From backyard shed to restoration powerhouse
When Mike Borrelli started Metan Marine in the 1990s, his workshop was a makeshift shed wrapped in plastic. The former trainee car mechanic from Scituate, Massachusetts, had a simple goal — to restore boats that looked better than the day they were launched. Working alongside his father and a friend, he built his first few boats under tight conditions and tighter budgets.
Fast-forward almost three decades and Metan Marine now operates from a 2,300 square-metre facility filled with high-tech spray booths, precision tools, and a dedicated crew of craftspeople. The business restores boats for clients across the United States and abroad, with each project carefully documented on the company’s popular YouTube channel.
“It’s incredible how far we’ve come,” says Mike. “But the goal has never changed — to deliver the best possible finish on every vessel that comes through the door.”
The Awlgrip difference
From his earliest days in the shed, Mike has relied on Awlgrip coatings — the professional standard in marine finishes produced by AkzoNobel. He recalls a pivotal moment early in his career when industry expert Steve Smith arrived unannounced to share advice.
“Steve was an absolute book of knowledge,” Mike remembers. “I was used to automotive paint — base coat, clear coat, enamel over it. He took the time to explain linear urethanes versus acrylic urethanes, and how the clear rises to the surface during curing. That completely changed the way I thought about paint.”
Switching to Awlgrip’s premium polyurethane systems proved transformative. Their durability, gloss retention, and smooth application set a new benchmark for quality. When Awlcraft 2000 arrived, it opened another frontier — a finish that could be sanded and polished seamlessly for invisible repairs.
“You could finally wet-sand and buff a linear urethane without breaking the surface,” Mike explains. “The new coat melts into the previous one, and when you polish it, you can’t even tell where the repair was.”
Innovation in colour and finish
Today, Metan Marine uses Awlcraft 3000, the latest evolution in AkzoNobel’s marine topcoat range. Combined with the company’s advanced digital colour-matching platform, it enables an almost limitless palette and consistency across large projects.
Recently, the Metan team completed one of its most ambitious production runs to date — five separate boats finished simultaneously across two spray booths.
“It’s probably one of the longest continuous paint runs we’ve ever done,” says Mike. “The feedback from customers on the Awlgrip finish has been unbelievable — the depth, the gloss, the way it holds up over time.”
A partnership built on performance
From backyard beginnings to a world-class operation, Metan Marine’s success has been built on the same qualities that define the boats it restores — craftsmanship, attention to detail, and a willingness to innovate.
“Awlgrip has been with us from day one,” Mike says. “It’s more than just a paint system. It’s a partnership that lets us deliver the best for our customers.”
This October, Metan Marine joins AkzoNobel at the IBEX Show in Tampa, Florida, where Mike and his team will showcase their work and share their experience with Awlgrip users from around the world.
