After running a full season of over 250 tours, Island Adventures Whale Watching’s newest ship in the fleet, Island Explorer 5, looked the same as it did brand new leaving the Mavrik Marine plant. Finished in Alexseal Yacht Coatings from the waterline to the third deck’s hardtop, including non-skid across all surfaces, this 30m (98’) sight-seeing catamaran is the crown jewel of the company’s fleet.
Shane Aggergaard, owner of Island Adventures Whale Watching based in Anacortes, Washington, appreciates the durable finish on his newest ship. Between clients and crew, the decks have withstood over 30,000 people but, “the whole boat has really held up beautifully.” Shane continues, “The perfect finish of the hull and topsides hasn’t aged a bit, even in the most subjected spots, where fenders rub the hull daily, during fuel stops and loading and unloading passengers.”
With 3 decks and a full professional galley and bar, this 30-meter fast cat has a capacity of “only” 150 passengers, making her one of the more high-end and luxurious sight-seeing boats drafted by the renowned Aussie naval architect firm: One2Three. This design utilizes a proven hull form coupled with the most clean-burning and fuel-efficient high-horsepower diesel engines available from MAN, but the remainder of the layout and design is custom-specified by the customer and tailored by the designers One2Three. “From the galley and seating arrangement down to the specific trash cans we wanted, the CAD guys worked it into the design brilliantly,” Shane explains.
When it came down to the coatings of choice, shipbuilder Mavrik Marine paved the way. Mavrik is well-known for constructing all-aluminum work boats for fisherman, law enforcement and other industries which leave the factory and enter service as bare aluminum without paint. When Mavrik’s workflow includes passenger vessels, they apply yacht-grade coatings which have included Alexseal on recent projects. Shane explains, “It seems a lot of the builders are shifting away from Sterling and AwlGrip to use Alexseal, and after a season of tours on Island Explorer 5, I can see why.”
Sight-seeing tour business owners from all over the Pacific Northwest, in the US and Canada, gather annually for a conference to share ideas and growth strategies. This year’s meeting was hosted aboard the Island Explorer 5 and Island Adventures’ competitors and business associates were blown away by how clean and new the boat looked. Staring down the side of the boat, Shane bragged to his colleagues how very little fairing was used on the boat and what they see is Mavrik’s brilliant handiwork with aluminum, and Alexseal’s superior mirror finish. Many walked away from the annual conference impressed and ready to specify Alexseal on their next repaint or new passenger ferry build.
Shane’s experience in keeping up with a boat’s exterior finish is muddled with short windows of opportunity in the continuously moist conditions of the Pacific Northwest, when not running tours. He definitely desired a finish that would last through several seasons of continuous use, and Mavrik Marine with the help of Alexseal Sales Rep, Alex Sandas had no issues convincing Shane that Alexseal was the coatings of choice for his newest whale watching vessel.
“Alex has been great with us and even set aside time to come by and talk touch-ups with our Captains and provide some tips for applying yellow strips to the steps for added safety for our guests.” Shane also says that Mavrik is busy on several new high-speed catamaran projects which are all rolling out with Alexseal coatings. Although just coming out of the first season with Island Explorer 5, Shane is excited to begin another new build with Mavrik and One2Three Naval Architects by 2020, which will include the full Alexseal system from the waterline up.
