Shrink wrap cost increase

[J Levine]

For the last few years I have paid about $16 a foot to have my boat shrink wrapped each year. This week I got a quote for $22 a foot. Apparently the cost of the film is up this year because of the increase in the cost of oil. With a zipper door and tax I am looking at close to $1K for the shrink wrap job.

I have been investigated geting a Fisher winter cover for years, so I called them this week and got a new quote of $3K for a canvas cover with a zipper door the will go to the waterline with an estimated service life of 8 to 10 years or more. With a three year payback it is hard to beat the justification especially since I have no plans to change boats for at least the next 5 years, and probably many more.

The guy at Fisher told me the cover will need a structure of 4" PVC pipe running from the bow rail to the radar arch to hold it up over the deck. He also said the cover, when folded with be approximately 2'x2'x3' and will weigh about 175 pounds. For an extra $300 the cover can be made in two sections that would be installed on the boat indepedently and then laced together, though he said if you have some help installing it this is not nessissary. He said most guys place the folded cover on the bow of the boat before it is hauled avoiding the need to carry it up a ladder once the boat is up on the hard.

For economic and environmental reasons the cover appeals to me. I am a little concerned about the work installing it. I will also miss the ambient light that comes through the white shrink wrap and allows good visibility to work in the engine room in the winter time. Under the cover it will be dark as night.

Anyone out there have experience with a winter cover for a boat this size that could give me any thoughts or advice?

 

[Converse48]

For the last few years I have paid about $16 a foot to have my boat shrink wrapped each year. This week I got a quote for $22 a foot. Apparently the cost of the film is up this year because of the increase in the cost of oil. With a zipper door and tax I am looking at close to $1K for the shrink wrap job.

Geez, makes my $36/foot for INDOOR storage, (including labor to haul, wash and relaunch... and all jack stands) seem like a really good deal!

I had a fisher cover for one of my other (sail:wow boats. These covers are still rather labor intensive to install, uninstall and store, so the payback period may be longer than the three years IF you are going to pay the yard to do that. I did pay the yard to install it on the sailboat because it was not a one man job on a sailboat. Might be easier on an express cruiser.

 

[J Levine]

$36 for indoor storage in unheard of in NJ (I think). $40 a foot for outdoor storage in not uncommon in our area (haul wash block and relaunch). I pay $27 but I am in an out of the way place. I will be installing the cover by myself so the labor cost is not a big factor. I have considered doing the shrink wrap myself as it does not look like brain surgery, but I have to think it would be much more work that installing the cover.

 

[rondds]

jon
for a guy like you, building the frame and installing the cover will be a snap. and with a cruiser (as opposed to a bridge boat) jackassing it up and on is a lot easier. we do rudy's every year, just he and i, in a matter of minutes. two can do mine but last year we had 4 men and it was much easier (and no herniated body parts). you boat's longer but lower so the weight is about the same. fashioned, you're welcome to come by and observe.

storing the cover and frame is an issue. it is absolutely impossible to lift it alone, not just b/c of sheer weight but b/c of size. you wont be able to get it into your truck without a ramp or another strong person. if you plan on storing it in your basement,fuggeddaboudit unless you have a walk in basement that you could just tumble it down the steps - even then, i pity you when it's time to get it OUT of the basement! i wrap mine in heavy plastic dropcloth and drag it around the garage floor with 1/2" rope. in the plastic, it slides nicely. if you can't store it, they'll pick it up, examine it, make any necessary touch-ups and refold it properly for you, then deliver it in the fall for <$100.

despite these drawbacks, i'd do it all again. i paid $1900 for mine back in the fall of 2004, and they didnt even have a pattern - they came out to measure the boat. the prices have gone up considerably since then, as with everything else i guess. fisher is a great company to deal with and they have excellent service. rudy and i will be installing ours way sooner than you'd be getting to yours so if you want to see how the frame is fashioned, you're welcome to come by and observe.

these are repeat photos that many of you have seen - i apologize for the redundancy. btw, the spine and vertical supports are 3" schedule 40 pvc. the "ribs" or "stays" are 1 1/4" pvc.

 

[Dancin Dave]

Nice job Ron.

My yacht club marina is bumping up to 30 bucks a foot, crazy.


3 balls for you!

 

[rondds]

COOL, i'm now a three-balled freak! thanks.

after 4 builds and tear-downs, it becomes perfunctory. small improvements are made each year, as well as repairs to the PVC, which sometimes cracks. lower-slung boats do NOT get the wear and tear that i get each winter. during extremely windy winter nights, i often lie in bed wondering how the hell the boat doesnt get blown over with all the wind resistance.

on the topic of storms and surges, this was our marina right after a thanksgiving nor'easter, i believe, in the fall of 2005. a good example of the what a good push can do to tides at our place.

 

[Mr Salt]

I had my Salt ‘N Sand shrunk wrap for a number of years and then one year the shrink wrap failed, so I had a custom replacements made for the canvas. The material is strong rubbery but light weight. It replaces all of the canvas on the boat, slides in the existing tracks and snaps where the current snaps are. It is made in sections so weight is not a problem like the Fisher cover. It does not cover the decks like a Fischer cover would. A few coats of wax before winter sets in protects the fiberglass. I forget what it cost, it was like a three year pay back. It was made by Superior Marine Canvas in Swedesboro. They came to the boat and at the end of the day the job was done. Salt ‘N Sand stays in the water all year.

Mr. Salt
2001 540 CPMY
Caterpillar C-12s
Cape May NJ

 

[Heatwave]

We had a canvass cover for our 90 Sundancer. Used it for 11 seasons and spent 150.00 on repairs. It was well worth it. If you do not want to install it each year get a quote from the people who made it for you. Its not that much to have them install and you remove in the spring. Make sure you have them install it the first time and take pictures of the framing! Mark the frame parts so you know how to put it back together! Learn from my mistake.

John

John

 

[Henry Boyd]

Just got a price sheet from the yard. 14.50 per foot + $45 for door and two vents for shrink wrap. That keeps us just under $ 500 (they include the swim platform in length). If it was much more I think I would investigate re-usable covers.

Henry