PVC needs plasticizers to stay flexible. Under sun and heat, those plasticizers migrate out: the material shrinks, edges lift, overlaps open up, and the colour shifts. TPU has no plasticizers to lose. The difference already shows up during installation: PVC only stretches when heated and has memory — it tends to pull back — while TPU is worked cold, stretches far more, and is noticeably harder to puncture or cut. That's why two jobs that look identical on installation day behave completely differently two seasons later.

They're two different purposes using the same technology. Mimetika Clarity Shield is transparent: it protects and lets the existing colour show through. Mimetika ColorFlex is coloured: it changes the look and protects in the same layer. We do both with the same material, marine-grade TPU, and often combine them: first we refresh with ColorFlex, then we protect with Clarity Shield.

It's the question we're always asked, and it's a fair one — on most of the work you see out there, the answer is yes. That's because PVC overlaps, and it shrinks in the sun: the overlap pulls taut, the edge lifts, and after a couple of seasons you can count the panels from a distance. Our TPU doesn't overlap — it's butt-welded edge to edge. From a metre away, you can't tell where one panel ends and the next begins.

Surface micro-scratches do — they close up with heat. Sunlight is enough, or warm water or a hot air gun if you're in a hurry, and it only takes seconds. A deep scratch — one you can feel with your fingernail — is a different matter: there, the affected panel is replaced, which is still a job measured in hours, not weeks.

Yes — the technical data sheet states over 90% UV blocking. That's why Mimetika Clarity Shield is also used where protection isn't about appearance but about stopping the substrate underneath from degrading — on a carbon mast, for example, where finish isn't the point.

Yes, and it's tested: immersion in acidic and alkaline solutions, pH 3–5 and pH 10–12 for thirty minutes, with no loss of gloss, chalking or discolouration. That's why we use Mimetika Clarity Shield on marble, bar counters, washbasin tops and galley surfaces — exactly where the most aggressive substances on board end up.

Mimetika Clarity Shield is transparent, for exteriors and interiors. Mimetika ColorFlex adds colour: gloss, satin, matte, metallic and special effects for exteriors, plus wood, textile, metal and leather effects for interiors. For steel that's damaged in depth, there's a brushed-steel overlay. Colours can be coordinated across hull, tender and water toys, because it's the same ColorFlex collection.

The boats we've wrapped so far have passed four years with no issues, and several have reached seven. How long it lasts depends mainly on where the boat operates: it goes further in the Mediterranean than in the Caribbean or Dubai, because sun and heat act directly on it. Regular cleaning also extends the film's life significantly. The first areas to give way are horizontal surfaces and very dark colours — and it's those that get replaced, not the whole wrap.

Yes, and the difference is lifespan, not performance. More intense sun and heat wear it faster: in the Mediterranean, a film goes further. That's also why regular cleaning matters twice as much in those regions — and why, when needed, horizontal surfaces are replaced without touching the rest of the boat.

Yes: three years, in writing. That's a different thing from lifespan — the warranty is the commitment we put on paper; lifespan is what the films actually do in the field, and so far that's been over four years, with several boats reaching seven.

Water, MarineCare+, and a microfibre cloth. The surface is hydrophobic, so dirt, salt and limescale sit on top instead of bonding to it — in most cases, one pass is enough. We leave the product and instructions on board at installation, so the crew never has to guess what they can use.

No, and it doesn't need to be. The film isn't polished — it's washed. That's actually the point: every polish removes material, and on a protected surface there's nothing left to wear away. Shine is maintained by washing, not abrading.

Yes. Removed within its service life, it comes off clean, with no adhesive residue. Underneath is the original surface, preserved — which is one of the reasons the film protects value at resale instead of reducing it.

No, as long as the paint is sound and original. In fact, from that point on it's the film that takes the sun, salt, rubbing and cleaning products. If the paint isn't sound, we say so before starting: we don't apply film over a surface that won't hold, because the problem would simply resurface.

The affected panel is replaced. That's a real difference from paint, where a localised repair is almost always visible. And because the finish comes from a catalogue, the new panel stays identical to the others even years later.

A full repaint typically costs five to eight times more than wrapping. And the comparison doesn't stop there: paint requires a booth or tent, fume extraction, scaffolding and masking, and the yard's fixed costs run for the whole period. With wrapping, none of that applies.

It depends on the surface, the product and the boat's shape, so a single number on its own would say little — and risk being wrong. What we can say precisely is the ratio: five to eight times less than a full repaint, with none of the yard costs paint brings with it. Send us a photo and the boat's length, and the quote comes back tailored to it.

It depends on shape and surface complexity more than square metres, so there's no standard timeframe. One real reference: on the Mangusta 108 JFF, we wrapped the entire exterior — hull and superstructure — in twelve working days. An equivalent repaint is measured in months, and that's the line item nobody budgets for, even though it's the one that costs the most.

Above thirty metres, it's usually possible to work with the boat in the water — in that case there's no haul-out, no dry dock, and no yard costs. When work does happen in a yard, two aerial platforms are enough. The exact conditions — location, weather, type of berth — are assessed case by case before confirming.

Not on exterior surfaces. On interiors, work is done cabin by cabin or zone by zone, with no demolition and no replacing furniture or panels. On deckheads, panels are removed, wrapped and reinstalled in sequence, on board or in a yard area — no trips to a paint shop, no drying time to wait out.

Yes. The film works in continuous contact with water, and the reason it holds is how we close it: we seal it around the entire perimeter, so there's no exposed edge for water to get behind. It's something you can check just by looking at the edge.

Yes, on walls and wall linings, with the same perimeter sealing we use in pools. The surface becomes continuous — no grout lines and no silicone joints, meaning nothing for mould to take hold of. Shower floors and bathroom floors are assessed separately, because there the first concern isn't appearance — it's making sure nobody slips.

On fronts, doors, drawer units, panels, appliance sides and walls, yes. Not on the cooktop or anywhere hot pans are set down: the film performs up to 90°C, and a pan straight off the heat is well beyond that. Everything else in the galley can be protected — and that's the part the crew cleans ten times a day.

Floors need a separate assessment, and not for aesthetic reasons — on a surface that's walked on wet and barefoot, safety comes first. We come and take a look, and tell you straight away whether it's a job for us or for someone else.

Yes, and it's often exactly where the result is most surprising: on dull, porous paint, Mimetika Clarity Shield brings back depth and shine without needing to polish first. If the surface is failing underneath — blistering, delamination, lifting lacquer — we work out why before doing anything else.

Yes. For interiors we use IMO/MED-certified systems, and we hand over the certificates for the materials installed, ready to go into the vessel's onboard documentation and to be shown to the yard, class society and flag state.

Yes, and at scale. With Sanlorenzo, we delivered the first yacht ever handed over with interiors finished in adhesive film — a real yacht, really built and really delivered. And on M/Y Queen Miri, we covered around 1,200 m² of deckheads.

MarineCare+ is water-based, 92% biodegradable and non-flammable. It's dermatologically tested, and lab analysis shows no residues. We leave it on board at installation, along with instructions for use.

In most cases, it's PVC. The plasticizers that keep it flexible migrate out under sun and heat, and the material shrinks. If the panels were overlapped, the overlap is always the first point to pull loose.

Because the panels were overlapped instead of welded. An overlap has thickness and an exposed edge: it collects dirt, and as the material shrinks, that edge pulls taut and lifts. On an edge-to-edge weld, there's nothing to lift.

It's the gap the market doesn't explain: manufacturers state five to seven years, people who've been through it report two or three. In most cases, the difference is the material — and in a marine environment, with sun and salt together, it shows up far sooner than anywhere else.

A film removed within its service life comes off clean. An old, already-degraded film takes longer to remove and needs care — we prefer to see it in person before answering, because it depends on what was applied and how long it's been there.

The simplest way is to look at the edges and recesses. PVC only stretches when heated and has memory — over time it tends to pull back, so it shrinks from the edges, lifts at corners, and leaves outlines exposed. TPU is worked cold, stretches far more, and stays where it was put. And if the panels are overlapped rather than butt-welded edge to edge, it's almost always PVC.

The opposite is true. An off-market colour done in paint is permanent; with Mimetika ColorFlex, it isn't. And a buyer finds the yard's original paint preserved underneath, not a repaint they know nothing about.

In a viewing, people look closely, so it depends on how it was installed. Our seams are butt-welded edge to edge, not overlapped — there's no line that usually gives it away at first glance.

Anyone stepping aboard forms an opinion in thirty seconds, looking at the stern and the topsides. What they notice becomes a discount in negotiation — and the work almost always costs less than the discount you'd otherwise concede.