Shrink Wraps

[Ryoken]

not so much a question but more of some amusement for some, maybe some of the southern fellows lucky enough not to have to deal with this aspect of boating will find these entertaining..<br /><br />maybe this could be a discussion on pro's and cons of shrinking, techniques, equipment, pricing, the joys of windy days or whatever.. <br /><br />here's a few shots i had in the camera of some of our shrinking. most of this stuff is in the 35 to 50' range.. mine are the ones with BWYS in blue on em. sad thing is, i actually have a 1/2 dozen or so left to do... very late fall season this year <br /><br />

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[Boomyal]

Re: Shrink Wraps

What do you do for condensation inside?

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

good venting and moisture packs...<br /><br />all shrinks tend to get some moisture on the inside of the plastic in the morns, etc but if properly vented, it dries up quickly. i've never had a prob or complaint about mildew, etc. but i have had new customers complain of it about previous shrinks that wheren't properly vented. and i have seen those effects firsthand. i have a few guys that will put paperplates full of baking soda thru out the cabins too, not sure how effective that is, but it certainly can't hurt..<br /><br />lot of shrinking in your neck of the woods?

 

[dwci97]

Re: Shrink Wraps

I drive by the local boat storage places and see all these boats that people just neglect to maintain. Some of the boats have shrink wrap on them but most dont. Some people always try the blue tarpulin and bungee cord method that always blows off in a week or 2. <br /><br />I cant unserstand why people dont spend a little money or time to keep the boat covered all winter outside. I personally keep mine indoors at my shop all winter, but most people just let em begin to fall apart slowly by letting the elements get to them.

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

agreed dwc <br /><br />tarps are generally a disaster around here. usually causing much more damage then good. sometimes the smaller stuff holds up ok, but a tarped 40'er usually has no chance of holding up around here. i've seen quite a few boats with swimming pools on the front decks with a 1000 gallons in there, bent bowrails, etc.. <br /><br />our yard doesn't have much in the way of indoor storage. our shops main bay can fit say a 30' Sundancer in it, but thats it.<br /><br />i would point out at this point i have nothing against a nice cover either. i generally tell my customers that for a boat under 30', they're a good investment. the bigger the cover, the better the quality needs to be tho. mainly just for the weight of the darn things. after 30' it tends to get heavy even with a highend cover, tho there are a few larger boats with very nice covers here. i install canvas for one fellow every fall for about a 30'er and it's like moving around a canvas refrigerator

 

[salty87]

Re: Shrink Wraps

nice pics, no shrinking around here in tx. i had a blue tarp for a few years though <br /><br />ryoken-<br /><br />do you have any pics with the framing up but the wrap not on yet? i can't imagine having to wrap boats that big. that "little" 20 footer tucked under and between 2 bigger sisters looks a bit uneasy.<br /><br />how long does it take to wrap a 50 foot boat?<br /><br />thx

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

hey salty<br /><br />in the top pic you can see one of my competitors strapping/pole setups ready for shrink in the foreground. he's been using more and more of my techniques over the last couple years, but there are some strapping/etc techniques he uses still that i find not up to snuff, tying techniques, padding, etc..<br /><br />but the pic gives ya a general idea. i start with a 3/4 strapping centerline. we use 2x3's for uprights. 2x4's are overkill, not needed. i cut them to length, slot the top for the centerstrap. i then lock those in by going from one bowrail to the top of the pole then to the other bowrail. i have an over/under technique where the strapping goes over the poles to lock them in.<br /><br />then i make pads from scrap shrink, loosely folded up and then taped to the poles. most boats get from 3 to 6 poles, depending on boat design, etc. i try to keep pole intervals at 5 to 8'. carpet scrap under each pole. <br /><br />one big mistake i see is guys running 1 or 2 poles with big expanse between. big no no, big snows put too much weight on em and they rip thru.<br />in some cases they cause more probs with that then if they had no poles and just a centerline.<br /><br />wind is much more of an enemy to mine than snow. i've had 12" on em and they laugh at it. but boy they get tested and beat on when we get those 50, 60 mph winds. giant sails ya know? lotta force being put on the shrink. <br /><br />i've been working inside some of the bigger ones during bad winter storms and it almost seems like they vibrate on the blocks from the wind gusts. <br /><br />that said, i have to put in a word for our yard guys. they've never had a boat come off blocks. that little sea ray was just a temp blocking probably with it's 3 point block. all boats get a minimum of 5 points and obviously the big ones get many more. for a final blockdown, that sr would have another 2 stacks outboard of that front block.<br /><br />that second one down is a 55 jefferson aft cab i believe. i can get that done in about 5 or 6 hrs by myself. usually i'll grab one of the guys to help pull the plastic over. that boat uses a 40' wide and still gets about 8' of patch on either side about midship. wish they made wider shrink.<br /><br />also that boat uses about 85, 90' of length. smaller stuff like a 30' express with an arch i can bang out in 2, 3 hrs. weather pending of course. i have techniques for doing them in wind too, but i generally wont do anything big when it's real windy. takes too long, and that big of a piece of shrink can have ya parasailing across the bay in a heartbeat i've seen guys actually get dragged off boats before

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Shrink Wraps

Here in Wisconsin, the shrink wrap is somewhat popular. Lots of the plastic blue tarps and a lot of nothing at all. Have you seen the PVC pipe frames that some people make. When done correctly they work very well. You can use this with the shrink wrap product as well.<br /><br />Sailboats and smaller and sedan style boats can be most easily adapted to this. I really like the shrink wrap process. It is a UV inhibitor and keeps the boat clean and dry. You can put in a zipper door and work on it in your free time over the winter. I have an outragously good deal on indoor storage ($200 a season) in a brand new steel building with a concreate floor, otherwise it would be my way of storing a boat over winter.<br /><br />If you have a good propane gun, it is a really an easy job....

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

i think the key term there is "when done correctly" <br /><br />some of the guys here have decent PVC setups, but i've also seen many snap like twigs.. as an owner it may be a decent option, but for me as a hired contractor it's WAY faster and cost effective to just use wood and strapping. i garauntee mine against failure too...<br /><br />hehe, i have all my customers trained to drop off the lumber up at my shop when they uncover in the spring. makes life easier when i have a huge pile of assorted sizes sitting behind the shop <br /><br />and yeah, on alot of my larger shrinks, doors are actually "required" because i sometimes need to get up in the bridge to hit the very tops from the inside. i'd guess about 1/2 my guys like having a door anyway.<br /><br />can't argue with a $200 indoor storage, thats a steal there i would think

 

[PAkev]

Re: Shrink Wraps

I've always flipped my alluminum 16er upside down on the trailer but will have a fiberglass CC 19er for next winter that will get pampered before tucking it away before the snow flies. I've heard the shrink cost $100+ just for a small boat every time it goes on. Seems like a good cover would be a much better investment out of the gate. BTW, can shrink from bigger boats be used on smaller ones for next season or is it history once it has been "shrinked" ?<br /><br />Kevin

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

hey kevin<br /><br />my 60's 13' AMF cartopper gets the upside down treatment here at home too <br /><br />and yeah, a nice cover is a good investment for the smaller boat owner. i always recommend going for the higher end covers. but many opt for the cheapest <br /><br />shrink "can" be reused to a cerain extent. usually only another season or so tops tho. it becomes brittle and deteriotes due to the sun. i have boats that have sat for 4 or 5 yrs with my shrink on them. after about 3 yrs tho, they begin to fall apart to the point where small branchs falling on them will just poke holes in them. <br /><br />reusing the shrink can be done in a pinch but i generally don't recommend it (nuisance for me, but yes i have done it for a few guys as favors). it can be reinstalled and tightened somewhat. but it will be weaker.<br /><br />our prices run beam = $ per foot + $1 for bridge and $1 for arch/hardtop.<br /><br />in other words, if you have a 16 at say a 7' beam it's 16 x 7 = 112<br /><br />whereas say a 40'er with a beam of 12' with a bridge would be 40 x $13 =520. throw a hardtop on that bridge and it's $14 a foot.<br /><br />our prices are competitive, but you will find guys around doing quickies for a little less. their is somewhat of an art to it and i see many contractors with poor shrink "theory" as i like to call it, bad techniques and high failure rates.<br /><br />cost comparison is an interesting subject. if you keep the boat along time a cover will pay for itself, no doubt. but i do have guys with say a 30' with a shrink bill of maybe $350, whereas it may run them $2000 to $3000 for a good cover, maybe more, not up on my canvas prices. and they feel it easier to just add the $350 to their slip fees and not have to contend with storing a cover and installing it every year.

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Shrink Wraps

Once the plastic has taken the heat and shrunk, it needs to be recycled but not reused. In the under 20ft range a good tarp is a much better investment. You can make it tight in almost all the places that wind can lift up and you can purchase a one piece tarp.<br /><br />When you get large enough where the cover requires tarp'S (more than one) the problems begin. Once wind lifts an edge you can almost right them off (Plastic) unless they are very heavy and strong(canvas). The nice thing about a good shrink wrap job is they shed almost everything. Rain, Snow, dirt, and provide protection to the horizontal surfaces and the bracing system as when they are errected they even the load on both sides of the boat and mainain no areas for pockets to develop. Once it is shrunk, it is also very strong! Good stuff!!

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Shrink Wraps

Ryoken,<br /><br />I was doing a job and I was working on the fold that invariably occurs on the back third. I made my fold, it was a windy day and the spark plug wasn't working all that great and guess what? It was the first time in ten years I was without a mustache, and eyelashes and eyebrows. <br /><br />God I hated doing that job in the wind. Do you ever have a problem with running out of O2 when trying to heat from the inside? And where are you getting your stock from? (If I may ask) <br /><br />Not a bad way to pick up a few bucks in the fall I would imagine..

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

hey Pointer,<br /><br />ah yes, nothing like the smell of burnt hair in the morn. <br /><br />i lose a little armhair myself this time of year. usually when tucking and welding the bottom. but yeah, you gotta watch those pockets, that stuff'll blow right back at ya make sure you get those folds nice and hot with some 4" down the seam. most guys don't weld them well enough and they're flapping open in a month or 2..<br /><br />sounds like your using a shrinkfast if ya got a sparkplug. almost got one this year to replace our dinosauric Protect-o-boat. we went with the Ripack, little cheaper. nice gun so far. i also use a Big Red with a custom extension to actually shrink. i only use the handgun for my bottom weld and the folds. then i break big red out. when it's calm i can do the shrinking part on like 40'ers in about 15 minutes. it comes with this thin, wimpy extension. i attached a telescoping metal wash pole to it and can get very high on the boats with it. i also use a 12' stepladder.<br /><br />and yeah, inside boat stuff can be hairy, be careful, not a very healthy thing i would assume. breathing propane in can't be healthy. used to have to do it alot more before i had the extended big red. i would use my 3M battery powered, air supplied facemask so i wasn't breathing propane in.<br /><br />nowadays i rarely have to go inside, usually just a tad in the bridge. i just start at the highest point and go down. but if your shrinking a fair amount from the inside, yes, that lack of O2 line will get lower and lower. not much you can do other than start the gun up down by your feet and work quickly. when i used to have alot to do inside, one trick would be to take an ordinary boxfan in there to circulate the air around a little.<br /><br />wind is definitely the enemy of a shrinkwrapper. our yard starts blowing everday at 10am, with a nice lull right at sunset too...<br /><br />we get all our shrink, tape, etc from Mesco. they give us a much better deal than like Dr. Shrink or others. we generally get about 40 various rolls a year.

 

[dwci97]

Re: Shrink Wraps

How much per foot does it cost to wrap a boat? I am sure it depends on the size - beam - type of boat, etc. I am sure there is an overall generic price per foot that is used to estimate the cost. Cost must be the factor in why people just let them sit outside and fill up with water and snow all winter. I keep mine inside my warehouse and I understand a lot of people dont have that option. I rent space out for $2.00/ft per month and a lot of people tell me that is too much to spend. I just say no problem and good luck finding cheaper space.

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Shrink Wraps

hey dwc,<br /><br />if you didn't catch it later in the thread, heres what we charge..<br /><br /><<our prices run beam = $ per foot + $1 for bridge and $1 for arch/hardtop.<br /><br />in other words, if you have a 16 at say a 7' beam it's 16 x 7 = 112<br /><br />whereas say a 40'er with a beam of 12' with a bridge would be 40 x $13 =520. throw a hardtop on that bridge and it's $14 a foot.

 

[richg99]

Re: Shrink Wraps

Hey pointer...I have to store a 16 ft. boat next year from September '04 until May '05. It will be in the Lake Geneva area all summer this year '04. Any chance of finding out if your guy has a reasonable price to store it for me while I am back in Texas?? I can trailer it to Janesville pretty easily. Richg <br />rgross5@houston.rr.com

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Shrink Wraps

richg99,<br /><br />I actually winter store it in Manitowoc, 2.5hrs. north of Lake Geneva, but I will be happy to make inquiries as to space. If I can't find it there I live in Janesville and my bro in Lake Geneva, I know of a place in delavan for around $325 a winter.<br /><br />For the 125 extra it might be worth it to keep it locally. If you are up in Lake Geneva this summer let me know, we spend a lot of time off of Bigfoot state park at "BOAT PARTY CENTRAL".<br /><br />It might take a couple of weeks to locate the LG number but I will start looking.