Anyone with first hand experience of vinyl wrapping their hull?

[bdh198]

Hi all

We've had our Hanse 370 since 2007. She has a dark blue hull and at the time we got her it looked beautiful. However, in hindsight I suspect we would have strongly considered the white hull. Over the years UV and the inevitable boat manoeuvring bumps have really made for a shabby appearance.

We have considered polishing, but this seems to only last for a few months at most before UV returns it to its previous state.

A paint job is expensive, and beyond the budget when there are other boat related expenses that take priority.

I have considered vinyl wrapping in the past, but have never heard any reliable reports from anyone who has had it done and can give first hand experience of it. Most of the time sceptical voices of hearsay just focus on the perceived downsides. So I would be really interested to hear from anyone who has actually done a vinyl wrapping job and can share their experiences.

Does it really rip and tear at the slightest bump or fender rub? Do fender socks help protect it? How easy is it to repair a scuff? Is there any issue with water being trapped between the wrap and the hull? And most importantly, would you recommend it?

As I say, I'm particularly keen to hear from people with real life experience of vinyl wrapping their boat.

Thanks

 

[Freebee]

there is a thread running in mobo about patching vinyl wrap!!

 

[Quandary]

Properly polished and with a coat of good (3M) wax each year you will get a lot longer than 'a few months'
I used to race on a dark blue J35 which had gone almost grey, it came back to glossy blue and stayed that way while I knew it.

 

[colind3782]

I had this conversation with a friend who runs a vinyl wrapping business. Her reply? "Paint it".

 

[pvb]

Properly polished and with a coat of good (3M) wax each year you will get a lot longer than 'a few months'
I used to race on a dark blue J35 which had gone almost grey, it came back to glossy blue and stayed that way while I knew it.

On my old Hallberg-Rassy 352, the dark blue gelcoat stripes on the hull were very faded. Careful polishing and waxing made them look good again, but only for a few months. In the end, I had them spray painted.

 

[bdh198]

I had this conversation with a friend who runs a vinyl wrapping business. Her reply? "Paint it".

Did she say why? Is there a particular issue with vinyl wrapping that makes it a bad idea for a cruising yacht?

A decent paint job would be around four times the price. If a vinyl wrap only lasted three seasons (and the manufactures claim 6-8 years) that would be twelve years before it matched the cost of paint.

 

[alahol2]

If you've got the money to spend then get a professional in to compound and polish the hull. Likely to be less than wrapping and last longer.

 

[Birdseye]

Did she say why? Is there a particular issue with vinyl wrapping that makes it a bad idea for a cruising yacht?

A decent paint job would be around four times the price. If a vinyl wrap only lasted three seasons (and the manufactures claim 6-8 years) that would be twelve years before it matched the cost of paint.

the manufacturers claim cannot possibly take into account the bumps and knocks that a boat hull gets. Sure the plastic will survive that long if not damaged. How many seasons can you sail without a scrape?

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

If you've got the money to spend then get a professional in to compound and polish the hull. Likely to be less than wrapping and last longer.

+1

 

[colind3782]

Did she say why? Is there a particular issue with vinyl wrapping that makes it a bad idea for a cruising yacht?

A decent paint job would be around four times the price. If a vinyl wrap only lasted three seasons (and the manufactures claim 6-8 years) that would be twelve years before it matched the cost of paint.

It was a few years ago and I don't remember the details of the conversation but I think it was about the damage from bumps and scrapes that are easier to repair when painted.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

It's my experience when compounding older topsides/decks, looks great for a short while but soon reverts back to the way it was.

I've seen boats hand painted by professionals look great and hard to tell from being sprayed. Done out in the open too.

It's a dilemma .

Unfortunately, apart from sponsored racing boats, there seems very little feedback to go on.

 

[Boater Sam]

There is a thread running on the Canal World Forum , the guy is looking for someone who wants to try wrapping as a special deal.

 

[Zagato]

I asked about wrapping also as I don,t fancy polishing I.e. wearing my gel coat back any further, you can only do it so much! Any dark colour will look opaque after a couple of weeks usually due simply to the salt layer I found on a dark green hull. I have hand painted a boat in the past with mixed results, professional quotes to paint are 3K and I can buy materials for a new double garage for that so wrapping was intriguing. One factor that put me off was the difficulty of getting old wrapping off in say 5 years, could be quite a job. Glue goes off, colour fades, and material shrinks/deteriorates quicker than paint in my experience with cars...

I chose a boat that I could put on a trailer in my drive to have control and it Is paying off as I can now avoid hiked up marina quotes and am getting quotes for half to a third of the price. I am going to do the same with some stainlesss steel fixtures, avoid Southampton prices and go local...