Vinyl wrapping my sailboat my planning to installation.

[i3.friend]

Good Afternoon.

I am new to the forums but wanted to get a thread going about my upcoming project. I have just purchased a 72 Ericson 27 in Portland. The owner before the last did a horrible job painting the deck and hull i am not sure about the bottom paint but we will address when it is hauled out for the day.

I am in the beginning stages of the wrap design. Which i have not decided on a solid color or full printed but leaning towards the 3M 1080 Metallic Gloss Blue with True Spiral 24k hand laid stripes. Another option is 4D carbon fiber for accent stripes. The vinyl with cover the hull from bottom paint to rub rail and also the upper part of the cabin with matching or complimenting designs. As the process unfolds i will be posting pictures and videos of our team prepping and installing the vinyl and stripes.

Feel free to chime in with questions about the process or any other questions.

[seamountie]

Personally, I would be quite interested in your experience, and also how delicate or hardy the result is. We are concidering the same process for our vessel in the relatively near future.

[i3.friend]

Originally Posted by seamountie

Personally, I would be quite interested in your experience, and also how delicate or hardy the result is. We are concidering the same process for our vessel in the relatively near future.

Feel free to ask away. This is what i do for a living . Have wrapped many different types of things. At this time we do installs all over the west coast. This will also be a display of what is able to achieve with a professional installation and prep on small and large boats. 3M material and Avery both will last 7 years or longer with the proper prep and steps taken for finish work. I also recommend waxing just like a painted or gel coated surface.

Once i have enough posts i will share some of the work we have done.

[i3.friend]

Here are a few from a fleet of 8 we are doing at the moment.

[MarkJ]

That 3M 1080 Metallic Gloss Blue will look fantastic!

Hate talking money... but... ummm... what are you looking at for the total project?

And what's the ability to fix minor docking errors etc?

[a64pilot]

This is an aircraft I had wrapped several years ago, it held up well in that application
https://goo.gl/images/xHoNNO

[i3.friend]

As for minor docking errors i am deciding where and how much area of clear bra i will be using to show the option for error resistants above the wrap. But without it patches are feasible and done correctly using the boats lines become almost invisible. I will post pictures of a 1962 Porsche 356 Type A color change I did a couple of months ago including the door jams.

[Orion Jim]

This is a design you might consider
These two young gentlemen were on and extended cruise from their home port in Germany when I encountered them in Bermuda. They designed and installed the wrap while in Florida for the winter. They were very original and I'm certain they will never see another boat like it.

[i3.friend]

I have a printed design already ready if i decide to go that route. The solid color and the ability to show an older boat come to life and become more of a modern statement is my goal. I will be sailing a lot this summer and also want it to show our skill set which makes our team stand out from the small group of installers and designers. And in portland i have not seen a sailboat or yacht done yet which i hope to change that.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

This is a design you might consider
These two young gentlemen were on and extended cruise from their home port in Germany when I encountered them in Bermuda. They designed and installed the wrap while in Florida for the winter. They were very original and I'm certain they will never see another boat like it.

Gack! Looks like the graffiti you see on the train route into Brisbane. Not my taste... but wrapping as a option to painting is interesting if competitive in appearance and cost.

I'll be watching

Jim

[i3.friend]

The appearance is far better then u would think. As i was questioned about the "paint on a classic iconic Porsche as i drove it to the customer" it comes down to prep as always and the techniques we use for installation.

As costs go I will hear many this and that. And the installation rate will vary from 8 dollars a sq ft to 18 dollars a sq ft. Depends on color detail and special requests.

But for me painting something with a roller is not a quality paint job. I personally have painted show cars our family has owned and know a quality paint job to a run of the mill body shop.

But vinyl offers you many options which painting would cost more then the wrap counterpart.

Here is a Ferarri F430 which I did for a client with my old business partner

I was bored so templated my Dji Inspire which changed a ton of times.

[Stumble]

Almost all of the offshore race boats are using wraps now, and more and more cruisers are adopting it. If you want a great example, Hugo Boss in the Vendee is a wrap over an uncoated epoxy hull. The graphics are just too difficult to paint, and wraps weigh less.

Most people obviously use them for the graphics, but wraps are also great UV protection, and weigh less than clear coat.

All in all I love the idea, but there does seem to be a bit of wear while docking. It doesn't take abuse as well as gel coat. But aparently patching it is pretty easy too.

[i3.friend]

Yeah it will be a fun project

[i3.friend]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Almost all of the offshore race boats are using wraps now, and more and more cruisers are adopting it. If you want a great example, Hugo Boss in the Vendee is a wrap over an uncoated epoxy hull. The graphics are just too difficult to paint, and wraps weigh less.

Most people obviously use them for the graphics, but wraps are also great UV protection, and weigh less than clear coat.

All in all I love the idea, but there does seem to be a bit of wear while docking. It doesn't take abuse as well as gel coat. But aparently patching it is pretty easy too.

The wear from docking will be protected from a 3M clear bra installation like you would do for rock chips on a vehicle.

[a64pilot]

Wrap is temporary, won't last nearly as long as paint. It's primary advantage is you can do complex graphics and change them, and you don't destroy original paint or gelcoat
I've seen a Cessna Caravan wrapped as a waving US flag, be real tough to paint that