|
|
SHRINK WRAPPING
What is Shrink wrap?
Shrink wrap is a polyethylene plastic that when properly installed shrinks tight around an object to create a protective waterproof barrier that will hold snow and ice away from the object and help keep it clean.
Shrink wrap is produced in a wide variety of sizes and thicknesses depending on the needed application, amount of durability and duration of exposure to different elements.
In the Maryland area shrink wrap is mainly used in the winter to protect boats in storage . Due to the mild to sometimes harsh Maryland winters and the amount of pollutants in our air, shrink wrapping has been serving as more that just protection against ice and snow.
Keeping boats and other items clean has become as much a concern to residents as the weather. Shrink wrap forms a tight cover around a boat and will let very little amounts off dust or dirt in.
Shrink wrapping a boat requires very important step buy step procedures to be taken buy the shrink wrappers to make the overall completed job strong. If these steps are not taken , a failing shrink wrap cover can and often times does cause more damage to a boat than not having it wrapped at all.
What causes damage?
The answer is simple , weight . Let's say you have your boat shrink wrapped and the wrap does not stay tight and allows water and snow or ice to puddle up on it. That snow and water or ice can weigh extreme amounts . The bad part is that even if the plastic is not punctured and the water is not getting in the boat the weight one the plastic causes the plastic to pull on anything it touches. Bow rails, lights, antennas, windshield, ETC.
The shrink wrappers must install the wrap to fend against these conditions.
How does shrink wrap work?
First the boat is prepped to accept a support structure made with support poles and strapping lines tied bow to stern and port to starboard. This gives the plastic a skeleton to lie on and to keep the plastic off different parts of the boat. Multiple support lines are carefully suspended from the deck of the boat and support a belly line that runs 360 degrees around the boat's hull.
Once this structure is complete , a single piece off plastic is cut and draped over the boat and secured to the belly line . The plastic must then be sealed and heat welded together to create a snug fit around the top and sides of the boat.
The plastic then gets tied down tight and completely heated to make it shrink to the skeleton and the boat.
The final step is to ventilate the boat and fine tune the wrap such as taping up any holes or installing entrance doors .
Seems pretty simple doesn't it . Well that is what many people think. But in reality , shrink wrapping is not easy work. Your shrink wrappers must posses not only the artistic ability the make it look nice but also to make it strong .
Here are a few things that our shrink wrappers do different from our competitors.
- We ask that the boat stay covered (if it is) until we get there . We will take down anything additional that we need to in order to protect the boat before we build our support structure
- We try to cover as much of the boat as we can. In most cases this means down below the water line and below any exposed stripes
- We use extra protective tape to tape all seems and folds to insure your boat stays tight and strong all winter long
- Ventilation is a must . Every boat must be vented to allow fresh air into the boat. Our prices include an adequate # of vents for the size and style of the boat. We also offer mildew canisters for extra protection that we will install at the customers request at the time in wrap. ( Mildew canisters are not included in per ft price)
- We offer zipper doors that allow access to the boat and can be saved and used the next year
|
|
