Set to be held on September 4 and 5, 2013, the Jotun’s ‘Surface to Surface Captains’ Coating Forum’ will be hosting a number of experts to the stage to discuss the challenges that present themselves during the course of a paint job.
The fabulous French yacht charter destination - Antibes to host the 1st Captains' Coating Forum
The event will comprise experts covering each element of the process, and ahead of the forum, SuperyachtNews.com spoke to three of the speakers about the benefits of discourse and debate on what is a hotly disputed area of the superyacht industry.
Sandy Kirkwood, director, Safinah: New Build/Refit Project Paint Managements
The time has come for us all to sit down and look at what’s happening to the industry. The superyacht industry as a whole, from our perspective at least, is still very young. And whilst we’re getting there, as the industry grows, so does the complexity. So perhaps the attention to detail is lacking. Not because people don’t want to spend the time but because they haven’t given it due consideration.
The idea of getting the captains, paint companies and contractors in the same room is fantastic because nobody can solve this problem on their own; it’s a meeting of minds.
We believe it’s not just a case of managing the paint, but of managing expectations. If you are paying six or seven hundred million for a vessel you would expect it to be tip-top but there is an issue of what is actually possible. It should be remembered that this is a manual discipline, not an automatic one. We see fantastic finishes on cars that are done by robots. But yachts are still sprayed by men and the job they do is amazing. It’s down to us to tell the owner that, yes, we can deliver, a fantastic job, but they may have to wait a little bit longer. It’s not that it’s impossible; it’s that the time element will increase.
Paint as a discipline is still very much at the back of the queue, despite the obvious quality of the current work. The value placed on a good paint job is great, but the time accommodation is not and it’s about getting people to understand that.
Steve Ellis, projects and development manager, Cathelco: Corrosion and Protection
Cathelco has developed a longstanding partnership with Jotun and we’ve benefited from each other’s expertise. We believe this is now evidenced in the quality of the work we collaborate on. But as well as acting as a means of promoting the partnership, this presentation will also act as an educational process for captains, on the causes of corrosion and the technologies in place to prevent it. People aren’t always aware how damaging corrosion can be to the lifespan of a superyacht.
It’s important to get the message out there – that prevention is better than cure. We have made significant advancements in the technology we employ to prevent lasting damage to a ship’s hull and it is important to relay this to captains, in their capacity as project managers. It is not only desirable [to utilise this technology] from an environmentally conscious perspective, but to meet the ever more stringent regulations that govern our oceans.
Alessandro Gallifuoco, quality manager, Benetti: The Painting Process
I think a presentation on how we – Benetti – ensure coating quality in our production as both a bespoke and semi-custom builder will be very interesting, especially the procedures we use and why we utilise them.
Benetti produces more superyachts in one year than many yards would in 10 years, and it is my intention to share how we achieve this with consistently strong results. I am sure it will not be boring!
The Captains’ Coating Forum is an invitation only event, taking place in Antibes from 4 – 5 September 2013. For more information, or to express an interest in attending, then please contact Emma Tower at The Superyacht Events Agency at emma@thesuperyachtgroup.com. The event is hosted by Jotun, with headline sponsorship from Rolling Stock; and support from Cathelco, MarinTurk Turkuaz and Safinah.
