Having only launched on June 7, 2011, the Puma Ocean Race Team began their training on their very own sea monster, "Mar Mostro" (Sea Monster). With Skipper Ken Read at the helm, the crew of 10 men onboard set out on what will be the adventure of the lifetime. All of this takes place while painter Dean Loucks watches his pinnacle artwork sail off to win the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012.
"That was just an incredible project to be a part of," says Dean, "[Painting Mar Mostro] was the most intense project with the greatest amount of attention to detail I've worked on yet. Three years ago, Puma had the better boat of anyone out there. Now, they've really stepped it up ten times as much!"
"People are talking about this. It's going to be big! They're vaunting it as 'the most photographed boat in the world!' We're just ecstatic that we could be a part of it."
Dean spent 2 months away from home in Newport, Rhode Island working on Mar Mostro. Most projects he receives are ready for paint. Dean shows up, paints it to spec, and ships it to its happy owner. The Puma project, however, was very different; the boat was actually being built around Dean as he worked. He started on the bottom, then moved to the front of the boat and worked his way back, and finally on to the deck. As the Puma crew and the team at New England Boatworks, Inc. finished a section, Dean would move into their recently completed spot, paint it, and cover it up to protect it from the construction dust and debris.
Nearly 3,000 paint hours later (not including man hours for clearing, sanding, and buffing), Mar Mostro, a true painted masterpiece, emerged ready to set sail and train for the grueling 9 months, 39,270 nautical miles, round the world race starting in Alicante, Spain and ending in Galway, Ireland. The race begins on October 29, 2011, so be sure to tune in and watch Dean's artwork sail for the win under the skilled hands of the Puma Ocean Race Team!
Quick facts about Mar Mostro:
2,500 sq. ft. of painted surface area
96,000 circles used in the stingray pattern that overlays the entire boat
37,000 water droplets on the deck, each of which had to be shadowed and highlighted with an airbrush
3,000 paint hours
