If you’re interested in having your yacht or boat repainted and refinished, you may be wondering why yacht painting is so expensive. Well, there are a variety of reasons – from high labor costs to the quality of paint required to finish a marine vessel.
But the primary reason that yacht painting can often be quite expensive is because it’s both an art – and a science. Yacht painting technicians must be painstaking and take care to keep your yacht in perfect shape – and still ensure that you get a beautiful result.
Find out more about yacht painting below, and learn why it’s both an art and a science.
Yacht Painting Requires Incredible Preparation And Groundwork
Just as a canvas must be prepared for painting – with gesso and base coats of white paint, for example – so must yachts be prepared for painting with painstaking care.
Preparation is the most important part of yacht painting. In fact, most of the time spent painting a yacht goes into prep work, not the actual painting process. Yacht painters will begin by sanding the entire vessel to remove loose paint and smooth the surface, ensuring that it’s perfectly smooth and ready to accept a primer.
Then, the primer must be applied in a thick, even coat. Blemishes must be filled in with putty, and repainted. Then, the entire boat must be sanded again – multiple times. You may think it’s time to paint now, right? Wrong!
Primer must be applied a second time, and then sanded down to a final, smooth finish. After this, the primer must be cleaned thoroughly, and wiped dry. Once it’s totally smooth and clean, paint application can begin.
Usually, most yacht painters apply at least two coats of paint, though it’s not uncommon to have 3+ coats applied to ensure a perfect finish. Then, the boat is waxed – or coated with a ceramic coating – and it’s finally ready!
Each step of this process is equally important – and missing just one of these steps will result in a sub-par result. It’s a great example of why painting a yacht requires both attention to creativity found in art – and the precision required of a scientific experiment.
Yacht Painters Must Treat Each Surface Differently
Your deck will not be painted in the same way that your hull is painted, and the same goes for exterior (and interior) cabin surfaces. For example, a non-skid finish may be desired on your deck to enhance passenger safety, which requires a completely different approach to painting.
The same goes for interiors. While the process is much different than painting the hull above or below the waterline, it still requires exceptional attention-to-detail, and a single mistake can result in a sub-par project.
Every boat is different – so you need yacht painting services that can be tailored to your specific vessel. There is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Need Yacht Painting In Fort Lauderdale? Chi Yacht Refinishing Is Where You Need To Be!
At Chi Yacht Refinishing, we are experts at both the art – and science – of painting yachts. With precise preparation and a true artisan’s attention to detail, we can give you absolutely exquisite results. Contact us now, and see why you should choose us to paint your yacht in Fort Lauderdale.