Covering a sailboat mast up can seem like a very daunting proposition at first, but it takes only a couple of more steps than shrink wrapping a mast down boat. Following the directions below and watching the training DVD at least twice will minimize any problems.
1. Install your strapping fore and aft on the boat from the highest points at the bow and stern. The strapping will be tied around the mast from the stern and then around the mast from the bow (if the boom is left on, it can become part of the support structure aft of the mast, but you must put a 2” x 4” upright under the rear of the boom to give it strength). Pull the strapping tight as you normally would, measure and install your wooden uprights as on a mast down boat, put your lateral straps over the wooden uprights, or boom, and pad them.
2. Install the perimeter band following the DVD instructions.
3. Go aboard the boat with a 25’ tape measure. Measure from the mast back to the farthest point aft (top of the stern rail). To this figure add 2 feet which will extend aft of the mast and 4 feet that will drape over the bow (a total of 6 extra feet).
4. Now measure from the mast forward (top of the bow rail or pulpit). To this figure add on 2 feet which will extend aft of the mast and 4 feet that will drape over the bow (a total of 6 extra feet).
5. Next cut your roll of shrink wrap the measurement from the mast back. Roll it up and take it onto the boat. Lay the roll over the support structure or boom and open it enough to measure and find the center. Make a 2’ lengthwise slit in the shrink wrap at the center of the wrap. This slit area will be wrapped around the mast to form a collar. Once you have a collar formed, take the roll of heat shrink tape and go around the collar twice very tightly (do not stick tape directly to the mast as there might be an adhesive residue in the spring).
6. Unroll the aft section of shrink wrap towards the stern (do not unfold its entire width yet; the wind might catch it). Go aft as far as possible, until you run into the aft stays. Now you can unfold the shrink wrap and have it lay as straight fore and aft, and side to side, as possible. Using your wrap cutting knife make slits in the shrink wrap up to stays and halyards. They should be as neat as possible. Use strips of heat shrink tape to seal them and then apply heat to warm the adhesives (press tape down firmly to remove all air bubbles).
7. Trim and tuck the shrink wrap under the perimeter band on the boat so that wind doesn’t catch it.
8. Now the shrink wrap piece at the bow can be attached. It is done in a similar fashion as the aft piece. Place the measured piece of wrap just forward of the mast; find the center and slice into it 2 feet. Make a collar around the mast tightly and tape around it. Unroll the wrap toward the bow up to the forestay. Slice the wrap to the forestay and roll it over the bow. Tape the slit together and unfold the shrink wrap.
9. Run a strip of tape from the mast down to each side of the shrink wrap where the forward and aft pieces meet. Use the heat tool to warm the adhesives in the tape and actually heat weld the pieces of shrink wrap together.
10. Trim and tuck the forward piece under the perimeter band. Shrink wrap the boat according to DVD.
Please call us at (800) 968-5147 with any questions or email drshrink@dr-shrink.com.
Tag: wrap
Shrink Wrap Used as Art in Norway Museum
The versatility of shrink wrap still amazes all of us! Alfa Solutions in Norway recently used shrink wrap as a form of art at a museum; and the pictures are amazing! Shrink wrap provides a custom, form-fitting cover for any size object and these pictures prove that statement to be completely true. It is easy to tell what each shrink wrapped object is because of the level of custom-fitting protection shrink wrap offers. Take a look and see if you can figure out what each shrink wrapped object is. Great job to Alfa Solutions!
Take a minute to view the entire album; outstanding work! https://bit.ly/1uRyW72
Shrink Wrap Weekly Bundle 2/17 – 2/ 21: Wrap n' Strap Knife
Free Wrap n’ Strap Knife
Place any size order this week and you can receive a free Wrap n’ Strap Knife (DS-008)!
*LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER, ONE PER WEEK*
Value of $9.38!
Make sure to mention this bundle if you are ordering over the phone. If ordering online, use the promo code is BUNDLE154 at checkout.
**YOU MUST ADD THE WEEKLY BUNDLE PRODUCT INTO YOUR SHOPPING CART IN ORDER FOR THE PROMO CODE TO WORK**
DR. SHRINK EXPANDS GLOBAL PRESENCE FOR SHRINK WRAP
To expedite order fulfillment in Europe, Dr. Shrink has arranged for its UK distributor, Marine Components International Ltd, (MCI), to stock more of its products and materials. With its shrink wrapping system, installation supplies and accessories, Dr. Shrink supplies everything needed to professionally cover nearly anything.
Marine Components International of Poole, Dorset, serves the marine industry of the UK and Europe by providing import, warehousing and distribution for client companies located throughout the US, Canada and New Zealand. Besides offering products of interest to leading boatbuilders, boat yards and dealers, it prides itself on excellent technical support and customer service.
“This is a major step for our company in expanding our global network,” said Mike Stenberg, Dr. Shrink president. “The agreement with Marine Components allows us to deliver more products with increasingly efficient service to all of Europe. Mark Saunders, managing director at MCI, has been very progressive in his efforts to expand shrink wrap distribution not only in Great Britain, but throughout all of Europe.”
Shrink wrapping specialist Dr. Shrink has been a full-service, full-circle supplier of premium shrink wrap since 1992. Our company stocks immediately available shrink wrap in widths from 12′-50′.
Dr. Shrink Makes INC 5000 List For Third Year in a Row
Inc. magazine ranked Dr. Shrink, Inc. on its seventh annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy, America’s independent entrepreneurs. Dr. Shrink, Inc. joins Fuhu, LivingSocial, Edible Arrangements, CDW and Lifelock, among other prominent brands.
“We are thrilled to be on the INC 5000 list for the third year in a row,” said Mike Stenberg, Dr. Shrink president. “Dr. Shrink works extremely hard to provide our customers and markets with the highest quality shrink wrap, accessories and service. We’re very appreciative to be acknowledged and rewarded for that.”
In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2013 Inc. 500|5000 companies is an impressive 142%. The companies on this year’s list report having created over 520,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $241 billion. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/5000.
“Not all the companies in the Inc. 500 | 5000 are in glamorous industries, but in their fields they are as famous as household name companies simply by virtue of being great at what they do. They are the hidden champions of job growth and innovation, the real muscle of the American economy,” says Inc. editor Eric Schurenberg.
The 2013 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2009 to 2012. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2009. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies, as of December 31, 2012.
NEW SHRINK WRAP DESIGNED TO PROTECT ALL METALS (Multimetal ICT Film)
Engines, accessories, spare parts and other metal equipment are susceptible to rust and corrosion even when well-protected. Dr. Shrink’s new Multimetal ICT Film provides cost-effective and versatile defense against corrosion damage on ferrous and non-ferrous metals in typical shipping and storage conditions.
The new Multimetal ICT Film is an easy-to-use protective film containing proven corrosion inhibiting technology. It’s available in 20′ x 100′, 4 mil sheets.
The film is intended to be installed as a base layer underneath Dr. Shrink’s premium shrink wrap. This combination ensures a durable, weatherproof storage and transportation cover, providing corrosion prevention. If properly packaged and stored, this non-toxic, recyclable ICT film can protect metals for up to five years.
Shrink Wrap "Down Under" in Australia
Our customers never cease to amaze us with their shrink wrap stories and applications. We recently had a unique testimonial of our products being used in South Australia. Our Australia distributor All Marine Spares sent us the following note that we wanted to share:
“Thought I should send you a picture of Max’s trailer, which was towed behind his brother’s bus for over 4,000 km (almost 2,500 miles). As you will see from the condition of the trailer & bus, the road conditions were not all good. The object of this exercise was for Max to get the Australian speed record for a 175cc, 25 year old, near standard motorcycle over 80 mph, and he achieved 87.6 mph. Yes, Max is a very happy camper!
The event was held in central South Australia, on a dry, salt lake bed. One major problem was how to get the motorcycle to the salt lake without getting it covered in the very fine dust on the hundreds of km of outback dirt roads. Being very inventive, Max and “Hot Gun Hurlstone” (Brett Hurlstone of All Marine Spares) set about using Dr. Shrink shrink wrap to wrap the trailer. The motorcycle got to the lake and back with no dust issue at all, furthermore the shrink wrap was totally intact at the end of the journey. What a product!!”
Thank you to Leigh Francis for sending us this shrink wrap application story. If you recently worked on a unique shrink wrap job, please email marketing@dr-shrink.com — we enjoy hearing from you and seeing what our customers & installers are up to!
2012 Year in Review
2012 was a great year for Dr. Shrink and was also the year of our 20th anniversary. We would like to take some time to highlight various happenings over the last year. We had the pleasure of working with countless customers, getting all of their shrink wrap needs taken care of throughout the year. Whether you were working with Dr. Shrink for the first, tenth, or maybe even your 20th season; we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with you and be your premium shrink wrap supplier. We would not be where we are today without each and every one of the customers; you are the most important part of our company. For that, we would like to say thank you for working with Dr. Shrink.
Offering exceptional customer service and prompt shipping are two of the biggest factors that make Dr. Shrink stand out among the crowd. The only way that this goal can be fulfilled is to have an exceptional team. Dr. Shrink continued to bring some new faces onto the team in 2012. We welcomed Josh Purgiel to our warehouse staff and Brooke Skiera to our customer service team. They have been excellent additions to the Dr. Shrink family!
2012 started out in a big way with Dr. Shrink celebrating 20 years in business! We’ve made it a very long way and none of which could be possible without the support we’ve received from each and every customer. To celebrate this huge milestone, Dr. Shrink had discounts and giveaways throughout the entire month of April (the official month for Dr. Shrink’s anniversary), to show appreciation to all of our customers for helping make this achievement. To read more about Dr. Shrink’s beginnings and the stepping stones that got us to where we are today, click here.
To continue serving our customers with the best products and timely shipping, Dr. Shrink added an expansion onto our warehouse. Construction was started in early spring to add an additional 12,000 square feet of storage space to ensure that we have everything in stock for immediate shipment. With the construction completed in August, the warehouse staff had plenty of extra space to keep more stock of the shrink wrap and accessories that our customers needed for the upcoming fall season. Having our new warehouse expansion has been a huge help in our overall productivity and efficiency.
We saw the return of our annual Recycling Run in the spring. In 2012, we extended our reach into other states and added pick-ups in Illinois and Wisconsin. Also new for the Recycling Run in 2012 was an extension of pick-up dates for those who weren’t quite ready to have an early spring pick-up. Customers were able to select a pick-up week starting in April and going all the way through August. We are very grateful to everyone who participated in the recycling effort and hope that you will continue to help do your part in making sure this premium material is properly recycled.
Dr. Shrink was very excited and proud to be nominated and awarded the honor as one of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch for 2012! It was a rigorous application process and out of 320 nominations, Dr. Shrink along with 49 other companies received the distinction to be recognized as a Michigan 50. Mike, Ryan, Melissa, Angela, and Travis attended the award ceremony in Lansing, MI and Mike went up on stage to be recognized and accepted the award as CEO and Founder of the company. We couldn’t have gotten this far without the support from our wonderful staff and amazing customers. Thank you to everyone who helped play a part in making this achievement possible!
We also received the honor of being on the Inc. Magazine, Inc. 5000 List for a second year in a row! This list highlights the top 5000 privately owned companies in the United States. Thousands of applications are received each year and only the top 5000 make it. It is an honor to be recognized as a top privately owned company in the entire country! In 2012, Dr. Shrink improved its ranking moving from 4,344 in 2011, to 3,921 in 2012. We hope to increase our ranking once again by applying for the 2013 Inc. 5000 list.
Dr. Shrink hosted our Second Annual Benefit Golf Scramble for Love INC of Manistee. In 2012 we saw some new faces participating and some new scenery as well. Golfers took to 18 holes at the Manistee Golf and Country Club, located right alongside beautiful Lake Michigan. Along with bigger and better prizes also came a significant increase in money raised. The 2011 event raised $3,700 and in 2012 we raised an even $5,000 for Love INC. A great time was had by all and we are already planning to have another fantastic charity event here in 2013.
As many of you already know, Dr. Shrink hosts a quarterly shrink wrap training course known as ShrinkWrap U at our facility in Manistee, MI. For the second year in a row, ShrinkWrap U traveled to the 2012 International Boat Builders Expo (IBEX)! While exhibiting at IBEX, Dr. Shrink hosted a special SWU class exclusively for IBEX attendees in Louisville, KY. ShrinkWrap U also went international for the second year making a visit to Gothenburg, Sweden which was hosted by Hans Lundberg (or better known as “The Swedish Shrink Master”), of Hansen Marine.
2012 was a great year for Dr. Shrink with many exciting things that happened. We are pushing ahead in 2013 with new goals and objectives to strive for. Please remember to check out our Facebook, Twitter, blogs and monthly newsletters to stay informed and up-to-date with all of our latest news and happenings. Thank you all for being a part of Dr. Shrink and we are excited to share 2013 with you!
Shrink Wrap Protects Boats During Hurricane Sandy
It is amazing what Mother Nature can do even on the edge of a storm. Bob Abbott saw the effects of Hurricane Sandy first hand in Cleveland, OH. He recently wrote a great testimonial and sent in photos that we would like to share:
“I just thought I would tell you how amazing shrink wrap is after seeing the aftermath of Sandy. We are in Cleveland, Ohio, on Lake Erie. Even though we didn’t get hit directly by Sandy we experienced 60 mph winds with a peak hitting 78 mph and had two marinas nearly wiped out. I shrink wrapped my boat and a friend’s boat. They are stored in a parking lot at a local Yacht Club with a marina right nearby. Here are a few pictures I took yesterday. The first 5 are of our Yacht Club, the others are from the marina next to us. I pointed out with arrows the two boats that I shrink wrapped. Shrink wrap, the only way to store outdoors.”
Click here to see Bob’s amazing photos. Feel free to send in any photos you may have of shrink wrapped objects after a storm!
Prepare Your Shrink Wrap Heat Tool for the Fall
The Fall season will soon be here and we want you to use this discount to help prepare for your upcoming shrink wrap jobs! We know your propane fired heat tool is a high priority item on your preparation check list. Make sure they are all in proper working condition before you start booking jobs. Starting now until September 15th, 2012 we would like to offer you 10% off ALL heat tool repair parts. *You must mention the 10% discount over the phone in order to receive it*
Dr. Shrink has a full time heat tool repair technician on staff that can service most heat tools on the market today. If you are a “Do-It-Yourselfer” and would like to repair your own heat tool, we offer excellent troubleshooting and/or general repair advice over the phone. If you have any repair questions, please call our Heat Tool Technician, Evan Jensen at (800) 968-5147.
If you would like us to repair your heat tool for you, please send it to the address below:
Dr. Shrink, Inc.
Attn: Heat Tool Repair
315 Washington St.
Manistee, MI 49660
We advise you to call us prior to sending your heat tool in for repair. This will help to accommodate our intake process and the time it takes for repair. Once we analyze your heat tool, we will call you with a quote on parts & labor.
Dr. Shrink is an authorized repair facility for all Shrinkfast heat tools. Watch this video below of Evan installing a Shrinkfast 998 Rebuild Kit.
