SOUTHFIELD, US: Ocean Masters World Champion skipper Alex Thomson’s new IMOCA 60 racing yacht is the first entirely black IMOCA 60 yacht in the world. This was made possible by painting the deck with a coating developed by BASF, which is based on the functional pigments made by the company.
The pigments used are Paliogen, which are transparent for Near-Infrared Light (NIR), as well as the functional NIR-reflecting pigments from the Sicopal range.
Following a successful Ocean Masters World Championship, skipper Alex Thomson and his IMOCA 60 racing yacht will now go for a sail at the Vendee Globe non-stop solo world race. Alex Thomson has great ambitions: he wants to become the first British winner of the Vendee Globe.
Taking place every four years, the Vendee Globe is the highlight of the racing yacht scene. This legendary race is the world’s most challenging of its kind: the only nonstop solo race around the world without assistance, across the planet’s most turbulent waters.
The new racing yacht of the fashion house HUGO BOSS AG is designed by the French company VPLP/Verdier and its unique black aesthetical design created by Konstantin Grcic, a world famous industrial designer. The use of pigments from BASF’s Colors & Effects brand allowed him to create a truly unique design that would have not otherwise been possible.
Keeping cool under the heat
Dark surfaces with standard black pigments intensively absorb solar energy and convert it into heat. The functional pigments made by BASF to formulate the coating ensure that the dark surfaces can remain significantly cooler on hot days by reflecting sun radiation.
“The black coating of the deck has been made possible by a coating technology based on our functional pigments. Or else, the radiation of the sun would lead to an unbearable build-up of heat in the windowless cabin and the interior of the boat. The deck, too, would become too hot and could even affect the structural integrity of the composite materials,” said Jenny Reuber, industry management industrial coatings at BASF.
BASF is now also an official partner of the offshore yacht racing team Alex Thomson Racing. This partnership includes a close collaboration on the development of future new design concepts.
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