You guys with wraps. How are they holding up? If you don't mind sharing some information???
Who did your wrap?
How long has it been on your boat?
Approx cost for your wrap?
Did you have a design or did they help with the design?
How long did you wait for completion?
Who is the best around the fork area?
Thanks for any info. JB

I was thinking about a wrap, but after further investigation. It seems like there isn't really a good and reliable company in the D/FW area that can do a quality job that lasts

I am sure those whom are on the Pro-Staff will tell you different, but my research says just not a good company out there with a wrap that will last.

red ranger, so what did you find in your investigation? please share

RedRanger is right...I had a wrap on my truck for several years & it's VERY difficult to keep it from scratching tearing &/or pealing. The cost of the initial wrap vs continual maintenance vs longevity isn't worth it unless your sponsored where they pay for the wrap, maintenance, & replacement every couple years to keep it looking good. Wraps are not cheap & to the weekend angler just not cost effective.

I was fortunate with my truck because one of my ex students wrapped it for free. All I paid for was 2 full sheets (4'x 4' I think at $80 a sheet) & a case of beer, LOL. The rest of the small pieces he saved from finished jobs he had done previously. There were spots that needed constant maintenance & after 3 years you could REALLY see the fading. I wiped it down once every 2 weeks with McGuire's but the sun is too much to fight.

You must have seen my boat.

That's my main concern is wear and tear! I hate spending a couple of thousand bucks only to have something that looks like a ship wreck!! I'm on fork 99% of the time with my boat. I'm sure they pretty much all come with the tail light warranty?? Once the tail lights are gone so is your warranty????
Red Ranger, what have you found so far???? Warranty wise???

JB,

Call me and I'll give you the scoop on my experience with my current boat and my last boat that was wrapped.

Ken

Hag - I don't know if RR has see your boat but my dad has seen it many times on Lake Ivey & Lake Brownwood. How much water did Ivey get from that last rain? I think dad said they had gotten close to 4" in the Brownwood area.

Boat wraps really arent meant to last more than 1-2 years at best without some rework of it.

My boat was wrapped last month by Texoma Wraps in Sherman Tx.

So far it has been good. They did all the design. The website that wrapped my boat (globaloutdoors.com) gave them the decal files and they did the complete design on a computer. They did 4-5 for us to have different options.

So far it has held up great. But I have only been fishing open water lakes. Haven't been on RR or Fork with it yet so I am not sure how it's gonna hold up fishing around timber.

I think they did a great job and I was very happy with the end result. I believe it cost $1800-$2000 not sure exactly on the price. (Its the boat in my sig..)

My wrap came off the whole side of my boat the first time on the water. I was definitely taken care of way beyond what any other company I know of would have done on the repairs. But, it came off in some areas again the next day. That time, I just repaired it myself. The trick is getting enough sealer on the bottom of the wrap to make sure the pressure of the water doesn't start it coming off on the bottom. The other thing to watch for is if they cut through the material and scratch your gel coat. I will say that mine has been on for just over 3 years. Yes, it needs to be replaced bad. But, until I find a company that has a 100% reputation of doing a good job and standing behind the wrap, I'll just live with what I have.

Huntman933..... you just describe to the wrap company what you're looking for and they make up a design on their computer program. It's easy to design on the computer. They do have to start charging you for changes, if you make several, as they have time involved. Time is money.

We need another big rain on Ivie, now that the ground is saturated. Looks like a chance of rain next Thursday and Friday. Keeping our knees to the ground for a really big rain!! Ivie will need a frog floater for it to really show a difference. Not enough run off to make a difference so far, except it added about week or so of water supply.

You guys that are thinking of paying for your wraps have the wrong idea of what a wrap is for. Oh, you will get lots of attention but is that what you really want? No offense here but wraps are NOT to just make you look like a pro. Wraps are designed to market someone's business just like billboards and radio commercials.

NASCAR started the idea and has done the best job of it in all sports. We looked at the cost to buy a small space on a NASCAR a few years back and it is unbelievable. To purchase a space on the lower front fender on both sides of a NASCAR the size of 4" X 18" it was $750,000 a year.

If you own your own business a wrap may be a tax write off for you to advertise your business. Good wraps by reputable companies cost between $2,500-$3,000 with the artwork and labor to install. I would also ask them to include removal & clean up. That's what I have done on my last three boats.

When I was guiding at Fork I had the fully enclosed boat trailer with all my sponsors painted all over the thing. Basscat provided me with a boat and trailer and Yamaha provided me with a motor every year for the advertising fee. Zebco, Quantum, Motorguide provided me with all sorts of stuff for their piece of real estate on the trailer. Bomber, Rebel, Heddon, & Cordell also bought space. Berkely Trilene was also a paying sponsor.

I charged myself a monthly fee for advertising my Lake Fork Guide Service on the back door of the trailer about $1,200 per month. It would be no different than if I had paid for a billboard along I-30 and paid monthly for it.

Wrapped boats are for marketing a business. That is what wraps are for. If you just want a wrap to feed your ego then more power to you if you can afford it but it will need to be replaced every 2 years to look decent. They do scratch & tear if you get into timber. They can be patched if the wrap company knows what they're doing. Call Joel at Redhead Graphics in Terrell. They've done most of the wrapped boats you see at Fork including mine. Good folks to work with.

If you find someone that will do it for less than $2,500 with artwork, installation, and removal, BEWARE.....

Just like everything else we buy. There will always be someone willing to do it "cheaper"

That is from someone that has been there and done that a few times. I bumped the old thread up to the top so you guys could see my old trailer with the paint job I ran back in the good old days. As you can see, I am a Legend in my own mind.... LOL

Good luck guys,

Ken

One year. Ripped it on a stump the 2nd time out. Started peeling, one side redone. A few nicks and such, still looks great until you get right up to it and look close.

Didn't pay but was told cost would have been about 2 K for design, boat and trailer.

I helped with the design. Told the graphic design guy the elements and logos I needed and he did the background. We tweaked it over about a 2 week period.

Took a month from start to finish. Getting vector graphics from sponsors took about a week. Then 3 to design and install.

My boat is 10 years old. Gelcoat was starting to oxidize and fade. It was either a wrap or a sand and re-clear job. Looks much better now. But, if I was paying, I don't think I would do it again.

I expect only 2 years out of the wrap. That's the way it is. I plan on getting a new boat next year so this was a good way to help sponsors who support my business while getting me through until then.

I will have a wrap on my new boat. If only to protect it from the elements. Texas sun can be brutal.

The edges need to be saturated with sealer & allowed to dry before trying to take it out to the water. Plus you need to check your wrap after every trip. Being able to catch it when it 1st starts to peel & get it cemented back down will help with the longevity.

Yea dad said that most of the rain Brownwood got wasn't over the Pecan Bayou area which is the biggest water shed for Lake Brownwood. He is really praying for a big rain to hit between Abilene & Brownwood so the run off will collect in the Bayou & filter down to the Lake. We have been praying for some time now & we are REALLY hoping for a wet spring.

Brian at Victory Graphics does a great job and has held up well.