September 20th, 2021
It’s been a very busy 12 months for our yacht painters at Berthon Spain, and this winter looks as if it will be just as busy with lots of exciting projects lined up.
Painting is often part of the projects that we undertake, and is of course often a key element when refitting a yacht. There are a lot of decisions to be made prior to starting the job, such as whether to remove the deck hardware or to paint around it. However, for a strong, long term finish, we would advise that all fittings are removed, so that the paint can go beneath fittings rather than butt up against them.
Then there is of course the choice of paint, not just the colour, but the brand and type. AWLGRIP AWLCRAFT one of our favourites, as the unique make up of the paint allows repairs to be easily done in the event of any damage. It also lasts extremely well and with a hard polish, the yacht looks as good as new. We work closely with PINMAR here in Palma, who supply a lot of our paint. Their knowledge and the support they offer is second to none.
When painting a sailing yacht, and especially if the deck is being painted, we recommend dropping the rig first. From our experience, when a rig stays in, the covering tent can leak around the mast and shrouds, which can lead to problems when painting.
The colour is something that we mainly leave up to owners, as this is a personal choice. However we do recommend our clients steer away from dark colours on deck as they get extremely hot in the sunshine. This can not only be uncomfortable underfoot but also increases the temperature down below. We are just in the process of repainting a coach house roof that was previously dark blue. After a summer of baking inside, the owners have chosen to go back to a cool, refreshing white!
We paint a lot of masts and booms and, when size permits, we bring these back to the big Berthon shed. This reduces the cost for the client, with all of the necessary equipment on site, it makes life a lot easier.
Contamination is a word that you will hear a lot around yacht painting, as it can cause enormous headaches when not controlled. We work extremely carefully not to let any contaminants into the controlled paint area and ensure any antifoul works take place only when the paint job is complete.
For any yacht painting requirements this winter, please get in touch with Berthon Spain as we would love to help.
Managing Director – andrew.fairbrass@berthonspain.com
Tel: +34 971 415 441
https://www.berthonspain.com/
