Shrink wrapping

[Anchor Management]

I had my boat hull painted this spring and paint manufacturer highly suggests not shrink wrapping as they don't want moisture build up. I could just wrap the bridge down to rub rail but also considering tarping instead. I've seen some bad executions but has anyone ever had success? I have a hard top so that should make it a little easier.

 

[November Charlie]

I’ll write a bit more when I get home, typing on the phone right now at the gym, but the first thing I would say - as someone that wrapped MANY boats over 10/15 years at a boat yard and moonlighting - is the biggest error people make is insufficient ventilation. The second is leaving anything loose to chafe surface finishes. Actually, that’s probably third - bending stanchions on sailboats is probably second. The shrink wrap normally used for boats is 50/50 - it’ll shrink up to 50% in each direction. You heat a good surface area, and that stuff will exert some FORCE as it cools (that’s when it shrinks - not when it’s heated).

Stage and strap it right, vent it right, a reusable tarp will work as well as shrink wrap, but it won’t be easy to do those things with a tarp. I can explain more later from a real keyboard if you’d like.

 

[Stephen]

I shrink wrap every year and have a ritual of having additional vents installed (at some nominal charge like $4 per). I then visit the boat when they finish and vacuum out any bilge water and leave all cabinets open, head door open, bow berth lifted up with a pfd, window open to the wrapped area, and bilge access open. I figure the extra ventilation reduces mildew.

 

[November Charlie]

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Originally posted by Stephen

I shrink wrap every year and have a ritual of having additional vents installed (at some nominal charge like $4 per). I then visit the boat when they finish and vacuum out any bilge water and leave all cabinets open, head door open, bow berth lifted up with a pfd, window open to the wrapped area, and bilge access open. I figure the extra ventilation reduces mildew.

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You definitely want everything that opens inside opened. As far as vents, the stick on ones are junk. Rarely still there at the end of the season - at least after a New England winter. Those two piece plastic jobs at least. Way I cut vents was the wide shrink wrap tape (which was costly - but I preferred to do quality work so I could pick and choose quality customers. It was a second job, after all.) After the boat was wrapped, make a cut resembling a large staple (but way bigger than a staple, obviously), piece of tape over it, diagonal slashes in the tape with a razor (pro tip: when shrink wrapping, make your knife a disposable razor blade with shrink wrap tape over half the blade. You can hold it with your teeth. Wrap a dozen boats in a day and you’ll see why that’s awesome), pinch the pieces of tape together, then another piece of tape or wrap depending on how big the vent is as an eyebrow just above it. Throw a few of those in you’ve got some ventilation that’s not going to fall off or allow rodents in, and cheaper and sturdier than those crappy plastic vents.

Outboard powered boats - easy mode for ventilation.

And doors - if you want a door, tell your shrink wrap guy to just tape it on but not cut underneath. Rookie move to cut before you actually need access. And reuse the door - at least the ones I used for my customers, they got years out of and only paid for them once. If the boat is winterized right, no reason to ever unzip the door and cut the plastic behind it, which compromises the whole job. They’re cheap plastic zippers, but they’ll last a few years. Honestly, if you think you want a door - just buy one and save it until you need it and duct tape it on at that point. Or spring for 2” shrink wrap tape, but that stuff is NOT cheap. Or at least it was not cheap a dozen years ago. I stopped moonlighting when my middle child was born - so more like 13 years - and I’m still working with those supplies for my own boat once every few years.