Sticker Film

[Kiteroa 8]

Will be doing a paint job on the Young soon and have been looking into the possibility of doing away with the paint and going sticker only on the topsides. Has anyone had experience with sticker finishes? I'm mainly concerned about durability and resistance to scuffing on marina piers and peel on the edges. Also, any recommended suppliers? I've had experience on cars and there were peel issues after a couple of races. But WT isn't going to be doing 300kmh into bugs and sand so maybe it won't be an issue.

 

Thanks.

[Dagwood 57]

It's been a few years since I was in the industry but when I left there were 2 main type of film - Cast and Calendered. The more expensive cast film was far more flexible and stable (less shrinkage and lifting out of concave surfaces) but the performance claims from the calendered corner were improving.

 

Film will probably be more easily damaged than paint but a repair (if you're happy with a "patch") will be quick and simple. - perhaps hang on to some of the off-cuts.

 

You should be able to get a good written performance warranty (7+ years) for vertical surfaces but it won't cover scuffing and scratches.

 

I'd ask for cast film with a written warranty from a company that is an approved applicator.

[wheels 543]

Never heard of this. So what, is this a clear film like say the stuff you put along the front of a bonnet to stop stone chips etc??? And do you put this all over or just in the high wear area's like against marina fenders etc???

[Kiteroa 8]

What i'm after is a substitute for the undercoat and topcoat on the hull. So the sticker will be coloured, like the normal paint would be. I'm hoping that the boat can be faired, a light coat of primer just to make the surface an even colour and then sticker straight on top. But I don't know the exact surface requirement just yet... We used a product like what I want on the F1 cars as they're not painted either, just sticker film onto carbon. But I don't think that particular product is available here. No doubt it wasn't cheap either.

[Dagwood 57]

Sorry I may have misunderstood. I was assuming that the self adhesive coloured film was going to be applied to a painted surface. I'm not sure how the manufacturers would feel about it being applied to a primer surface but I'd question if the film would be able to form a solid bond.

Couple of points here too - you will come "unstuck" excuse the pun if you apply it to a freshly painted surface that is still out gassing solvents. This will create bubbles of trapped gases and peeling as the solvents affect the adhesive. Again thinner more permeable cast will outperform calendered but it still remains a threat to durability regardless.

[Rhys 0]

This was covered in some detail in a thread several years ago. I'm not sure if the archives go back that far. From memory, Cameron posted a bit on it as he works/worked for Honda (I think) and has some experience with the automotive version. You could try him.

[tuffyluffy 76]

I think a NZ boat yard built a yacht called Full Metal Jacket that had a crome like finish that was stuck on. Looked oarsome!

 

Heres the link.

 

http://www.salthouseboats.com/showcase- ... acket.html

 

Im sure Salthouse would tell you who did the job

[BelowPAR 0]

Was going to mention fmj aswell.

There is a boatingNZ article on that boat somewhere. Owned by a Mr Meads.

 

If you get something like that, you will look awesome! (just get some in white for the start line ). I bought some carbon look vinyl, intended for cars a few weeks ago. They were very helpful. These guys http://www.computaleta.co.nz/shop_10.aspx,

They might be able to help/point you in the right direction. (dont be fooled by the website, its a little hands on wharehouse up in Albany)

[Guest]

You can get stuff that they say is sweet for 7 years maybe longer, on the topsides of a yacht. It can be got 1500mm wide, maybe more I only need 1300mm so haven't sussed wider. It can be printed onto if you like. It can go over a primer but as it is porous (micro holes in it) they very heavily suggest it goes onto a topcoat rather than a primer/undercoat. Apparently it or at least some, can be a right arse to remove later. Applied well and using the flash versions they reckon peeling on the edges 'shouldn't be' an issue.

 

Above as told to me by a mate I trust who's in the printing game.

[Fusion 0]

KM is on the money. You can get it up to 1800mm. I found a wholesaler in Penrose with some good stuff 10 year UV. One trick is to get a roll of 50mm for the boot line and over lap. The 50mm boot line can be replaced with out effecting the main topside. The hard bit is getting someone to put it on. I plan to wet and dry the existing top side back and lay film over that. I'm hard chine so should be easy.

[DrWatson 374]

So how would Full Metal Jacket go for reflecting radar?

 

I mean anything that reflects light that effectively would surely reflect EMR from other wavelengths to a reasonable degree (excepting the shorter wavelengths like x-ray and up).

[Atom Ant 0]

So how would Full Metal Jacket go for reflecting radar?

 

I mean anything that reflects light that effectively would surely reflect EMR from other wavelengths to a reasonable degree (excepting the shorter wavelengths like x-ray and up).

Bad for them if a stealth bomber is after them I think.

[Kiteroa 8]

KM is on the money. You can get it up to 1800mm. I found a wholesaler in Penrose with some good stuff 10 year UV. One trick is to get a roll of 50mm for the boot line and over lap. The 50mm boot line can be replaced with out effecting the main topside. The hard bit is getting someone to put it on. I plan to wet and dry the existing top side back and lay film over that. I'm hard chine so should be easy.

 

Yeah, good call on the boot topping. I've got a bit of time to find the film as the boat is a little way off paint just at the moment. Still chopping bits off and building bits on etc.

 

The best film i've seen is some nice laminate stuff from Avery Graphics. It's not perferated, rather the adhesive on the back is a matrix of hexagons, not touching each other. So air bubbles bleed out really well. Top shelf stuff thuogh.

[samin 0]

any idea on the price of the stuff?

[Fusion 0]

I think I priced it up at $750 for materials for my 12m. Im still a little way away from this project as well.