Jump to content

Atom Ant


Atom Ant

Recommended Posts

Cory started his qualifier for the NP to Mooloolaba race this morning. Hope it all goes well for him.

 

I saw the Ant the other day and got to meet the Boat Cotes! Nice to finally meet you BB.

 

Gotta say the Ant looks awesome. Probably the best she (he?) has ever looked. Love the Ant graphics. Well done. :thumbup:

Link to post
Share on other sites
Probably the best she (he?) has ever looked. Love the Ant graphics. Well done. :thumbup:
I've had 3 people tell me that exact thing in the last 2 days. Well done team Boat Coat.
Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow that looks great.

 

Are there any joints/seams or is it one price?

 

What is the cost for this system?

 

How long will this kind of wrap last? ( Colour fade, film integrity...)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks guys! Some pics of the transformation here.

 

Re. your questions Sailor X, we try to do all boats in as few pieces as possible, but every boat is different. In this case the hulls were one piece each side, the transom was done in a few pieces. We could have done the transom in one if all the fittings had been removed, but as Cory was really pushed for time we said we'd work around them. Seams are visible but only on fairly close inspection.

 

Cost is **very approximately** $400-$500 per m of boat length, e.g. a 10m boat would be $4-5000 applied, but again all boats are different so the answer should really be "get a quote and we'll tell you". :D

 

The vinyl is a 7-year lifespan product, but 3M only warranty it for 3 years on the water for some reason. However, we fully expect it to last much longer than 3 years. We've put 5-year lifespan vinyl with no on-water warranty on commercial boats and it's only just starting to fade 6 years later. Anecdotally, we were told they'd had to re-paint the door in the middle of the vinyl-wrapped bulkhead 3 times over the lifespan of the vinyl - the vinyl hadn't faded a bit. :mrgreen:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Beautiful work BBabe. Brings so many questions like, how the heck do you get all the air bubbles out :?: :shock: :?:

What kind of prep does the Hull need? OK, obvious the paint needs to be sound and scratches dents filled etc, but how smooth as in sanding grit wise does it need to be for the Wrap to adhere?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting re you comments re sanding pre application

 

I was evolved in a certain gold boat now yellow. I had to remove the gold vinyl - it was a sh*t fight, the now owners wanted to go 3m as the website said it was easy to get off. Until they found a disclaimer re a sanded surface.

Link to post
Share on other sites

nope it would just tear, tried lots of different ways and heat ranges.

 

ended up using a very sharp chisel and a lot of elbow grease, it did leave some sticky film behind. which was also a sh*t fight as even the gentlest of thinners would take whatever paint was there off. ended up having the sand it all back to the base primer.

Link to post
Share on other sites

to be fair I have seen the vinyls used and removed very successfully on cars, and seen some great boat wraps.

 

this particular boat had all sorts of back block farmers son issues ( no offence meant to any farmers sons )

 

but 3m do have removal disclaimers on sanded surfaces

Link to post
Share on other sites

I resemble that remark PC! :evil:

 

fng removal can be a bitch, especially if it's been on there a while, but it's much easier when you know what you're doing. An experienced signwriter will do it in a fraction of the time anyone else will. Just the same as removing old names/stripes - we've seen so many people who attempt to do the removal themselves and just end up getting frustrated and making a mess. Much easier/quicker to leave it to the professionals, and yes obviously that costs, but you've got to weigh that up against how much you value your own time (& fingernails).

Link to post
Share on other sites

We had a sign writer come over and have a go, which is how we found out about the disclaimer. But all done and dusted a long time ago now

Keep up the good work AA looks great

Link to post
Share on other sites

Unfortunately starting my qualifier was all I did!!! The autopilot failed 3/4 of the way over to Gulf Harbor. The Ant was loving the 30 knots though hopefully we can get it fixed and try it again next weekend!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Unfortunately starting my qualifier was all I did!!! The autopilot failed 3/4 of the way over to Gulf Harbor. The Ant was loving the 30 knots though hopefully we can get it fixed and try it again next weekend!!!

You have a Raymarine X5 pilot I think. That correct?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Better now than in the middle of the Tasman!!

 

The most heart stressing moment I had was an autopilot failure in the middle - fortunately just a hydraulic hose come loose and lost oil. Refilled, and all was OK, man was I relieved! Solo, with no autopilot, 600 odd miles out is not something I relished!

 

That was way scarier than the "storm" on the 2nd-3rd day.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Couldn't agree more IT. Set backs are what you hope for when leading up to the event. That way they're sorted before the event. This one will be an easy fix and can be ticked off as a milestone on the way to Atom Ant's & Corys future world domination in offshore racing! that boat looks so good. Well done BB & D. :thumbup: Took this shot yesterday.

image.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...