Wraps vs. Ceramics?

N

navajas

Active member
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
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Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
The R29cb we are likely to purchase post survey is Claret Red. While I find this darker red much less offensive than the Hero Red, I'm still not overly fond of these boats in red hulls and so am thinking of trying to pick my boat out from the crowd a bit with a cool wrap color.

Until the above became a real option however, I was also considering getting a ceramic coating.

Does anyone have experience with both of these processes and care to share their opinion on which does a better job at protecting the hull? I think, but am certainly not sure, that they are around the same cost in time and money. Is that an error?

Finally, anyone have or know someone with a Tug in a non-standard color? Would love to see pics!


Thanks,

navajas
 
navajas":22pbhuy9 said:
The R29cb we are likely to purchase post survey is Claret Red. While I find this darker red much less offensive than the Hero Red, I'm still not overly fond of these boats in red hulls and so am thinking of trying to pick my boat out from the crowd a bit with a cool wrap color.

Until the above became a real option however, I was also considering getting a ceramic coating.

Does anyone have experience with both of these processes and care to share their opinion on which does a better job at protecting the hull? I think, but am certainly not sure, that they are around the same cost in time and money. Is that an error?

Finally, anyone have or know someone with a Tug in a non-standard color? Would love to see pics!


Thanks,

navajas
Click to expand...

It depends on the look you're after. I know of an RT27-OB owner on the East Coast who sent me pictures of his tug that he just had wrapped. He took a blue boat and made it a dark grey. But not just any grey... it's more like a matte dark grey. It looks really sharp.

In contrast, I have a factory light grey tug that's been ceramic coated. It's like a mirror finish, reflective, sheds water.

Costwise, I don't know the difference between a wrap and ceramic coating. A wrap would offer more options to change the color of the boat and would be way less than paint.

I'll find a spot on my website to publish the pictures of his boat wrapped for you to look at.
 
Hey thanks a lot. Yeah, I follow you on YouTube. I like your hull but am very interested in that darker grey you mentioned.

Thanks for everything!


navajas
 
Went through this same mental arithmetic last year. My 2011 Claret Red R27 hull was almost pink from oxidation. It could be professionally buffed and waxed and look great for maybe a month. Some products turned white and oxidized within a week in the So Cal sun. After watching many you tube videos on ceramic coating colored fishing boats in Fla and corresponding with Kevin (of KevinandCarol on this forum) I decided to experiment. Choosing a marine ceramic product at random I charged ahead and tried it out on the “eyebrows”, they take the worst beating from the sun. As has been posted on this forum previously, preparation prior to application of the ceramic is paramount. One year later the eyebrows were due for some TLC which consisted of a light buffing and reapplication of ceramic. The vertical hull sides and transom are looking exceptionally good. I posted some during buffing pics of the Fancy Nancy in my album here. The local dock committee continues to comment positively about the appearance, even tho they thought I had lost my mind for doing it myself. Search the forum and you’ll find quite a few posts on the subject.
 
I've seen new wraps and they certainly do change a boat's look and look very good. Its pretty amazing to see them craft it around contours, portholes and other obstacles. I was warned by some folks tho that they do tear on contact with enough pressure which presumably might also damage the underlying GRP finish. Then you are faced with repairing both. I don't know how one repairs a wrapped finish but would be interested to hear if anyone knows. HTH, Gary
 
I have read wrap proponents say that almost always the event or condition that tore your vinyl would have scratched your paint anyway and it's probably easier/faster/cheaper to patch the vinyl than clean, sand, etc... I don't know enough to have an opinion.

I found this pic which is, I think, the only non-Fluid Motion color hull on a Ranger I've found. Would love to see more but can't find any. I think it looks pretty nice.
 
I can't comment about wrapping a complete boat but I can give a bit of input about wear and tear.

Our boat sits in a boathouse and it is a tight fit. She has to be pulled completely forward against the stern lines or the door will not close at the stern. The surround walkway at the bow is, as is usual, cut into a V. The edge of the wood is wrapped with the dock protector typically found at West Marine and marketed as "non-marking". In calm condition there is may be four or 5 inches between the protector and the hull. As you can imagine, during winter storms or even just windy events throughout the year, the boat bounces, sometimes quite violently, from side to side. The protector, despite rinsing, picks up salt and grime that act as a grinding paste. This became really apparent during the first year of owning the boat. I was polishing out the scuff marks on almost a weekly basis and it was soon obvious that I would be removing the gelcoat quite quickly.

After the first year we bought two pieces of clear 3M wrap material from a local installer, each approximately 24 inches long by 10 inches wide. The installer gave us nice round corners, a piece of squeegee material, lots of instructions and my wife and I found the installation easy.

This week I hauled the boat as I do twice a year to replace the anodes. During the summer time haul out I usually also wax the hull. While I was going around the hull I noticed the various minor scrapes and bumps that happen from things like bumping a mooring buoy or contact with the dinghy. I did smile when I saw the condition of the 3M wrap. It is perfect after four years of quite severe abuse. It occurred to me then that a wrapped boat would take a lot of abuse without showing any damage. This is the same stuff that is used on the front end of cars to protect paintwork from stone chips etc.. Friends in Europe swear by this same wrap to protect cars that are regularly driven at 120 to 150 mph on the autobahn. Any stone chips or cuts that do occur are very easily fixed and the joints are imperceptible. No paint, ceramic coating, wax or anything else is going to provide that kind of protection. If I were buying a new boat, including a standard colour, it would be wrapped from rubrail to waterline, probably clear.

For the record, I am not in the business of selling or promoting the product. Simply passing on my experience. If you would like a couple of photos of the film in place, please PM me.
 
Thanks for taking the time to write that up Chimo.

We are leaning towards the full wrap at this point and the above helps our peace of mind. Trying to decide on color is going to be a pain in the butt however. We are also going to get a full enclosure for the cockpit from King Marine and trying to coordinate colors without actually being able to see either together is worrisome.
 
The marina/ boat yard that I am working on my Mainship does hull wrapping. They just finished a New Jeanneau Leader that came from the factory as a white boat. The owner wanted a blue boat so they wrapped it and the Mercury outboard cowls to match. It looked awesome. I talked to the technician that installed it. He said the product is guaranteed for 7 year not to fade. Just wash it no waxing required. The vinyl seemed very durable and he said it can be repaired, if an area is damaged a lot cheaper than doing a gel coat repair.
 
Great goobly Holy Flipping Hadrosaurs: Prism Graphics in Seattle wants $12k-$14k. :shock:

Does that seem right to you folks? Thought I'd seen 25'ers listed for full wrap at around $3,000. That was Florida though, pretty sure. Was figuring closer to $5k-$6k for this R29.

$14,000?!

Isn't that way more than a complete repaint?
 
Here's a couple of pic's that were sent to me by a RT27-OB owner who wanted a custom color, and did a wrap on their boat.

Ceramic coating would give you that reflective shine. This wrap gives the boat a custom color and a matte look.

The boat's located on the east coast in the heat and sunshine.

RT27-OB in a Wrap (matte grey)
https://www.letsgochannelsurfing.co...kxcqjdlc-c3278795-0496-492f-bac3-e8d2fb909e7d

RT27-OB in a Wrap (matte grey)
https://www.letsgochannelsurfing.co...kxcqjdlc-02b9e15e-e9cf-4552-b97a-0ffa1188a974
 
Thanks for posting those, Martin!

That color is looks to be very close to a couple on my 3M short list (Charcoal Metallic maybe?) If you have that kind of relationship with him, I'd be very interested in ballpark how much he paid for it, give or take a couple $1,000.

All that said, given all the other things we need to buy for a new boat, unless I can find an alternative to the above pricing from Prism, this might be a moot point. :?
 
I can inquire at the marina today what the price per foot to wrap is. I know they have done several new boats this year. I believe with the high demand in boat production many boat manufactures are just popping white hulls out of the molds. The new technology and materials used in wrapping is getting better making it a popular way to get a maintenance free colored hull.
 
That would be great, thanks. I'm sure it's more expensive on the West coast, but it's be good to have some kind of ball park comparison.
 
Watching this thread with interest!

My 2012 blue is a constant battle.
 
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