The fifth part of News Editor Conor Feasey’s report on the future of coatings in the refit sector, from issue 227 of  The Superyacht Report: Refit Focus. 

Paint is where expectations, regulation and practical reality collide most visibly. The pressures aren’t due to a single change – skilled labour has become harder to secure and more expensive, particularly at the level required for large, high-profile yachts. At the same time, finish expectations have continued to rise, with darker hull colours and “near-new-build standards” now commonplace, even though refit conditions remain defined by existing substrates, access constraints and fixed schedules.

Environmental regulation has added another layer, with a variety of requirements now shaping how paint projects are planned and executed. While generally accepted as manageable, their consequences become painfully apparent when outcomes are rejected: repeated sanding, extensive shrink-wrapping and weeks added to already complex refit timelines. Paint also rarely operates in isolation.

Taken together, these factors help explain why paint has become such a sensitive part of the refit equation. And how those pressures translate into day-to-day delivery is best understood through the captains of industry managing refits in practice.

The interviews describe a refit market that has become far less forgiving. Labour availability emerges as the primary constraint and heads of industry consistently point to shortages of skilled painters, supervisors and inspectors as the most notable driver of cost and delay.

Of course, environmental regulation is widely accepted as a necessary part of the landscape, but it also carries practical consequences. Naturally, we look to technology, but it cannot compensate for poor preparation or unrealistic expectations.

Paint in the refit sector remains a technically mature and well-understood discipline but the margin for error is wafer-thin. More paint moving through established cycles means more labour tied up for longer and more projects whose outcomes are less tolerant of delay, which will have ripple effects across the market. That’s not to say the market can’t and won’t adapt, but it’s the canary in the coal mine indicating it should.

Below are their responses to the final question posed to them by Conor Feasey. Their responses to the previous four questions have already been published.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the next major challenge or turning point for paint and for the wider refit market? What can be done, or is already being done, to address it?

Manuel Di Tillio, Technical & Sales Director,  Amico & Co
Regarding paint, in our opinion, the next challenge will be adapting to the use of more sustainable coating products while maintaining high quality standards. At the same time, the superyacht market is increasingly demanding treatments that offer greater durability and flexibility in terms of maintenance, while maintaining the same quality standards.

Txema Rubio, Commercial Director, MB92 Group
Being able to forecast higher demand by signing contracts well in advance would improve project planning, allow better utilisation of labour and enable shipyards to reduce refit timeframes. This would have a major positive impact on project performance, budgeting and overall refit costs.

Being able to forecast higher demand by signing contracts well in advance
would improve project planning.

Stefan Coronel, General Manager Huisfit, Royal Huisman
I believe that traditional yacht paints are more or less fully developed, and we should start looking for new alternatives. A good example of this is the base coat/clear coat system. These high-solid products still offer plenty of room for innovation and have the added advantage of providing more easily repairable top layers in case of damage. For interiors, I would mainly consider water-based products, which have been widely used in residential construction for many years, but in which the yacht-building industry is still lagging behind.

  
Gianni Paladino, Commercial Director, Lusben
In the paint sector, the next real turning point will come from technological innovation. New products and application methods are already being tested, and we expect them to redefine how high-level finishes are achieved in the future.

For the refit market as a whole, the transformation is even broader. The sector is rapidly moving away from the traditional “workshop” mentality and evolving into a fully structured industrial ecosystem. Every year, it gets closer to the standards and operating models of new construction. We see this in the growing professionalisation of owners’ representatives, the increasing use of formal assessment protocols and the general trend towards standardised, repeatable processes.

Refit is becoming more organised, more structured and more aligned with new build, and this evolution is raising quality standards across the entire industry. It’s an important shift that will shape the future of refit for many years to come.

Refit is becoming more organised, more structured and more aligned with new build.

Alberto Perrone Da Zara, Director Sales Yacht Refit, Lürssen
At some point, we need to look each other in the eye and be honest about the level of perfection we expect for objects as large as an Airbus. We are overcomplicating paint jobs, especially in medium and low-visibility areas. These are areas that will never be seen again unless the yacht is in a shed and someone is walking around with a magnifying glass, counting dust inclusions. The corrective actions that follow are completely disproportionate. Repainting a yacht of this size means weeks of additional time and enormous amounts of shrink wrap.

Very often owners are not spoken to in a direct way. Many of today’s owners are new to yachting. But they are rational people. They would accept practical solutions if the conversation were more honest. Instead, there is a whole economy that revolves around this level of perfection and many people live well from it, which makes it very difficult to challenge.

Kay Wrede, CEO and Creative Head, Wrede Consulting
The next major challenge will be aligning new-build level expectations with refit realities – technically, economically and environmentally. This requires more transparency, better early-stage condition assessments and realistic budgeting based on the actual substrate condition, not assumptions.

Industry-wide standards, clearer specifications and better education of owners and managers will be key to avoiding disputes, delays and cost overruns.

Paint refit projects succeed or fail long before the first spray gun is used. Early diagnostics, realistic scopes and experienced supervision are far more effective cost-control tools than trying to save money on materials or labour rates.

Refit is not ‘new build light’ – it is a discipline of its own.

The interviews describe a refit market that has become far less forgiving. Labour availability emerges as the primary constraint and heads of industry consistently point to shortages of skilled painters, supervisors and inspectors as the most notable driver of cost and delay.

Of course, environmental regulation is widely accepted as a necessary part of the landscape, but it also carries practical consequences. Naturally, we look to technology, but it cannot compensate for poor preparation or unrealistic expectations.

Paint in the refit sector remains a technically mature and well-understood discipline but the margin for error is wafer-thin. More paint moving through established cycles means more labour tied up for longer and more projects whose outcomes are less tolerant of delay, which will have ripple effects across the market. That’s not to say the market can’t and won’t adapt, but it’s the canary in the coal mine indicating it should.

This article first appeared in The Superyacht Report: Refit Focus. With our open-source policy, it is available to all by following this link, so read and download the latest issue and any of our previous issues in our library.  

Profile links

MB92 Barcelona

Royal Huisman

Lürssen

Amico & Co

Wrede Consulting GmbH

Lusben

Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.