AMELS' Madame Kate: Revolutionary Illumination

The idea originated from the owner’s passion for automobiles, such as the Bianco Isis of Lamborghini. “The owner had in mind a yacht which would be very special to him, he also wanted a yacht that would be different from all other yachts in terms of design,” says Owner representative Benoit Faure. “This factor of recognition was very important to him.”

The first stages of the brief presented paint options which have been introduced to yachts already on the water, until another, more ambitious, option arose to use a custom pearl paint with a lavish finish. Created by the in-house AMELS paint experts, this paint is nothing short of striking. “This is a pure pearl - not metallic - effect,” explains AMELS Paint Manager Arie Springvloet Dubbeld. “The pearlescent optical effect works like Isaac Newton’s prism, you have different colours in one colour. Pearlescent is basically the next step after metallic paints. You get a very elegant and refined effect.

Spraying the pearl on such a large surface area is a job for real experts, particularly on curvaceous and flowing Tim Heywood lines that require continuous sprays. “If you make a mistake in the pearl, like a runner, or fish eyes or dust inclusion or whatever, you have to go right back to the base system - in this case a snow white top coat - and then start all over again. So any mistake, you’ll have to redo the entire job.”

Not satisfied with a ground-breaking paint finish on top of pedigree design, the owner also worked with AMELS to install a complex lighting system. According to Faure, the owner wanted the boat to be in the spotlight, like a star at the Cannes Film Festival, thanks to sophisticated lighting - above and below the waterline - with the ability to change colours.

“The lighting in general was part of the quest for the boat. And on top of that, the paint finish of the boat became even more important. When you illuminate your boat at night, if it has a special colour, it’s even more beautiful. So we wanted special underwater lights, but also the biggest modification was to change the superstructure lighting.”

Due for delivery summer 2015, the effects of AMELS unparalleled attention to detail unfortunately can not be seen via online photos; however once this yacht is traversing the seas it will undoubtedly turn heads in the warm light of day with specialist lights making sure Madame Kate doesn’t go unnoticed once the sun goes down.

Commissioning and sea trials for Madame Kate are underway as scheduled, adding to the prolific builder’s impressive roster as AMELS has 10 new builds and one refit all on schedule as promised.