A boat paint that makes watercraft almost invisible? That sounds like the stuff of a science fiction novel. But the developers of InvisiCoat from North Rhine-Westphalia, far from the coast, claim the opposite. Their product – which bears the same name as the company – is designed to transform conventional boats into true masters of camouflage.
According to the developers, who worked together for three years on a doctoral project at the Institute for Bionic Polymer Research in Witten, InvisiCoat, which is based on nanotechnology, has the potential to shake up the market for boat coatings.
How it works
InvisiCoat forms a transparent layer on the surface of the boat that refracts the light in such a way that the human eye can no longer see the boat. What we know from bionics as the lotus effect, i.e. the low “wettability” of a surface where neither water nor dirt particles find a hold on the surface, is translated into the visual world by the innovative paint. The result: the boat is no longer visible.
float is free
... and openly readable for everyone. Support us now as a 💙 float friend to keep it that way. Your contribution makes float strong. I'm in!Sometimes we only found the invisible boats days later. – Hans-Gert Drafe, Developer
According to the four engineers who put the finishing touches to their development in the BESY research cluster at Friedrich Mende University in Bad Brains, the type of boat building material to which the InvisiCoat is applied like a film is irrelevant. Glass fiber, wood, aluminum and steel, InvisiCoat is compatible with all common boat building materials. Only carbon is a challenge so far; its use is not recommended as it could lead to flocculation. A special version for carbon masts used in the racing sector is already in preparation.
Test run in the Alps and on Spain’s coasts
The InvisiCoat team carried out the first tests in a lab near Cuxhaven, and later on a remote Alpine lake. Here, on the Wildser Pragssee, which is closed to motorboats, the developers made the first boats invisible. “The learning curve was incredible,” remembers Hans-Gert Drafe, smiling. “Sometimes we didn’t find the invisible boats for days.”
To prevent the latter from happening again, an individual Invisicode is included as standard, which can be used to easily locate the own boat. Some of the Opti sailboats that were used as test objects have not yet reappeared. Because: “The paint lasts at least ten years.”
In 2023, the endurance test followed on Spain’s coasts, in much tougher conditions (salt, heat, UV radiation) and with success. “Everyone on site was delighted,” says Drafe. InvisiCoat is now also being launched on the German market following the positive experience of the Spanish supplier Atame/Unoso. The developers assure us that their paint not only improves aesthetics, but also reduces fuel consumption by lowering frictional resistance. It is also intended to provide an additional protective layer against corrosion.
This not only reduces visual pollution in sheltered waters and crowded marinas, but also helps to increase safety on the water. This is because boats treated with InvisiCoat remain visible to radar, GPS and sonar.
Augmented reality solutions such as Sea.AI and modern plotter displays from well-known electronics manufacturers recognize corresponding boats. A specially adapted RFID module on board, which transmits on either long wave or VHS, makes it possible.
