Shrink wrap. Is there a cheap alternative.
- Thread starter finding41
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I was given a cost of $15/ft for shrink wrap. I looked further and found several recommendations for the Kover Klamp system joker470 used. I went with that and it looks like my costs will be around $700 for the KK parts, conduit and tarp using the KK tarp material. The sample of their tarp material looks better than the tarps I have found at the big box and Farm stores.
For two years of shrink wrapping costs I will have a frame and cover that will last as I long as I own the boat. If I change boats I can reuse the components, add some and new tarp for half my first time cost. That's the problem I have with a custom boat cover on my 34 yr old boat.
With this system you can easily add a door and vents when installing or anytime after.
Started the frame yesterday, will finish tomorrow. A bit of learning curve when it comes to bending the conduit but its going pretty well.
Just another way to do it.
For two years of shrink wrapping costs I will have a frame and cover that will last as I long as I own the boat. If I change boats I can reuse the components, add some and new tarp for half my first time cost. That's the problem I have with a custom boat cover on my 34 yr old boat.
With this system you can easily add a door and vents when installing or anytime after.
Started the frame yesterday, will finish tomorrow. A bit of learning curve when it comes to bending the conduit but its going pretty well.
Just another way to do it.
Properly shrink wrapped boats allow for air circulation.
Besides cost, the big difference is that with shrink wrapping and a custom cover there is less opportunity for wind to get in to the cover and cause it to blow off.
Another advantage is that with a door installed it is easy to access the boat during the off season to take care of maintenance and improvements. It also makes work in the spring less weather dependent.
Polycovers are not as strong as shrink wrap or good quality canvass.
When installed polycovers tend to have a lot of pressure on the grommets which fail. Once one fails it will begin to cascade, leaving the tarp flapping in the breeze.
The big advantage to a custom cover is the frame. It allows plenty of room and air circulation under the tarp and the tarp is well supported to shed rain and snow.
If you do use a poly tarp, don't rely on the grommets to keep it attached to the boat. Lines tied to the grommets can keep the tarp close to the hull, but do a poor job of keeping it from flapping in the breeze. Run lines over the top of the tarp and under the hull to reduce the wear and tear on the tarp from wind and reduce the pressure on the grommets.
Shrink wrap is probably more UV resistant than most poly tarps.
The Poly tarp is the one blowing around in the wind in the spring and the shrink wrap is the one that has to be cut off the boat.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Seriously, I do see many DIY tarp jobs fail miserably. They were probably done improperly - I admit that. Poorly done shrink wrap fails too. In my own experience cheap tarp grommets are not strong enough. It seems like some where on the shape of the boat you will not be able to tie it to a tight fit and hence you get flapping. If there is anywhere where water can pool the weight will rip the grommets, or part the lines or just rip the tarp. I even once had my wife sew up a seem in the middle so the shape could be closer to the boat's shape. It still ripped. That has been my experience.
Depends on the poly tarp you are using. The cheap thin blue stuff is crap. The thicker silver tarps with reinforced grommets has lasted me a couple winters with no grommet problems or blowing in the wind. I got to admit, this shrink wrap thing is new to me. After 32 years boating in the Midwest with very cold and snowy winters, the only shrink wrapped boats I seen were on trailers being delivered to the dealer.
I had a cheap thin one that lasted a couple of years over my Hobie. I had a heavier tarp that latest 3 years on my previous boat. It would have lasted much longer, but the seam down the middle let go. I ended up with 2 perfectly good halves. A tarp does not blow around in the wind if you bungy it down good. I've even driven 50 mph down the road with the tarp, and it stayed nice and tight. I believe the only advantage shrink wrap has over a tarp is that shrink wrap is much less prone to critter intrusion. The squirrels tend to like the shelter.
Wow allot of great advice and ideas! Thanks.
I am planning to use a tarp this year and think about shrink wrap next. I know I can get it wholsale but it's still at the least a buck a foot. And that's on the roll. Not the boat... I have seen a few different videos on YouTube on how to do it. It doesn't look that hard.
I think you guys with the custom covers have the best set up. (They look like canvas though...? Will they leak like a canvas tent after a while? Can you water proof them with...?)
Ideally I think I will have to have my MacGregor's wrapped each winter as they will be in the land of huge snow fall amounts. (6-8'ish / year.) If they were close to home I could tarp them and clear them off it need be. But not up there.
I am planning to use a tarp this year and think about shrink wrap next. I know I can get it wholsale but it's still at the least a buck a foot. And that's on the roll. Not the boat... I have seen a few different videos on YouTube on how to do it. It doesn't look that hard.
I think you guys with the custom covers have the best set up. (They look like canvas though...? Will they leak like a canvas tent after a while? Can you water proof them with...?)
Ideally I think I will have to have my MacGregor's wrapped each winter as they will be in the land of huge snow fall amounts. (6-8'ish / year.) If they were close to home I could tarp them and clear them off it need be. But not up there.
Chris you darn well its to cold to do that nowYa cut a hole in it and slide it on from the top.
I would guess you can. I would have to look at what temp you need to shrink the wrap and what heat the gun produces. But it would take FOREVER. I watch crews of 4 guys with 2 torches take 2-3 hours to wrap and shrink. I would bet it would take you a couple of days to shrink the wrap with a heat gun.
Keep in mind, you are not shrinking the whole sheet of plastic, just the perimeter seam around the outside. The perimeter suspension bands and belly bands keep the wrap tight.
I've done far more damage to the plastic working under it. We had a very cold, wet and windy winter last year. The wrap has been up for a year now and should last out the winter.
I've done far more damage to the plastic working under it. We had a very cold, wet and windy winter last year. The wrap has been up for a year now and should last out the winter.
I don't think that type of wrapping job would last up here in he Northeast. You need to have the whole wrap tight so that snow will slide off. When we wrap boats you do the perimeter and the cut overlaps, if you're keeping the mast up, then you do the entire wrap so it pulls tight. Otherwise it would be shredded by the first major snow fall.
It really depends heavily on the framing. Snow is your worst enemy due to its weight. We had too many days here last winter with winds gusting 40+. It is still in place and should easily last the winter. My big advantage is I can clear snow every day.
I have used tarps over a frame made of 1X3 wood for the past 10 years. The frame is made with a ridge pole of 1X3s joined with a piece under-lapping the joint, vertical uprights under the ridge - I used 8 of them- and side ribs cut to sit snug to the toe rail and screwed to the uprights. I then fasten each end to the toe rail with an electrical tie. The pieces are all numbered and marked for stbd or port. Especially important to mark the upright points on the ridge pieces.
I use 2 tarps- the larger front one is 20X30 and the rear one is 15X20. I use heavy duty ones. They over lap about 18 inches. I ties them down tightly to the cradle and fold and clip the front edges together with alligator type clips for tarps. It is important that the tarps be large enough to extend down over the sides enough to keep the wind out.
I am now on the second set of tarps, probably the last year I will get out of the front one at least. A set costs about $175, the wood frame I have used for 10 years and it cost about $30 for the wood. So the math: 2X175=350 plus 30=380/10= 38 per year plus about $15 each year for duct tape to mend the holes and some screws, and some foam strip insulation to pad the ridge and sharp points on the boat. Total =less than $60 per year.
I am lucky to be in the middle of the tightly packed boat yard which cuts down on the wind, I have never had the frame collapse on me, did have one rib break last year in our severe winter up here.
I use 2 tarps- the larger front one is 20X30 and the rear one is 15X20. I use heavy duty ones. They over lap about 18 inches. I ties them down tightly to the cradle and fold and clip the front edges together with alligator type clips for tarps. It is important that the tarps be large enough to extend down over the sides enough to keep the wind out.
I am now on the second set of tarps, probably the last year I will get out of the front one at least. A set costs about $175, the wood frame I have used for 10 years and it cost about $30 for the wood. So the math: 2X175=350 plus 30=380/10= 38 per year plus about $15 each year for duct tape to mend the holes and some screws, and some foam strip insulation to pad the ridge and sharp points on the boat. Total =less than $60 per year.
I am lucky to be in the middle of the tightly packed boat yard which cuts down on the wind, I have never had the frame collapse on me, did have one rib break last year in our severe winter up here.
The most important thing with a tarp is getting it tight. When it is a little loose, then it can move around and tear through any bump that is sticking up. inertia from whipping around fatigues the grommets. It if it tight enough, it is not going to move and it is not going to tear. I've seen plenty of wind in the Midwest and easily a couple of feet of snow. If the tarp is tight, it will be fine.