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Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 1:38 PM Reply   
I know a lot of people have heard of wrapping a boat to give it a new fresh look but not everyone realizes just how the process works. Since i just have my boat done I figured i would give a little step by step guide of how it all goes down. This is my second boat to have wrapped and i couldn't be happier with how they both turned out. It is a easy way to make an older boat look much much better.

We started by removing all the old lettering using heat to get all the old adhesive off and removing the tower, cleats, swim platform, and anything else that might get in the way. Then you clean, clean, and clean some more. We wiped the boat down with alcohol several times to be sure the surface is totally clean of any dust or anything that would cause the wrap to bubble up. This is the most tedious and most over looked step of a boat wrap.
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Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 1:43 PM Reply   
Once you have everything clean it's time to lay the actual vinyl to the boat. It comes as one huge sheet so it takes a lot of time putting it on and taking it back off before you can actually start to heat it and work the bubles and wrinkles out. We actually started on the back but i didnt get any pictures until we got to the side. We had symetrical lines in this design so we had to get them to match up so that made this even more difficult to do. (notice the lack of skulls in the wrap!!!!)
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Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 1:47 PM Reply   
As long as you start with a good clean surface you can peal the vinyl back and move it around to get it exactly where you want it. Once everything is lined up you just start to work the bubbles out and it really starts to take shape. In a few of these pictures you can see just how wrinkled it is until you put the heat on it and work it in place.
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Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 1:51 PM Reply   
We incorporated the trailer into the wrap on this one which was a first for us. I think it really helped tie it all togeather but it also was something else that needed cleaned and lined up. Once you get the back and one side done it get's a little easier because it's just a matter of getting it to all line up.
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Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 2:03 PM Reply   
I love this picture of the front because it shows exactly how we were hoping it would come out with the lines matching up from side to side.

It is all finished up and looking good now. I included a copy of the design the Jeff sent me so i could get a rough idea of what it was going to look like before we ordered all of the supplies. Overall i could not be any happier with how this all turned out. Our boat is a 1996 so as you can see it totally changed the look of the boat. Jeff has done his Supra and a few other boats and people always ask how long they hold up. I never keep anything long enough to answer that because i'm always buying, selling, swapping, and trading but i may just have to hang on to this one for awhile. My previous boat wrap has been on for two years and still looks great for the current owner. I'll also post before and after pictures of this boat and our previous boat. If anyone is interested in this feel free to shoot me a PM or just ask it in this thread. Jeff @ HyghOctane www.hyghoctane.com did this wrap and he is also a member on here in case you are in the Indianapolis/Cincinnatti area.
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Last edited by gpd005; 05-22-2013 at 2:09 PM.
Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 2:07 PM Reply   
before shot of the 96 MB Sports and our previous 1992 Caravelle Fish & Ski with the preview shot again.

It is really amazing what they can do with the vinyl these days so don't shy away from trying to dress up your older boat.
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Old     (NickEspi)      Join Date: May 2013       05-22-2013, 10:46 PM Reply   
Great write-up! Wish I could have watched mine get its facelift, but the surprise factor was worth it.
Old     (bass10after)      Join Date: Feb 2010       05-23-2013, 8:10 AM Reply   
I always wondered how stong the adhesive is or is it more of a shrink wrap that makes it hold so tight to the hull or is it a combo of both?
Old     (gpd005)      Join Date: May 2013       05-23-2013, 11:40 AM Reply   
It's mainly the adhesive and once you put heat to it it's not moving. But it does look similiar to a shrink wrap when installing it. The post heat is what gets the adhesive to lock down to the hull.

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