The mannequin pictured may appear to be made of wood, but it’s actually wrapped in a lamination foil that mimics the material. Now picture your yacht’s surfaces wrapped similarly. It’s possible thanks to Wild Group International, which recently added the Färben brand of vinyl foils and films to its alternatives to yacht paint.
Wild Group International says it’s the first approved distributor in the marine market for Färben foils. Thus far the material has been used in residences. Färben coatings reportedly are more durable and thicker than other foils and films. In addition, of great appeal to yacht owners, they’re glossy. Other manufacturers of these materials don’t offer shiny surfaces.
If you’re attending the London Boat Show, which opened last week, you can see Wild Group International’s first application of Färben foils on the Sunseeker stand. You can also wait a few weeks for the refit of Aviva to wrap up at Rybovich, since Wild Group International is covering her hull with the foils—its largest application to date. Färben even color-matched the grey-painted hull of the 223-footer (68-meter), built in 2007 by Abeking & Rasmussen. Wild Group International says the foil application will take just three weeks. The captain of Aviva researched foils and films, and he and the owner met with Wild Group International at last September’s Monaco Yacht Show. After seeing the materials as well as yacht wrap jobs it had completed, the owner approved the use for Aviva.
The three-week yard period for Aviva is yet another attraction of using foils vs. paint. Down time and shipyard time (and therefore labor and costs) are lower. Further benefits: they resist UV damage better, don’t contain VOCs, and can mimic textures such as the above-pictured wood, plus leather and carbon fiber.
Wild Group International says it and Färben are also jointly developing tougher and glossier films for future megayacht projects.
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