Can I trailer a shrink wrapped boat?

[Recoil Rob]

I'm having some end of year work/winterizing done and was thinking of having them shrink wrap the boat but would need to trailer it about 20 miles home at highway speed. Will shrink wrap hold up to that?

 

[Halfhitch]

All the new boats sent to Marine Max from Sea Ray are shrink wrapped, but you may want to check with the people that wrapped your boat as there may be different levels of quality as far as standing the high wind speed.

 

[Recoil Rob]

Will do, thanks.

 

[DennisG01]

The boats that come from Sea Ray (regardless of which dealer they go to), by the way, have a special, felt lined, heavy duty shrink wrap and they are shrink wrapped "low" (different than regular shrink wrapping). It's a special, reusable shipping cover. It's actually a pretty nice cover!

As far as "regular" shrink wrapping goes, it all depends on how they do it. It should be just fine - but the pleats should face aft and be taped as a good measure. As long as they do a good job, it will be just fine. I shrink wrap all kinds of boats and they are 100% trailerable at highway speeds. It's actually not that hard to do a "good job".

 

[nuclear]

I've pulled mine but never at highway speeds. However, typically you have the motor in a down position when you wrap it and the wrap goes over that as well. In such a position the bottom of it is very close to the ground and not safe for trailering.

 

[DennisG01]

I've pulled mine but never at highway speeds. However, typically you have the motor in a down position when you wrap it and the wrap goes over that as well. In such a position the bottom of it is very close to the ground and not safe for trailering.

If the shop is wrapping it, they know it will be trailered and the normal way to do it will be to tilt the motor up before wrapping over it.

 

[nuclear]

If the shop is wrapping it, they know it will be trailered and the normal way to do it will be to tilt the motor up before wrapping over it.

Understood, but it is preferred to have it down.

I'd find someone to wrap it at my house.

 

[Fishtales]

GW ships all their boats wrapped. They 100% tape the edges to the hull to mitigate wind getting under. I've never seen one delivered with a rip.
Shrinkwrap does age overtime and will become brittle.

 

[5-Salt]

I had mine shipped on it's trailer in Marina-installed shrink wrap from New England to Oregon.

Only item of note were two 1/8-to-3/16in gel coat ware/rub spots by one of shrink wrap packing straps at corner where hull bottom and side meet.
Neither ware spot went any deeper that surface gelcoat

 

[DennisG01]

Understood, but it is preferred to have it down.

I'd find someone to wrap it at my house.

Preferred? Sure. But for the OP, he has to trailer it and the reality is that tilted up (not necessarily all the way - just to some type of support system) is perfectly fine.