May 2008

Pedros looks after the environment with Coppercoat

Pedros Yacht Refinishing is committed to looking after the environment and complying with new legislation regarding antifoul waste.

Hazardous waste includes topside and antifoul paints and varnish including used brushes, rollers and trays and Pedros takes great care in disposing of these in accordance with regulations laid down, ensuring the waste is managed without endangering human health and without harming the environment.

Pedros is finding owners increasingly keen to help protect the environment as well and as such has become an approved Coppercoat agent and application centre.

Coppercoat is one of the most powerful and long-lasting anti-foulding available to boat owners and is increasing in popularity with owners.

Coppercoat is epoxy based and classified as non-eroding, causing less harm to the environment than self-eroding antifouls. The paint combines a specially developed solvent-free epoxy resin with high purity copper - each litre of resin is impregnated with 2kg of ultra fine spherical copper powder and this combination of a high copper content and a unique blend of biocides ensures ultra low growth rates and a clean hull.

Correctly applied, Coppercoat treatments resist weed and barnacle growth for around ten years and as it provides a smooth surface, many motorboat owners have reported higher speeds at lower revs, meaning less fuel and reduced engine wear.


April 2008

Pedros helps round the world yacht race continue

Pedros Yacht Refinishing and Atlantic Spars have played their part in ensuring a round the world sailing race can continue.

Atlantic Spars based near Brixham was asked to build new masts for two of the 68ft yachts taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race which ground to a halt for them after they dismasted in the Pacific Ocean and Pedros Yacht Refinishing based in Galmpton was given the job of painting the two masts.

Both teams were asked at short notice if they were able to carry out the job and worked around the clock to ensure the masts were completed on time.

Pedros owner, Mike Lyness, said: “The staff all showed great commitment and worked very hard, literally around the clock, to complete the job to an extremely high standard.

“We have a very close working relationship with Atlantic Spars which was asked to build the masts – they’ve got vast amounts of experience at constructing masts on this scale having previously worked on the masts for the 72ft Challenge yachts.

“We painted one complete mast which was 81ft tall – the other was a section about 45ft long. Normally each would take abound 80 man hours to paint, in this case we completed the two of them in just three days. The whole each put in a superb effort.”

The two boats lost their masts as they were taking part in the race from Qingdao, China to Hawaii. WesternAustralia2011.com was dismasted 700 miles off the coast of Japan and was forced to cross the Pacific under jury rig.

The other yacht, Durban 2010 and Beyond was dismasted at deck level sailing in about 20 knots of wind.

The masts were flown out to Hawaii, together with Nic Wellspring from Atlantic Spars who was given the job of overseeing the rebuild and installation of the masts on board the two Clipper yachts.


December 2006

Facelift for Historic Yacht

A classic yacht is receiving a new lease of life at Pedros Yacht Refinishing. Ceil III is undergoing a major refit costing in the region of £20,000 which will include complete new decks and major structural and cosmetic refinishing work.

Designed by the Australian Bob Miller, later known as Ben Lexcen, who also designed the infamous winged keel of Australia II which won the America’s Cup in 1983, the 40ft Ceill III was built in Sydney to compete in the Southern Cross Cup series.

As part of this she won the handicap section of the 1973 Sydney-Hobart Race by an hour on corrected time, despite being knocked down. She was also fifth in the 1974 South China Sea Race and was the most successful boat in the Hong Kong One Ton Cup team in 1975 and 1977.

In 1979, Ceil III, who unusually has a prop that is the 'wrong way' round, pulling her through the water instead of pushing, was one of the few boats to finish the Fastnet Race but a few years later was laid up until 1988.

However she received her first new lease on life in 1992 with a new owner and was then raced consistently out of Plymouth until 2001 including the Plymouth-Guernsey Race where she won the Hart Cup, the Armada Cup Race between Plymouth and St Sebastian four times, the two-handed Round Britain and Ireland Race and was one of only two boats to finish the Brixham Santander Race in 2001.

She has now changed hands again with her latest owner determined to make her look as good as new again.