No matter who we are, or where we live, we all look for signs of spring.

Whether it’s a sign from Nature, or some personal mile-marker, we all tend to look for some beckon that winter has finally passed. My personal signal that spring is near is attending the annual Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland, Maine. This year marks Target Coatings 10th anniversary as an exhibitor at this unique gathering. I can always count on meeting a collection of rare boatbuilders who create works that truly are an American art form. From handmade cedar strip rowing shells and kayaks, to 45ft Lobster Yachts, a visitor can wander through an 18th Century locomotive factory and see the best examples in American and Canadian boatbuilding and design. This show is a bounty for the individual who appreciates painstaking quality that speaks-out to the cabinetmaker, luthier, architect and custom craftsman alike.

The reason why I bring this secret to light is that the finishing requirements of these special craftsman have helped me create the products that I have to offer today. Eleven years ago I started manufacturing waterborne wood coatings for the marine trades- New England boatbuilders in particular. It was their special finishing needs, or demands as it revealed itself to me, that forced me to create a line of wood finishes that would not just meet the rigors of the marine environment, but also meet the visual and physical esthetics of the New England custom builder. The lesson these craftsman taught me was to go beyond what was readily available as a coatings manufacturer and strike into new, uncharted waters and find methods and materials that would make water-based finishes look, feel and last like their oil-based standards. Essentially what they forced me to do was to create products that did not exist in a water-based format. Little did any of us realize that their far-fetched requirements would become reality.

The outcome of all this work is a unique line of waterborne wood finishes that has now shown its value as a replacement for solvent-based conversion varnishes and nitrocellulose lacquers in virtually all aspects of fine woodworking applications. Our current products are now being used by a wide range of finishers who demand the visual esthetics of tradition-bound coatings coupled with modern water-based technology.

Through word of mouth, proper advertising and the boundless reach of the World Wide Web, our company has grown into a major source for state-of-the-art waterborne coatings and ancillary products that help the demanding craftsman bring the worlds of tradition and technology together. With these goals in mind Target Coatings will continue to produce products unlike anything else seen before.

Thank you for the continued opportunity.

Sincerely,

Jeff Weiss
Director