Ask New Zealand boat owners what they want from a topside finish and two answers come up again and again: a colour they love and a finish that withstands a demanding summer looking as good as the day it was applied.
Under some of the highest UV levels in the world, those two wishes are closely linked; and getting both right has often meant a compromise between the colour the owner wants and the durability they need.
Perfection® Pro topcoat by International® was built to address these exact issues; taking the compromise out of the conversation. It brings superb UV protection and a vast colour range together in one topcoat system, simplifying two of the biggest decisions in any repaint or refit project.
Why UV protection matters
New Zealand presents a significant array of challenging operational and environmental conditions that test the topcoat of a boat or yacht, including high UV index levels, saltwater abrasion, and diverse waters and temperatures. With very little air pollution and few aerosols or fine particles to absorb the UV before it reaches the ground, peak summer UV levels are approximately 40 percent higher than those at equivalent latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Further contributory factors include a variable ozone layer in the atmosphere which thins during the summer in Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, as well as the elliptical nature of the Earth’s orbit meaning the Southern Hemisphere is closer to the sun during summer, making incoming solar radiation about 7 percent stronger than during the northern summer.
Clear skies, long summer days and outdoor lifestyle mean boats here spend a great deal of time in direct, intense sunlight, whether they are out on the Hauraki Gulf, cruising the Bay of Islands or sitting on a mooring in the Marlborough Sounds. For a topcoat, that sunlight is the quiet enemy.
Unlike a knock against a pontoon, UV damage does not happen in a moment. It builds season by season as ultraviolet light breaks down the surface of the paint. The first sign is usually a softening of the gloss, colour then begins to fade, and eventually the surface can chalk, leaving a powdery residue that comes away on a hand or a cloth.
For boat owners, it means a boat that looks older than it is, is harder to sell and needs repainting sooner than planned. For charter operators, appearance is part of what guests are paying for. And for refit yards and marina-based businesses that depend on repeat work and word of mouth, a finish that fades early reflects on the job, even when the application was faultless.
Protection built in from the start
Perfection Pro is the ultimate performing topside finish from International®, developed by professionals for professionals to meet the needs of boat owners, while being specifically formulated to provide outstanding results with ease.
Delivering a long-lasting, high-gloss, high-performing finish, Perfection Pro is a two-part polyurethane topcoat which ensures superb protection from the detrimental effects of UV, leading to improved gloss and colour retention.
The protection goes beyond sunlight. Perfection Pro is also resistant to fuel, oil, mild acids and detergents, so routine cleaning and the occasional spill at the fuel dock to not take the shine off.
With a visually appealing finish representing a non-negotiable for today’s owners, the true differentiator for topcoat systems in the new build, and maintenance and repair sector, is longevity and a finish that visibly holds its shine.
Established in Europe with striking testimonials from professional applicators, Perfection Pro is proven to deliver a finish that looks as good at the end of busy season as it did at the start.
Perfection Pro optimizes application performance to deliver the efficiency and reliability needed by professional applicators, while meeting the finish expectations of modern owners who want to protect their investment for years to come.
A colour for every boat and every owner
New Zealand’s yacht industry has a strong appetite for colour, with owners keen to stamp their mark on a new build or refit, making sure it stands out in the marina.
Deep, saturated colours such as navy blues, rich reds and dark greens are popular precisely because they make a statement, but they are also where fading and loss of gloss show most clearly.
In New Zealand, whites remain popular alongside pale greys, silvers and charcoals, with navy and black as the other main options. This mirrors the wider shift where charcoal grey, gunmetal, deep forest green and off-black hulls are increasingly seen on production and custom boats.
Alongside these colour considerations is a boating culture that prizes a genuine ‘mirror finish’. Particularly in the yacht industry, there is a growing desire for owners to seek deeper customization and near-new-build standards for their refit projects, to ensure that they continue to stand out from the crowd. As a result, finish expectations are rising, with a growing demand for exclusive hues, impeccable colour consistency and aesthetic excellence.
Perfection Pro answers that with a palette of more than 215 colours; with the system now part of the AkzoNobel’s Yacht Speciality Coatings (YSC) toner system, aligning it with the same system used across the Awlgrip and International topcoats.
The well-known classic Perfection colours remain, including Snow White, Flag Blue, Rochelle Red, Jade Mist Green and Fighting Lady Yellow, so owners who have relied on a favourite shade for years can carry on with it.
Alongside them sits a far broader range, giving instant access to hundreds of familiar colour references. Whether the request is for a crisp classic white, a deep blue hull or a bold accent on a sportsboat, the colour an owner has in mind is likely already there, or something very close to it.
If it is not in the range, it can be matched using AkzoNobel’s comprehensive professional colour tools – so that owners and applicators get the exact shade they need. Automatchic Vision, a hand-held colour reader, measures a hull’s existing colour quickly and precisely, with Mixit Cloud then giving local mixing access to hundreds of colours.
Easy application for exceptional colour and gloss
For refit professionals looking for premium results and an efficient application process, Perfection Pro is the solution for an excellent mirror-like finish which is quick and easy to achieve.
Behind the enhanced efficiency is the dual-binder approach of Perfection Pro, which consists of one binder specifically formulated for spray application and a separate one that is optimized for brush and roller.
For the New Zealand market, where brush and roller application is often the most practical option, Perfection Pro Brush and Roller Binder offers clear application benefits. Engineered to minimize aeration and bubbling during mixing and application, it promotes improved flow, while a tailored solvent blend extends wet-edge time for easier application. Although suitable for brush application, exceptional finishes have also been reported using a roller alone, with no tipping required.
The Perfection Pro Spray Binder has been formulated for optimum application using air atomized spray equipment, with best results achieved with conventional or compliant (reduced pressure) equipment.
One of the most valuable aspects of Perfection Pro for the New Zealand market is its substrate compatibility, giving applicators and yards the efficiency gains of only needing one topcoat system to service the full range of boats, including GRP, aluminium, wood and steel.
Surface preparation varies depending on the substrate but must be thorough if the coating system is to perform well, and an AkzoNobel Technical Representative should be consulted for advice if needed.
International support for New Zealand professionals
The outstanding mirror-like finish, extensive colour choice and superior in-service performance of Perfection Pro are clear differentiators for owners and applicators.
Underlying these benefits are the strong UV and colour retention, broad substrate compatibility, dual application-specific binders, easy mix ratio, and resistance to the harsh marine environment, which all combine to create a system that is ideally suited for New Zealand.
Perfection Pro is developed by International®, AkzoNobel’s global yacht coatings brand with over 140 years of expertise, and is powered by AkzoNobel’s advanced coatings technology. International® recognizes the need for coating technology and easy-to-apply systems that enable all applicators to achieve the perfect finish, with the appropriate preparation, application technique and controlled environment.
International® helps professionals to maintain the highest standards, providing ancillary support to its direct customers and end users in the form of services to advise on areas such as product selection by segment and region, application guidance and technical support.
Perfection Pro is among a range of International® solutions that have been developed to fulfil the demands of the modern owner, combining AkzoNobel’s colour leadership and digital tools, with advanced coatings systems, alongside the necessary guidance and support to achieve premium results.
Learn more from International Paints.
