CONTINUOUSWAVE

I have a 2018 130 Super Sport. I am interested in getting the hull wrapped either from the dealer or a sign company.

[Boston Whaler] offered [four] colors [of vinyl wrap on the original option list for a 2018 130 SUPER SPORT].

My local dealer also gave me a choice of four colors vinyl wrap colors.

TO READERS WHO BOUGHT THE VINYL HULL WRAP FROM A BOSTON WHALER DEALER:

Q1: How is the vinyl hull wrap holding up?

Q2: Does the vinyl hull wrap tear easily?

Q3: Do you have concerns about the life of the vinyl hull wrap?

TO READERS WHO BOUGHT THE VINYL HULL WRAP FROM A SIGN COMPANY:

Q4: How is the vinyl hull wrap holding up?

Q5: Does the vinyl hull wrap tear easily?

Q6: Do you have concerns about the life of the vinyl hull wrap?

Q8: What brand is the vinyl in the vinyl wrap?

Q9: Was the vinyl in the vinyl wrap made by 3M?

I was under the assumption that the hull colors are gel [coat resin], not wraps. They might do a custom wrap from the factory but I never heard of it. Your options are wrap or marine paint. Both will scratch and both have a shorter life span than gel [coat resin]-- depending on how [the boat] is used and stored. I believe most of the wraps are 3M, and they have around a seven to ten year warranty.

I think a marine wrap company will be more effective, higher quality and better service than a dealer offering this product.

[A vinyl hull wrap, apparently for a 2018 Boston Whaler 130 SPORT boat] is listed as a dealer-installed option. Four colors are offered.

I'm concerned how [the vinyl wrap] will hold up.

On my other boat which has dark blue gelcoat, I'm always buffing out dock rash.

Hulls with colors other than white look much better than white hulls.

Phil T wrote:I think a marine wrap company will be more effective, higher quality and better service than a dealer offering this product.

It will be cheaper for sure too. However, I don't want to cheapen the look of the boat by not having a factory color. Is that possible?

If it is a wrap, it can't hurt.

Just like the boats that have the large WHALER logo on the hullsides.

Were I buying a boat with a wrap and I didn't like the wrap or there were defects in the wrap, I would discount the offer price and just remove the wrap.

biggiefl wrote:I was under the assumption that the hull colors are gel [coat], not wraps.

I think on some (larger) Boston Whaler boat hulls the hull colors or hull accent colors are paint, probably AWLGRIP, or at least they were a few years ago when those options were first offered. It is probably not very cost-effective to paint a 13-footer. The cost of the custom paint would probably be a rather significant percentage of the stock hull price. On larger boats with $300,000 prices, $3,000 extra for a custom hull accent color is not as consequential on the total purchase price.

Since a Boston Whaler 2018 130 SPORT boat is still covered by the factory 10-year hull warranty, I recommend getting a vinyl wrap installed by an authorized Boston Whaler dealer on the basis that such an accessory is an authorized dealer-installed option for the boat.

If eight years from now there is some defect in the hull that should be covered under the hull warranty, and if you had a wrap installed by "a sign company", there could be concern about the wrap being a modification to the hull and having an effect on the warranty coverage.