A boat is not a big van. The surface curves in two directions at once, the finish underneath is gelcoat rather than automotive paint, and the environment is genuinely hostile — saltwater, unshaded UV on the water and on the trailer, and roller contact every single launch. We treat boat wraps as their own discipline because they are one.
What we wrap
- Full hull wraps — a complete visual change, including photographic artwork that paint can't practically reproduce.
- Partial wraps — graphics along the topsides or transom with the existing finish still showing.
- Boat names & registration — cut vinyl lettering, correctly sized and placed.
- Console, hardtop & trailer graphics — so the whole rig reads as one.
Why hulls are different
Vinyl doesn't naturally sit on a compound curve — it has to be heated and worked deliberately, and the artwork has to be laid out with the hull's shape already accounted for. This matters most when the graphic contains something the eye knows the shape of. Stretch a fish unevenly across a curve and it reads as wrong immediately, even to someone who couldn't say why.
Preparation differs too. Gelcoat is more porous than automotive paint, it oxidises in the sun, and older hulls often carry a chalky surface layer that has to come off before anything will bond. Any wax or polish must be removed completely — wax exists to stop things sticking to your hull, which is precisely the problem.
Built for salt and sun
We print on cast vinyl and finish with a UV laminate, because the two things that kill a marine wrap are edges and sunlight. Every edge is a place saltwater can begin lifting the film, so edges get wrapped around or sealed rather than simply trimmed. Where the trailer bunks and rollers contact the hull, we plan the layout with that wear in mind.
What it costs
It depends on the length of the boat, how much of it you're covering, the artwork involved, and the condition of the gelcoat. We don't publish fixed prices because quoting a hull we haven't seen would be guessing. Send us photos of the boat — particularly the topsides and any areas of oxidation or previous repair — along with its length, and we'll come back with real numbers, usually within one business day.
Auckland-based, NZ-wide
Our workshop is at 7 Great South Road, Papatoetoe. Boats come to us for wrapping; for larger vessels or commercial fleets outside Auckland, get in touch and we'll tell you honestly what's workable.