such as under the fenders.Images: Corbis/alamyTo comment on this article, email issue141@superyachtreport.com with subject: Yacht Surfaces & Coatings Trends106 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 141
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