Surfaces & Coatings - Alexseal Yacht Coatings

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