How Much Does It Cost to Wrap a Boat?
A boat wrap, like a car wrap, is a great way to add a design and appeal to the outside of your boat. If you are looking for a way to customize your boat’s design without having the expense of an entire paint job, you may want to consider a boat wrap.
Wrapping a boat is basically the process of completely or partially covering a boat with a printed and laminated vinyl material.
How much does it cost to wrap a boat?
The average price to wrap a boat, according to our research, is around $1,400 to $5,000, but to budget, plan on spending about $100 to $150 per foot, including the design work. Your final price will be dependent upon on the size of your boat, the design, whether you are getting a full or partial wrap, and the company used. The main factor when wrapping your boat will be the topsides of the boat. Since wraps will come in fixed widths, if your boat’s topsides are slightly larger than the width of the vinyl, then another cut will be needed for the job. The same can be said for complex cuts and curves.
For instance, mini-boat wraps can start at $699, while half wraps start at $1,200. Full wraps start around $1,900. These prices, however, do not include the installation — just the wrap itself.
On this forum thread on BBCBoards.net, one member said he had paid $1,800, including the design work, to have an 18-foot bass boat wrapped. Another member on the same thread said the quotes he received could be anywhere from $800 to $3,500, depending on the quality of the material being used and how much of your boat you want wrapped.
Another forum thread over at TheHullTruth.com said the going rate was usually in the $100 per foot rate, and this would include the design work.
OffshoreOnly.com, another boat forum, had a member post a picture of his boat he recently had wrapped. According to his post, he had paid $2,000 to have it installed and was very happy with the results since it was much cheaper than a paint job, and if you were to want to remove it in the future, you would be able to do so.
Boat wrap overview
Most professionals, when they wrap your boat, will use a vinyl boat wrap. From a distance, the wrap will almost appear as if it were painted on; however, upon close inspection, you may be able to see visible seams. Once inside the water, however, it won’t be noticeable.
Depending on the size of the job, it can take anywhere from one to three days to complete the job.
What are the extra costs?
If you want a custom design but you are unable to design it yourself, you may need to hire either the company wrapping your boat or a separate graphic designer to create it. Plan on spending $60 to $95 per hour to have a graphic designed.
Expedited wraps, if you were to need it in less than a few weeks, can increase the costs as many professionals usually want you to work with their schedule.
A good wrap, as long as it’s applied correctly, can last about five to seven years with proper care. In the future, if you were to want to bring the look back, then it would be safe to budget for a new wrap. VinylBoatWrap.com.nz says if your professional were to use a higher quality 3M vinyl, it could be warranted up to seven years against material faults. A quality vinyl, as long as applied right, shouldn’t peel or lift.
Tips to know:
A boat wrap is reversible. If you change your mind in the future or even want to change your look, a professional can remove the wrap without damaging the boat’s underlying surface. While it can be a time-consuming process, it can be removed without ever knowing a wrap was there in the first place.
Boat wraps can be applied to just about any boat’s surface as long as the surface is in good condition. In general, there should be no flaking paint or an excessive chalky gel coat.
How can I save money?
Wrapping a boat, when compared to painting a boat, will almost always be 50 to 70 percent cheaper. If you have a smaller boat less than 30 feet long, then you will, almost always, come out ahead when you have your boat wrapped.
Request a few quotes either online or by calling professionals in your area. Providing a picture and/or description of your boat and job should be easy for a professional to give you a ballpark over the phone or Internet.
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Average Reported Cost: $2500


How much did you spend?
- Yellbanana (Madison , Wisconsin) paid $2500 and said:
21’ boat half wrap100% in the rear fading to 0% in the bow. I supplied the design in electronic file on thumb drive (Former graphic designer)
Was it worth it? Yes