On the early years of the range, Lagoon fitted their catamaran with an external privacy and sun white cover. While contributing to the sleek look of the hulls, it would usually deteriorate over time, with fender abrasion, no matter how carful their owner would be in placing them. More recent units would have their protection set on the inside side of the window, putting the usual sources of wear & tear out of the mix.
After 10 years, the ones on this hull would in fact be so worn out that they no longer provided any protection against the sun, nor privacy after sundown. As a side project in a global refit for this Lagoon 450F, their new owners asked us to change replace all four of them with new covers.
In this photo, we can see how the dotted protection has been completely erased, requiring the inside curtains to be pulled at all times for privacy.
And this is the case for all four large windows of the unit (photo courtesy of the previous owner, with the boat docked in beautiful Favignana harbor, on our turf, should you need a motivation to visit 🙂
After doing quite some extensive research online , we came up with the Lagoon original reference for a replacement kit:
Art.122499, KIT DECO PMMA COQUE 4 DECOS POLYES CRISTAL.
And at the time, the price was 500€, which seemed quite expensive for a set of adhesive stuff. As a matter of fact, after some further online search, it soon became quite clear that we could use a standard product easily purchased online, with costs only a fraction of Lagoon’s proposition.
We came up with “Pellicola decorativa PVC microforato 40%“, a product made by italian firm MC SERRAMENTI SRL (Milano), witch fitted all our requirements for a total cost of only 150€ (1,52 x 2,5 m).
Specifications
- Supporto: PVC polimero 140 micron
- Adesivo: solvente in poliacrilato rimovibile
- Protezione: carta siliconica 100 micron
- Colore: bianco
- Applicazione: esterna
- Garanzia: 3 anni
- Resistenza termica: da -20° a 80°
The new owners validated our proposition, and with the procurement behind us, the actual work could start.
First of all, we would advice against the use of acetone, as it could damage the seals and the plexiglass itself. It’s not overly difficult to move out the existing cover, but should you need help, you can use some silicone remover; wood alcohol (Methanol) would also do the trick, but it is now considered to be a health hazard. At this stage it is essential to insure that no damage happens to the plexiglass, as those would be difficult to repair.
Then we cleaned thoroughly the windows surfaces, wiped them dry, and installed the new covers, being careful to get all the wrinkles out of the way.
We used a razor knife to cut the cover to the exact shape of the windows, being careful not to damage the seals.
And this is how it was meant to look like 🙂
Again a very satisfying project, as the result is so visible to everyone. Together with the polishing of the hull, we did bring this 10 years old unit to its original looks.
Provided we anticipate the purchase of the material – and be aware that procurement leadtimes have exploded over the recent weeks – this can be done in a few hours, while the boat is in the water. Should you wish to replace yours, give us a call.
boatservicelicata.com 