How to Shrink Wrap a Boat for the Winter: Two Ways
By Andy Whitcomb
Dec 13, 2022
Shrink wrapping a boat is a great way to protect your boat from potential winter damage. Here are two potential shrink wrap routes.
Many of us hate to think about it, but winter has put her foot down and boating in northern climates is rapidly coming to an end. Because of this, boats need to be protected from the elements as best can be. Whether indoors or outdoors, in addition to standard winterizing steps, a cover of some sort should be used. One of the tightest, most secure methods is shrink wrapping a boat for winter.
Here are two ways how to shrink wrap a boat for the winter:
Hire a Professional
Often, this service often can be found at or near marinas. They are capable of handling any size of boat and securing the protective film enough to even handle transportation. For exact information regarding how much the service for shrink wrap a boat costs, you will probably have to contact the service provider because boat sizes and shapes vary greatly. There are also variables such as color, UV inhibiting amount, thickness of the film, etc. Shrink wrapping is not cheap but the alternative can increase your boat’s risk of water and pest damage.
DIY
While searching online for information regarding shrink wrapping a boat for winter, do it yourself shrink wrap a boat kits kept appearing. Kits vary depending on the size or type of your boat but come with most everything you will need to shrink wrap a boat for winter including items such as rolls of the wrap, tape, strapping, a special knife, and a heat gun. Maybe this stems from an embarrassing incident with a roll of cling wrap in the kitchen, but I have been watching videos on how to shrink wrap a boat for the winter and frankly, the process seems like it might be intimidating for a novice (ahem). For example, you will want a lot of patience, a handy fire extinguisher, heat safety gloves, and depending on the size of your boat, a ladder and perhaps a heat gun extension. And don’t even think of trying this on a windy day.
If shrink wrapping a boat for the first time, I recommend hiring a pro and perhaps they would let you observe the procedure to see if this is something you might consider tackling next season.
