A few of my dockmates and I are contemplating getting our own heatgun and doing our own shrink wrapping. There is a considerable difference in prices of the guns, I am looking for anyone with actual experience with any of the guns. Specifically I am looking at the stuff from Dr Shrink. Also- any good sources for the shrinkwrap and other supplies? We are doing boats in the 35-40 foot range. Thanks Greg
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I did mine
last year with a heat gun that I bought at Home Depot that had two wattage setting (forgot what they are). The higher setting worked great but it took a long time to do my 35' O'Day but eventually got it tight as a drum. I bought the shrinkwarp from a local chandlery. Be careful you don't keep the gun in one spot too long as its easy to burn through. But if you do, just put a piece of shrinkwrap tape (get a big roll of it) over the hole.
last year with a heat gun that I bought at Home Depot that had two wattage setting (forgot what they are). The higher setting worked great but it took a long time to do my 35' O'Day but eventually got it tight as a drum. I bought the shrinkwarp from a local chandlery. Be careful you don't keep the gun in one spot too long as its easy to burn through. But if you do, just put a piece of shrinkwrap tape (get a big roll of it) over the hole.
I have the Dr. Shrink system...
It works great. The gun is rated at 300,000 BTU's/hr which seems to be about twice that of other guns. I notice that the pro's use guns that have a fan shaped outlet, while the Dr. Shrink is round. It sure is powerful! Keep it away from the plastic and keep it moving or you will have a holy cover. Keep a finger under the trigger for greater control, you often don't need the full force. Technique is important. Also - keep a fire extinguisher handy. The Dr. Shrink gun seems to be about half the price of the others. I am happy with it. I also bought a 24" extension wand to reach up to the midline from a ladder. They also have a 40", however I find the 24" to be heavy when reaching up, and I think the 40" may be just too heavy to hold with one hand. It's a bit of a stretch to reach up to the mid-line. My boat is 42 ft and we wrap with the mast up, using the boom as a ridge-pole aft of the mast. (Doing a boat mast-down would be a breeze.) The biggest problem is in heat-welding the fore and aft sections of film at the mast on a big boat, and cutting in around the stays. Dr. Shrink has a video CD that is very informative and shows the technique of "riding herd on the wrinkles" as you shrink. Well worthwhile watching a couple of times (at least) before starting. There are also a few videos at the Related Link. The Dr. Shrink people are very helpful. I talked to Mike (the president) and got a lot of good advice before purchasing. Would I do it again? Absolutely! My buddy and I (sister boats) went in together on the purchase of the equipment, and we are both very happy with the results. Email me at drowell@mit.edu if you have further questions. Good luck! Derek
It works great. The gun is rated at 300,000 BTU's/hr which seems to be about twice that of other guns. I notice that the pro's use guns that have a fan shaped outlet, while the Dr. Shrink is round. It sure is powerful! Keep it away from the plastic and keep it moving or you will have a holy cover. Keep a finger under the trigger for greater control, you often don't need the full force. Technique is important. Also - keep a fire extinguisher handy. The Dr. Shrink gun seems to be about half the price of the others. I am happy with it. I also bought a 24" extension wand to reach up to the midline from a ladder. They also have a 40", however I find the 24" to be heavy when reaching up, and I think the 40" may be just too heavy to hold with one hand. It's a bit of a stretch to reach up to the mid-line. My boat is 42 ft and we wrap with the mast up, using the boom as a ridge-pole aft of the mast. (Doing a boat mast-down would be a breeze.) The biggest problem is in heat-welding the fore and aft sections of film at the mast on a big boat, and cutting in around the stays. Dr. Shrink has a video CD that is very informative and shows the technique of "riding herd on the wrinkles" as you shrink. Well worthwhile watching a couple of times (at least) before starting. There are also a few videos at the Related Link. The Dr. Shrink people are very helpful. I talked to Mike (the president) and got a lot of good advice before purchasing. Would I do it again? Absolutely! My buddy and I (sister boats) went in together on the purchase of the equipment, and we are both very happy with the results. Email me at drowell@mit.edu if you have further questions. Good luck! Derek
Did the same
Five of us boatowners got together 10 years ago and bought the Dr. Shrink system. Happy we did. We found a shrink wrap supplier (and assoc materials of tape & strapping) ang get together each year to do the boats. Help is definitely a plus! We have the round-barrel gun and it gets hot because it concentrates the flame. You have to get used to it. Our boatyard uses the "wand" and it seems a bit easier to use, but I've never tried it. Hint: The warmer the weather, the easier it is to heat up the wrap to shrink it. I did mine on a nice, warm 60 degree day. In any case, just be careful not to burn!
Five of us boatowners got together 10 years ago and bought the Dr. Shrink system. Happy we did. We found a shrink wrap supplier (and assoc materials of tape & strapping) ang get together each year to do the boats. Help is definitely a plus! We have the round-barrel gun and it gets hot because it concentrates the flame. You have to get used to it. Our boatyard uses the "wand" and it seems a bit easier to use, but I've never tried it. Hint: The warmer the weather, the easier it is to heat up the wrap to shrink it. I did mine on a nice, warm 60 degree day. In any case, just be careful not to burn!
Paul Akers....
Paul, Can you tell me, either here or offline, (my email is in my previous post above) who you use as your supplier of wrapping film etc. Are they in our RI neighborhood? Do they beat Dr. Shrink's prices? It costs us $89 (+shipping) for a 64 x 28 sheet, which is ideal for our boats. (We require 35 ft for the aft section and 24 ft for the forward section.) Thanks, Derek
Paul, Can you tell me, either here or offline, (my email is in my previous post above) who you use as your supplier of wrapping film etc. Are they in our RI neighborhood? Do they beat Dr. Shrink's prices? It costs us $89 (+shipping) for a 64 x 28 sheet, which is ideal for our boats. (We require 35 ft for the aft section and 24 ft for the forward section.) Thanks, Derek
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