GOODBYE TEAK! How I install your synthetic coating in 10 points

“The market for synthetic deck coatings (and others) has experienced a huge expansion in recent years. More and more boat owners are recognizing their advantages: you almost don’t recognize them from teak, they don’t require maintenance (and therefore oils and polluting products to perform it), they are lightweight, and they offer a more ‘sprint’ way of experiencing the boat.”

A FALSE MYTH TO BE DEBUNKED

Speaking is Erika Tramarin, owner with Mirko Gazzato of Refit Style, the Trieste-based company that brought Permateek synthetic coating to Italy, and which from the very beginning stood out for its high level of professionalism. “The one that is still missing in our country when it comes to synthetics.

There is a belief that since it is a PVC product, it does not require a great deal of specialization to install it effortlessly on the deck, and therefore little awareness of the time frame required to do a good job.

You don’t replace old teak with Permateek in a day, we operate plank by plank, just like shipwrights: besides, we offer a five-year warranty, so it’s critical that the installation is done professionally. It takes at least two days of work to install a 2-square-meter plank: if wood has to be removed, it takes up to three and a half days.”

Just to understand the work behind it, together with Erika we went through, step by step, the operations carried out by Refit Style when a shipowner, tired of wood maintenance on the deck, decides to switch to synthetic.

HOW I INSTALL YOUR SYNTHETIC COATING IN 10 POINTS

1. Personalization. “To the shipowner we do not offer a quote, but a complete project, in detail that starts with the making of the templates. All our installations have a strong component of customization, there may be drawings or logos on the templates, we will also take care of the covering of ‘accessories’, such as engine-holding boards, sickle plates, handrails, mainsail leaders…”
2. Wood analysis. “We do not glue Permateek directly onto the wood: before removing it, we study it carefully to see if it has allowed moisture to pass through or if there are any traces that indicate the presence of water in the holes of the fixing screws.”
3. Removal. “This step is very delicate, and the wood cannot be removed with ease-we have to make sure not to damage the gelcoat underneath so as not to compromise the support base.”
4. Chasing moisture. “Once the wood is removed, we proceed to moisture measurement with dedicated instruments (such as hygrometer) or even, since our workers know boats by the centimeter, small cores.”
5. Surface restoration. “The gelcoat is now bare: we reclaim it, grout it where we see fit, level it to avoid depressions. Permateek’s thickness is 5 mm; if the underlying surface was not level, the installation would look terrible.”
6. First test with templates. “We lay the synthetic templates on the spot where they are to be installed to see if they fit properly. At this stage we make any ‘corrections’ and tapering.”
7. Taping. “Before gluing the templates together, we prepare the surface with taping to prevent any glue spillage.”
8. Bonding. “We have come to the gluing stage: we use two techniques. The most common one is vacuum bonding, more rarely we resort to a suction cup system designed, tested and processed by Mirko.”
9. Cleaning the ‘carpet’. “Once the bonding is finished, we remove the protective tapes, clean the ‘carpet’ and proceed to re-base it in preparation for the last step, sealing.”
10. Sealing. “Perimeter sealing of the templates is not only an aesthetic factor, but also safeguards them from water infiltration-this is a feature of Refit Style; not all installers proceed with sealing.”

IS THERE NO SKILLED LABOR? IT IS CREATED.

Let’s go back to the issue of not having enough skilled labor in the industry. “The number of shipowners who want to switch to synthetic is increasing, and we said, ‘Why do we have to give up smaller jobs just because we don’t have good employees?’ So we embarked on a new entrepreneurial venture, Deck System Italia, which aims to professionalize and train workers capable of installing the synthetic coatings we supply throughout Italy. We want to convey not only the ‘practical’ side of laying material, but also train companies from the perspective of communication and work organization.”

Eugene Ruocco

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