Profiles: Company Profiles
Symphony Narrowboat Paint
A fresh coat
Symphony Coatings is relaunching its Narrowboat Paint range with an updated look and revamped colour chart. WN finds out more…
Symphony Narrowboat Paint is an established name in the inland waterways sector, supplying specialist paint products for commercial applications and retail sale. Its comprehensive range of boat-based paints is set to be relaunched this summer and will include extra colour options for the modern boater, along with new branding.
The umbrella company, Symphony Coatings, was formed over 30 years ago and has grown to become the largest independent distributor of wood finishes, protective coatings and spray shop supplies in the UK today. Dealing with renowned names such as Jotun, Hempel, Osmo, Sikkens and Sherwin Williams, Symphony is able to offer tailored systems for all requirements, from construction and sailing yachts to interior woodwork and exterior joinery.
Narrowboat niche
Symphony Narrowboat Paint is a range tailored to the specific needs of steel-hulled canal boats, and is produced in the UK. Originally launched as the brand ‘Narrowboat Paint’ in the mid-2000’s by Rapid Paint, the company was acquired and became Symphony Coatings West Midlands in 2012. Since then, Symphony has rebranded, bringing its years of industry-leading expertise to the narrowboat market, and has worked to meticulously develop the product range.
Over the last year Symphony has been preparing for a big relaunch of the product offering and colour ranges. This required a steady approach so that the needs of its long-standing customers would continue to be met, while staying up to date with the latest ever-changing market needs and technology advancements. “It’s something we’ve been working on for a while. It was planned prior to the first lockdown in 2020, which ultimately slowed things down,” explains Lucia Harper, marketing manager. “But it gave us time to work on the new products and colours, redesign everything from the tins and literature, and give the website a total revamp. Our logo has remained the same, so we’ll still be easily recognisable for existing customers.”
Picking a palette
New for 2021 is an updated palette with additional shades inspired by current design trends and common requests from customers who use Symphony’s colour matching service. These will sit alongside popular heritage colours, none of which has been removed from the range. “We really went with our gut when choosing the new topcoats,” says Lucia. “There was a clear need from our customers for more variety, and we wanted to bring something to the table that isn’t being done elsewhere. By broadening and finessing our range with cultural and geographic heritage in mind, we are providing our customers with versatile products for all requirements, whatever their colour preferences and style.
“With the British weather being so unpredictable, there was a need to create a deeply pigmented finish that will withstand severe conditions all year round. Thus, we have combined the best of both worlds, which is reflected in our tagline: Traditional Values, Modern Performance.”
The four new colours draw inspiration from across the inland waterways with Sky Blue, Aqua Green and Duck Egg taking their cues from the natural environment, and Purple Silk hinting at the iconic branding of chocolate producer Cadbury, which once used the canals of the West Midlands to transport raw materials.
In addition to the 30 standard topcoat and 12 standard undercoat shades, Symphony Narrowboat Paints can produce over 50,000 custom colours. The Symphony Speed Tint system, using spectrophotometer camera technology, is available in every branch for customers looking for bespoke paints and coatings. “Symphony is a market leader in colour-matching, and it’s a very popular service,” asserts Lucia.
Paint system
Existing users of Symphony Narrowboat Paint will be relieved to hear that the product formulations remain unchanged following the brand’s relaunch. They can expect the same high-performance paints developed by industry experts for both hand and machine application.
The paint system is designed with new and existing boats in mind. First there’s a metal primer that can be used on prepared bare hulls, etch-primed aluminium and alloys, and virtually all existing paintwork that’s of sound quality. Second is a high-build, polyurethane alkyd undercoat that promises an excellent wet edge and has been developed to reduce the number of topcoats required to give a smooth, even finish. Finally, the highly pigmented gloss topcoat has an extra-long wet edge, scratch-filling properties and is suitable for use with a brush, roller or spray system.
Additionally, there’s a raddle topcoat available in a number of colours in a satin enamel finish, designed for roof and deck areas on boats, or for other sections where a glossy finish is not desired. Symphony has also added a single-pack bitumen coating for hulls called Black Dog.
Local service
With ten branches at strategic locations across the UK, which include the canal hubs of Birmingham, London and Manchester, Symphony Coatings promises to deliver a local service on a national scale. “We’re a corporate group, but because we have all these depots across the country we can tailor our services to customers locally and have a more personal approach,” says Lucia. Specialist knowledge is spread far and wide too: “Whatever depot you call, someone will be able to assist you with your query no matter what range of paint or coatings it’s about.”
In the immediate future, Symphony Narrowboat Paint’s focus is on rolling out the newly branded range across its e-commerce channels. It is also hoping to work with new stockists to make the paints available in more chandleries and retail spaces across the country.
