Re-use shrinkwrap?
 

Friend of mine wants to shrink wrap his smaller boat with shrink wrap removed from a larger boat,to save the cost of material. Not sure if that is a good idea,thinking that heating it again would weaken it. Anybody done it?

To the best of my knowlege which is way limited you could not heat it again to futher shrink it.

I had a buddy who did it. Reused the wrap from a 26 on a 21. It tended to burn through more, but it worked. Had to patch a couple of places. I would call you cheap, but it probably makes better sense than a dumpster.
That was his theory when my friend did it. He was recycling, not being ghetto.

:d

Once shrinked the wrap becomes very sensitive to reheating again... The wrap doesn't always shink evenly so you get thin spots and when you reheat they become HOLES...

good luck!


BTW, they do sell recycled shrink wrap...

Yep. That's what happened. But with a few patches, technically it was a success.

Here's some info about shrink wrap recycling in NJ.

http://www.nj.gov/transportation/air...resources.shtm

Reusing Shrink Wrap
 

You have to first use the expansion gun...and they get expensive. Call & get a price on one.

Do you happen to have the number for the expansion gun place?

We have used our heavy .006 (?) shrink wrap twice many times. It holds up well even when towing. If a spot gets thin, you just don't heat the wrap the 2nd time in the same area.
The biggest problem is keeping it clean between uses. If it gets dirt on it and you re-use, you now have dirt up against the finish.

in my experience (4 years) re using shrink wrap can be done successfully when careful, must be done on same or VERY similar boat, and depens how far down the hull sides you want to cover...

we used to use the wrap from the sport cruisers and yachts coming in to wrap up the ski boats.. the top and deck portions didnt have that much heat applied to them in the first place so its like virgin material..

I see several people reuse it at marinas around me. It's just not as snug fitting but it works