TORTONA. The technology is not only in the sails, in the materials, in the aerodynamics of the design. «Like all the elements that are part of the structure of a racing boat, paints also play a fundamental role in achieving a record». In this case the boat is the Maserati Multi 70 trimaran and the record is the one on the Monaco-Saint Tropez route by Giovanni Soldini. And speaking of the importance of paints is also Antonella Donzelli, director of the Yachting division of the Boero Group, Yachtcoatings, the Tortona-based company that has been the technical partner of Soldini and his boat for years.
The company
Pfrom La Spezia for a round of tests and training in the Mediterranean, Giovanni Soldini and the Maserati Multi 70 Team arrived in Monaco and thus decided to try to improve the travel time to Saint Tropez, despite the not perfect weather conditions .
The time taken was 2 hours, 25 minutes and 44 seconds: a goal achieved also thanks to the paints and products with which the trimaran was prepared.
Products
«An ultralight cycle, with a suitable antifouling – explains Donzelli – gives the hull a high smoothness allowing high level performances». One of the essential aspects of the cycle provided to Giovanni Soldini is the technology behind the products used for the refit of the boat. The antifouling paint chosen for the Maserati Multi 70 is called Speedy Carbonium and is based on the use of carbon as an active component that gives the hull a high smoothness, allowing high-level performance.
Another important product is the Challenger Pro enamel, which responds to the need to protect the support from ultraviolet rays, from atmospheric agents, making the boat very resistant to the marine environment. Maserati achieved this result after a total refit that lasted almost 4 months. Several Boero YachtCoatings products used. «Mainly the hull part below the waterline was taken care of, working hard on the three hulls to give greater smoothness – says Donzelli -. The products used are the Defender primer, also used as a primer in the painting cycles, and the Speedy Carbonium antifouling, produced by Veneziani Yachting, another brand of the Boero Group, specifically designed for racing sailboats. For the upper part, on the other hand, the colors and their arrangement have been changed and the products used are the Epoply undercoat, with excellent spreading and compactness of the film and good sanding, to guarantee a perfect surface finish, and the Challenger Pro enamel. “.
For this type of boat, the paint products must have great adhesion, maximum protection and low specific weight. These three elements allow to create a very light and effective painting cycle in protecting the boat during high speed.
The next challenges
«We believe in challenges – comments Donzelli – in the daily commitment to overcome limits. This is why he has been the technical partner of Giovanni Soldini and his boat for years. Also on this occasion we are proud to have contributed to the achievement of this new and exciting enterprise ».
In the next few days the Italian Team will continue the suo training tour in the Mediterranean Sea: the program foresees, after a navigation around Corsica, to go up along the Italian coast to return to La Spezia, in order to test all the improvements made to the trimaran in all wind and speed conditions.