Page 74: of Marine News Magazine (November 2015)

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WORKBOAT DESIGN

AESTHETICS

Closure speci? cation considerations may be further determined by aesthet- ic values. The ? t and ? nish of a given closure, for example, can not only im- pact product cost, but also the expect- ed service life of the product. A door or hatch, for example, may be offered in identical models with bare metal, anodized, painted or powder coated ? nishes – each with a vastly different service life expectation, particularly when operated in salt water environ- ments. “Doors and hatches may be single skinned, or double skinned de- pending upon the application,” notes

Mund. “A pilothouse door may have a wooden veneer applied to the interior side for cosmetic reasons. These all im- pact the product cost.”

Ron Dykes agrees that aesthetic considerations can have profound cost implications over the life of the closure. Where a shipyard or even the operator itself may be tempted to save a few dollars by painting a hatch themselves, that decision can lead to expensive problems after a few seasons of use. “Proper bare aluminum metal preparation prior to painting is essen- tion and installation of marine clo- tial, and we always recommend clients sures including hatches, windows and let us paint our products rather than doors, these decisions must inevitably having someone else do it and having be tempered against one additional corrosion issues later,” he says. “The measure – cost. “Budget is always an acid-etch Alodine treatment of bare important consideration,” says Dykes. aluminum prior to applying a marine “Product options should stay within urethane coating system is priceless in what would be considered a typical value. Quick, cheap paint jobs that do normal budget realm based on ves- not follow proper procedures are far sel value and service requirements.” more costly over the life of the vessel That’s a lot to think about. And, while than paying fairly for a correct paint the topics windows, doors and open- system application during the manu- ing are surely not Rocket Science, facturing of the product.” they do merit more than passing at- tention when out? tting today’s work-

INAL ONSIDERATIONS

F C boat. Doing otherwise just might ulti-

While a focus on performance, fea- mately close the door on post-delivery tures and aesthetics goes a long way pro? ts in a competitive commercial toward ensuring the successful selec- marine environment.

November 2015

MN 74

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