Change Color Of Hulls With Vinyl?

[boatingnewbie]

I have seen some people put stripes on their boat with vinyl strips. Rather than try and repaint them, could one use this same kind of vinyl to change the color of their hulls?

[Bean Counter]

https://www.pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/...ats-hull-21623

[vonotto]

After reading the article it says they provide you with a "patch" to cover damage. All I can picture is the hull covered in overlapping patches like a sail with square patches sewn over it. And the way things "happen" (bumping a dock or piling or the bottom) the boat could soon look horrible. Seems like it might be ok if the boat was a slip queen but a boat that gets heavy use...???

[Bean Counter]

We have seen a couple of vinyl clad cats, doesn't look that good when covered in dried salt. But when they peel it off in a couple of years will look like new, sort of like putting seat covers in your car.

[44'cruisingcat]

Paint or gelcoat doesn't look that good covered in salt!

Compared to a repaint, a vinyl wrap costs a fraction, and will probably look good for a couple of years, ok for maybe 4 or 5 years.

And take a fraction of the time to do.

IMO it's an option well worth considering if your paint is past it's use by date.

[a64pilot]

I’ve had a couple of airplanes wrapped.
It doesn’t hold up, think if your careful maybe three or four years and up close it doesn’t look good, but 10 ft away it’s fine.

However you can do graphics on vinyl that just aren’t possible with paint, or would take incredible talent anyway, and if you don’t like it, you can change it later much easier than you can paint.

Many, many race boats and pro fishing boats etc are wrapped

[ZULU40]

I saw an Oceanus in our marina vinyl wrapped in a light blue metallic on an otherwise white hull, and it did look outstandingly fabulous. It was like a broad stripe on the hull with a white boot top and white waterline. Just about the easiest cosmetic change one could make.

Being a bit impressed I went to have a look at her when I saw her up on hard standing. The local shippys were removing the v wrap because it had some damage, and apparently repairs arent that easy. After it was removed it hung around the marina a bit, but it just looked like a plain average big fancy boat like all the rest.

So ultimately I have mixed feelings about it, lets face it some damage is quite common where docks are concerned, but the colour (having a blue hull myself) had a huge effect on me as to how beautiful it looked. Being metallic I dont think you could duplicate that in paint.

[Dooglas]

The vinyl wraps are just not very durable. When you consider how good a 2-part urethane paint job looks, how hard it is, and how long it lasts - I don't think there is any doubt that is the right answer for changing the color of a fiberglass hull. And, unlike gelcoat, darker colors do not fade or chalk so that dark blue or red looks great for many years.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

The vinyl wraps are just not very durable. When you consider how good a 2-part urethane paint job looks, how hard it is, and how long it lasts - I don't think there is any doubt that is the right answer for changing the color of a fiberglass hull. And, unlike gelcoat, darker colors do not fade or chalk so that dark blue or red looks great for many years.

But you also have to consider how much a 2 part polyurethane paint job costs, and how long it takes to do.

I sprayed my own boat, and have been involved with the preparation and respraying of two others. To do it properly is a huge job. To have it done professionally would probably cost 4 - 5 times what a wrap costs. And where a wrap might take a couple of days, a respray takes weeks.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

But you also have to consider how much a 2 part polyurethane paint job costs, and how long it takes to do.

And you have to consider how long each alternative lasts, how soon it begins to deteriorate, and what it looks like when it begins to deteriorate. Also consider how much prep work must be done every time a shorter life alternative is redone.

[LagunaRed]

Our cat (Lagoon 52F) has a vinyl wrap on it. The wrap has pros and cons like anything else. It does look great but you need to take care of it by using vinyl cleaner to help keep it's luster. YOU DO NOT WAX IT. Early on, we did bump a few things and the vinyl can be fragile. The patches over the tears actually don't look that bad (surprisingly). We solved the problem with large blow up fenders. We live on the boat and we're in and out of docks, fuel docks all over. Realistically, I think the wrap lasts about 3-4 years before it needs to be replaced. I'm debating what we're going to do about ours next year. You can see pictures on our website: www.sailsummerkai.com. Hope that helps.

[shufti]

Have been considering a vinyl wrap for my fly bridge ‘skirt’. With the 3-4 yr lifespan people are mentioning - is that 3-4 years before the colour starts fading or does the wrap itself start to breakdown?

[Quadrille in JB]

Last year my friends had their 41’6 Morgan wrapped in Estonia. It looked pretty good and it was cheap but...
The first time he climbed up the side from the tender his foot ripped the wrap. Also, after we spent 5 weeks cruising the Finnish islands the wrap was beginning to peel at the bow’s point of entry.
It’s sort of like Poly Glo; It looks great when it’s new, and it’s a lot easier than waxing but it doesn’t age gracefully.
I removed the PG and buffed and waxed my boat. I’ll never wrap my boat.

[MartinAdelaide]

So many negative comments. I've seen a few tinnies wrapped and they're pretty good. I'm presuming vinyl can take a pounding, considering the boats it's being used on.

[earthmover]

Good point.