Wrapping topsides

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Our boat’s topsides finish has seen better days no amount of effort can resurrect. Consequently, it’s decision time and I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions or experience with 3M wraps. Specifically durability and lifetime.
it seems the typical cost to refinish and paint has, like everything else, become inflated. Is wrapping a good option for boats?

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I have not personally done this, but i know others who have. You just have to be careful to not damage it. Like scratching it with an exposed nail on a wooden dock for instance. With paint, you can repair that fairly easily. Many manufacturers will apply a cover to advertise and then rip it off when the boat gets sold. And, of course many vehicles have their company displays on them. I know a guy (you've heard that before), who is in the business of covering vehicles and all sorts of other things for advertisement and he claims it will last a long time. He is not in the boating business, however, and so has never wrapped a boat.

 

[FastOlson]

Best start with the number of years you have to get out of a refinishing, without considering the product and method.
If you want 20 years, go with LPU paint.
If you want 5 years, a "wrap" might be fine.
It's the in-between period that causes the conflict between wallet and boating passion. (Strictly IMHO , and... YMMV...)



Also, when considering longevity, note that all those 18 to 25 foot 'fishing machines' and $$$ ski or wake boats with fancy wraps spend most of their time when not in use... under a cover or under a roof.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Best start with the number of years you have to get out of a refinishing, without considering the product and method.
If you want 20 years, go with LPU paint.
If you want 5 years, a "wrap" might be fine.

good thinking, however, I’d like to see a painted boat located here after 20 years which still looks good.

 

[FastOlson]

good thinking, however, I’d like to see a painted boat located here after 20 years which still looks good.

I could show you 5 or 6, in our club, all painted by the same expert painter. They look totally "like new" after 20 years. That said, at about 30 years they might need repainting. But then, somewhere between 30 and 40 years, even the best OEM gel coat will usually need to be refinished, too.
The current AwlGrip product is amazing, I should note. We just repainted out boat with it this spring. Two color coats, four clear coats, and polished out. Like a mirror..... !

Also, I am at lat. 45. The UV damage accelerates the further south you go. So, my averages might adjust down a year or two for Florida.

 

[DArcy]

I asked about this last year. There is a bit of information in that thread

Vinyl Wrap

The blue stripe under the toe rail on my boat needs to be refinished. I was planning on painting but someone suggested using a vinyl wrap instead of paint. This seems to be more and more common and there are companies that wrap boats but this seems like a fairly simple surface to wrap so a...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[berner73]

If you plan on spending any time at a dock, I'd think twice about it.

Was at a small Jeanneau open house this Spring. The dealer had very little new inventory due to COVID, so they were showing a few privately owned boats that had been stored nearby on the hard for the off season. There was a one year old 410 or 440 (can't remember which) that the buyer had professionally wrapped prior to it's initial commissioning the previous Spring. The wrap looked very good - highly reflective, perfectly smooth - almost like paint even when up close. It was impressive. The only problem was where fenders had come into contact with the wrap. The boat had spent it's first season at a slip and while it didn't ride out any storms that season, normal contact with the fenders resulted in extensive rash on the wrap in several locations. It kind of looked like a boat with an Awlgrip job after riding out a storm at a dock.

Not sure if the applicaiton is always the same, but for this wrap each side was a continuous piece and would have to be removed and reapplied to address the cosmetics. The broker said the wrap process was very expensive and they wouldn't be recommending it moving forward due to that owner's experience. Just one data point, but it wasn't encouraging.

 

[Ward H]

A couple of years ago @jssailem, @LeslieTroyer and I spoke with a rep for a company advertising wrapping boats at the Vancouver boat show. One point I remember being was that the surface prep was as intensive as that for a paint job. Another claim by the rep was they can reprint a section of a wrap, cut out damaged section and lay the new piece in place. It definitely wasn't cheap.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I could show you 5 or 6, in our club, all painted by the same expert painter. They look totally "like new" after 20 years.

one year in the Sunshine state is probably the equivalent of 10 in Oregon In terms of UV exposure degradation.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

If you plan on spending any time at a dock, I'd think twice about it.

Was at a small Jeanneau open house this Spring. The dealer had very little new inventory due to COVID, so they were showing a few privately owned boats that had been stored nearby on the hard for the off season. There was a one year old 410 or 440 (can't remember which) that the buyer had professionally wrapped prior to it's initial commissioning the previous Spring. The wrap looked very good - highly reflective, perfectly smooth - almost like paint even when up close. It was impressive. The only problem was where fenders had come into contact with the wrap. The boat had spent it's first season at a slip and while it didn't ride out any storms that season, normal contact with the fenders resulted in extensive rash on the wrap in several locations. It kind of looked like a boat with an Awlgrip job after riding out a storm at a dock.

Not sure if the applicaiton is always the same, but for this wrap each side was a continuous piece and would have to be removed and reapplied to address the cosmetics. The broker said the wrap process was very expensive and they wouldn't be recommending it moving forward due to that owner's experience. Just one data point, but it wasn't encouraging.

Thanks all for the responses but this one is the show-stopper. Didn’t consider the effect of being tied to the fixed docks which are typical here.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Wraps can be marked with a fingernail ..

They make sense for advertising or short term coatings.

Likely be great on a laser, 49er, hobie..

I know car nuts who get a new wrap every couple years..as a cheap custom color change.
Some will wrap a car and peel the wrap off when they sell it.

We used it on a.rally race car.. easy to fix damage and apply new wrap..

In other words.. great for short term use..

While the good brand wrap materials are reportedly UV resistant.. I truly wonder how good they are... 3M is the one I would trust most.

I would never put it on a sailboat of a reasonable size where you want it to last.

Another claim by the rep was they can reprint a section of a wrap, cut out damaged section and lay the new piece in place. It definitely wasn't cheap.

That is doable.. similar to patching flooring or carpet. Done well, you can barely see the seam where the patch meets the original wrap. Especially when it is a solid.color. At least on cars.. I assume boats are no different.

 

[PaulK]

A boat moored in the line next to us got wrapped about three years ago. He "unwrapped" it this season because of the tears, pulls, and scuffs that were making it look pretty shabby. This was a relatively new (2009) custom hull.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

A boat moored in the line next to us got wrapped about three years ago. He "unwrapped" it this season because of the tears, pulls, and scuffs that were making it look pretty shabby. This was a relatively new (2009) custom hull.

Thanks. Just contracted with a yard in Maine to have here repainted based on the comments here.

 

[jssailem]

Don.
when I reviewed the wrap idea, my takeaway was the cost was high compared to the limited life expectancy.

Having looked at AlexSeal, I’m thinking their process is one to consider. The material cost is in the premium range. The advantage is it can be rolled on with results like professional spray. Colors have good aging. The paint can be polished and touch ups are doable. Such ability can extend the life of a single paint job.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Having looked at AlexSeal, I’m thinking their process is one to consider.

I am considering it for our hull.
It is almost impossible to get someone to come spray a boat at our marina, so getting a good finish without spraying is very attractive.

 

[Hollyberry]

20 years or so back we did a DIY repaint with 'normal' Awlgrip using a HVLP sprayer (type that bathtub refinishers use). It turned out 'far from perfect but perfect from afar . Not orange peel but not a professional mirror shine, and most defects were, not surprisingly, the result of poor surface prep ahead of time. It's so hard to know how 'fair' everything really is until you put the final coat on!!

Have heard good things recently (and seen some nice amateur jobs) with Alexseal...