What is the “mirror grade” process? A senior supervisor will teach you 5 tricks to accept yacht paint like an expert

Hundreds of thousands of spray paints are like “orange peels”? Master these 5 acceptance criteria and see through inferior shipyards at a glance

Hull painting is the most expensive, intuitive, and “deepest” project in yacht refurbishment. Many ship owners pay hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the hull looks as bright as new from a distance, but when they look closely, they find that the surface is uneven, cloudy, and even begins to blister and fall off in less than a year.

High-quality yacht paint should achieve “automotive-grade” or even higher mirror finish. It’s not just about aesthetics, it’s about hull protection. As a ship owner, you don’t need to be a chemistry expert, but you must have the “right to accept the word”. Today, Voy.hk’s Technical Director will dismantle the secrets of top-tier painting processes and teach you 5 professional-grade acceptance criteria.

1. Process decryption: seven points, three points

Many shipowners mistakenly think that spraying paint is “spraying color”. In fact, the final gloss is 80% dependent on the base treatment before the topcoat. A standard international painting process includes the following rigorous steps:

• Step 1: Fairing – Eliminate wavy lines
  Yacht FRP hulls often have wavy patterns that are difficult to see with the naked eye. High-quality shipyards will use “Long-boarding” technology to carry out multiple leveling with imported atomic ash. This is the key to avoiding the “haha mirror” effect.
• Step 2: Primer – the soul of adhesion
  Before applying the topcoat, an epoxy primer (High-Build Primer) must be sprayed. It not only acts as a closure, but also serves as a source of grip for the topcoat. Voy.hk The supervisor will strictly check the “finger-touch drying time” of the primer to prevent delamination caused by premature or late spraying of the topcoat.

2. Acceptance practice: 5 dimensions to judge good or bad

When the shipyard notifies you of the acceptance, take this list with you to look at your boat from different angles:

Check the criteria	Poor quality workmanship features	Quality workmanship standards
1. Orange Peel Effect The	surface is slightly uneven like orange peel, and the reflection is blurred.	Smooth as a mirror, the image reflection is clear and distorted.
2. Dust spots and impurities (Dust)	are grainy to the touch, and if you look closely, there is dust wrapped in the paint.	Clean surface. This tests whether the shipyard has a dust-free paint booth.
3. Runs & Sags:	Paint drips like “tear stains” on the vertical surface.	Flat and even, without any traces of dripping.
4. Masking The	edge of the stainless steel part or rubber strip has fly paint, and the color separation line is jagged.	The lines are sharp, the boundaries are clear, and there is no pollution across the boundary.
5. DOI (Vividness)	is bright, but the reflection is blurry.	High-definition reflection can clearly read the words on the newspaper from the reflection of the ship’s hull.

3. Voy.hk Supervisor Standards: What are we looking for you?

It is often too late to rely on final acceptance alone. If the primer is not done well, the topcoat will not last for two years no matter how bright it is. Voy.hk’s on-site supervisor service puts quality control in every aspect of construction:

• Environmental Monitoring: We use Dew Point Meters to measure air humidity and temperature. It is strictly forbidden to apply when the humidity is >85% or the temperature is below the norm, preventing the paint from fogging and turning white.
• Thickness measurement: Use a professional coating thickness gauge to ensure that each layer of paint reaches the number of microns specified by the manufacturer, no more or less.
• Material verification: On-site unboxing inspection to ensure that the original paint of top brands such as Awlgrip, Alexseal, or International purchased by you is used, putting an end to “selling dog meat with sheep’s heads”.

4. Conclusion: Quality is controlled

Spray painting is an art, but also a science. By choosing a high-quality shipyard in Zhuhai under Voy.hk supervision, you will not only receive services at 1/3 the price in Hong Kong, but also access top-tier craftsmanship that meets international inspection standards. Don’t let your ship lose its price due to a layer of poor paint, and let a professional overseer preserve the value of your assets.