Shrink Wrap Protection

When many boaters winterize their boat, they shrink wrap their vessel to get that strong layer of protection.

Shrink-wrapping your boat is like adding a layer of armor to your boat's protection. The winter can be harmful to the outside of your boat if not protected. Shrink wrapping your boat adds an extra layer of protection to keep moisture, pests, and damaging winds away from your boat’s interior and exterior. And YMT can do it for you on-site.

Shrink wrap (when properly installed) can last years and provide waterproof, hassle-free protection to your valuables, and shrink wrap with UV inhibitors can save your valuables from unnecessary damage from UV light. Any size boat from a jet ski to your largest yachts can be shrink wrapped at their location.

Our boat shrink wrappers can wrap boats two different ways: storage or transport.

We have the experience to wrap your boat for either scenario. Boats that are to be stationary for the winter get wrapped to shed ice and snow from their covers, whereas boats that will be transported are mainly covered to protect them from dirt, damage, and other hazards. Our shrink wrappers wrap commercial equipment for transport or just to be protected from year-round outside storage.

Have a special job that requires some extra thought and care to get done? Let our expert shrink wrappers at YMT develop a plan of action to care for your needs.

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 North Carolina area, shrink wrap is mainly used in the winter to protect boats in storage or on the lift. Due to the mild to sometimes harsh winters and the amount of pollutants in our air, shrink wrapping has been serving as more than 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 dust or dirt in.

Shrink wrapping a boat requires very important step-by-step procedures to be taken by the shrink wrappers to make the overall completed job strong.

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.

Here are a few things that our shrink wrappers do different from our competitors.

1. YMT asks 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.

2. 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.

3. We use extra protective tape to tape all seams and folds to ensure your boat stays tight and strong all winter long.

4. Ventilation is a must. Every boat must be vented to allow fresh air into the boat. (Depending on the size and style of your boat, our standard service and pricing may not include an adequate # of vents for your particular needs. Additional venting is available for a fee.) We also offer mildew canisters for extra protection that we will install at the customer's request also at the time of the wrap. (Mildew canisters are not included in standard shrink-wrap price either.)

How much should it cost?

The amount depends on the design, environmental conditions, location of the work, type of materials used, and any related equipment rental. Each job is unique. But consider all the costs associated with not properly protecting your ship and weigh the difference.

IN SOME CASES:  RADAR ARCHES, TOWERS, FLYBRIDGE, SWIM PLATFORMS, (GILL) BRACKETS, HARD TOPS, SOFT TOPS, PERMANENT MOUNTED FIXTURES & WRAPPING TO THE WATER LINE MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL CHARGES . . . PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE OR USE THE CONTACT US PAGE.

Want to show off part of the boat but keep it covered?

YMT can replace the film with a clear shrink film. Want to keep the boat covered for an additional year or two? That can be attained by fusing an additional layer of film to the existing layer. Want additional accesses and more ventilation? That can be easily done. Want a dehumidified environment? A dehumidification system can easily be installed. Whatever you need, YMT can do it for you. Just call.

Not just for Boats...

Shrink wrapping works for any very large and irregularly shaped object and is the most incredibly flexible preservation system in existence today. And YMT brings this awesome service right to your door. Call us today.

Other things we can shrink wrap

Of course, our shrink wrap can be used to protect and seal other large objects such as construction equipment, boats, personal watercraft, motor homes, motorcycle trailers, farm implements, machinery, equipment, patio furniture, or any large object.