10/11/2023
𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Topcoat finishing in the exterior hull or superstructure is a highly valued asset for Yacht owners.
👉Different factors may affect to the final appearance like:
• Budget VS expectations.
• Design of the Yacht.
• Technical specification and contract requirements.
• Materials quality. Paint and other related.
• Qualification of companies and personnel.
• Shipyard and or project management. Teamwork with all the parties involved.
• Quality assurance program. Survey company or crew monitoring.
• Technical knowledge and experience of the different parties.
• Balance to get a project on spec, on budget and on time.
Which should be my expectability as an owner? You get what you pay for. If the above factors are not well communicated, agreed and implemented expectations of the owners can be misleading.
𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: A great part of failures can be avoided at early stages in new building reviewing properly the design and specifications during the pre-bid and pre-job conferences with the stake holders. Continuous and qualified quality assurance program monitoring. Many of the corrosion, paint defects and filler issues can be better fixed during new building process with proper monitoring and adequate decisions to reduce maintenance cost in the future.
𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁: Paint is not forever in a marine environment and will experiment degradation soon or later in the form of loss of gloss, wear, and discoloration dealing in unpleasant appearance of the yacht. The conditions during Refit are different than newbuilding with more restricted planning normally and sometimes climate challenges. Understanding the condition of the Yacht prior to paint with all the information of the behavior of the previous paint system is very useful to anticipate failures that may come from the refit or from the previous paint operations during the newbuilding.
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹: During operational, different environments exposure and standard crew maintenance process the paint finishing will also experiment certain point of degradation. Knowledge of the condition of the paint system and about the performance is helpful to maintain the surface topcoat in the best condition during the expected life of the Yacht.
The durability of today´s topcoat system is theoretically high according to results found by independent laboratories with accelerated and natural aging test, but the practical result shows more degradation of the paint systems in shorter times due to issues related with the newbuilding, refit and operational process.
In Optimiza as Materials Experts we support to our customers with the best knowledge in materials technology, degradation, and performance in all the stages of a newbuilding, maintenance, and operation during the life cycle of a Yacht. Extending the life of the materials. We protect your assets and the environment.
💡Let´s discuss about Materials performance and protection
