Buoyed up

From BlackWhite magazine - issue 06, bright spot

The ship comes in for a popular Canberra attraction, thanks to an artistic project team and marine paint.

When Jacinta Fintan was out on the water in one of Lake Burley Griffin’s iconic paddleboats as a child, she never could have imagined that she would be involved in transforming the look of those same vessels decades later. Until recently, the age of the nearly 40-year-old paddleboats had been starting to show despite concerted efforts to maintain and conserve them. But last year, while Jacinta was producing SURFACE Festival (an annual large-scale street art festival that has seen 35 different artists take to 31 walls in the Canberra region), a unique opportunity arose.

“SURFACE Festival was sponsored by the Australian Capital Territory Government and one of our festival partners was the National Capital Authority (NCA),” explains Jacinta. “Some of our SURFACE Festival artists painted two of the NCA’s pedestrian underpasses at the National Triangle as part of the programming, and during our discussions, the NCA raised the idea of organising street artists to repaint the Lake Burley Griffin paddleboats.”

“As an arts producer and project manager, the paddleboats have been a unique and exciting project for me. They have a really special place in many people’s hearts, thrilling new visitors with their retro shapes and evoking childhood memories for others. I have memories of paddling on them as a kid in Canberra when I would visit my grandmother,” she adds.

Jacinta says each cultural institution provided their own unique digital design which was then translated onto a paddleboat by a creative team led by Sydney artist Kailin Hegel. The majority of the boats were meticulously hand-painted using Resene Uracryl 403, a urethane-acrylic gloss finish, over basecoats of marine paint and primer from Altex Coatings. Altex Coatings is part of the Resene Group and supplies a wide range of high-performance protective, fireproofing, flooring and marine paints and coatings – so the team was confident that they had the right products to get the job done from start to finish.

“The team at Syrus Works undertook the initial prep work on the boats, which included removal of the rubber bumper bars, sanding, cleaning and priming. They also assisted with the handling of the boats – each weighs over 100 kilograms – which needed to be rotated in and out of the warehouse during painting. They were fantastic to work with.

“Once the primer was on, it was over to Kailin to begin undercoating. The paint pigments were beautiful, and the boat colours absolutely ‘pop’ on Lake Burley Griffin. Our creative design production artist, Paul Shanta, worked very closely with the NCA and some of their clients to ensure the colours were spot on. Local artist Sophie Maguire – or Flinkbag, as she’s known as a street artist – also joined the team when it became apparent that we needed extra help.”

Jacinta says she’s worked with Resene on a number of public art commissions and mural festivals, so it was natural to contact them for advice on how best to prep and repaint the paddleboats. “The depth of colour that Resene products provide is next level, which is so important for outdoor murals in built-up urban environments. I’d heard that Resene had a marine product line and knew that they were the right brand for the job. The Resene ColorShop staff were exceptionally helpful during the process, and the team at Altex Coatings was incredible. Our artists hadn’t worked with these engineered coatings before and they were able to work closely with us to provide answers to our many questions so that we were able to really push the parameters of how the paint can be used. They helped us with everything, right down to the right measuring cups for the two-pack paint and our many questions around drying times.

“One of the key lessons that we learnt was that Canberra’s temperature fluctuations in September really impact drying times. We had a cold spell with unusually cold nights that slowed down drying times, which we hadn’t expected. Our artists adapted to the product on the fly, which is a testament to the depth and strength of their brush skills.”

With the boats back in the water again, Jacinta says the team is really happy with how the finished artwork turned out. “Everyone involved in this project – from the guys moving the boats to the paint suppliers to the artists – were absolutely critical to its success. While the paddleboats had been conserved, they were in a humble state when we received them. They were never designed to accommodate complicated paintwork, particularly with the non-slip fibreglass treads built into the floor sections that we had to work around. However, the paddleboats are so bright and colourful now, and they make people smile. From the looks of social media, the makeovers are getting a lot of love.”

“We have received such positive feedback from customers and the general public walking past,” says Amy Weatherby, Manager at Capital Paddle, the private operator that runs the historic paddleboats. “We constantly overhear, ‘oh, look at that one’ and ‘which one is your favourite?’ We also enjoy seeing Canberra’s cultural institutions represented in a way that they imagined and designed that is both a benefit to us as a small business and gives them the recognition within the community.”

Those who have their eye on taking a specific boat out for a spin are in luck, as Amy says that visitors who come down for a paddle get to pick which one they want to captain. “Each boat has its own characteristics and story behind the design, and there doesn’t seem to be one that is favoured more than any other.”

As for Jacinta’s favourite? She says, “the rainbow Questacon boat, without a doubt. All the colours, all the love.”

› For hours, rates and to make a plan for a paddle, visit www.capitalpaddle.com.au. For more on SURFACE Festival, turn to "Taking it to the streets" or visit www.surfacefestival.com.au.

Artistic painters: Kailin Hegel, Flinkbag (Sophie Maguire)
Creative design production artist: Paul Shanta
Painting assistant: Dai Cameron
Production: Jacinta Fintan
Preparation and priming: Syrus Works ACT
Images: Michael Gardiner

BlackWhite magazine

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