Superyacht refit yard Monaco Marine has completed a major repaint on the 81 metre Feadship Air, which included refinishing its iconic matte black hull. Launched in 2011, Air arrived into the firm’s La Ciotat yard in October and was hauled out into a custom-built climate-controlled ‘transformation cocoon’.
The 1,000 square metre surface was refinished by a team of 25 painters from subcontractor Rolling Stock. Cyprien Milhe, project manager at Monaco Marine, explains the challenges they faced, “Black matte paint is a very delicate paint. It requires a careful preparation of the paint and coatings, as well as a continuous application to render the rare non-reflective and soft texture appearance. The previous paint must not interfere with the new paint coat.”
The project was planned to take nine weeks, but Monaco Marine delivered the project one week ahead of schedule, with Air relaunched on December 2 and ready to charter again by December 9.
Steve Warren, the captain of Air, was delighted with the result, adding, “Air is very unique. Its hull colour defines this boat and we all held our breath during the repaint. We were stunned about the perfect finish. That the yacht could be ready before the set date was even more satisfying.”
Designed by De Voogt Naval Architects with Remi Tessier interiors, Air features accommodation for 12 guest split between an owner’s cabin, four doubles and a twin room. Power comes from a pair of MTU 16V 4000 M60 diesel engines, while her 175,000 litre fuel capacity ensures a globe-trotting cruising range.