# Camo Paint vs Camo Wrap



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I'm looking to camo my green boat this summer. I painted my old jon boat by sanding it down, add a coat of primer, then a coat of Parker's paint, then spray painted a camo pattern on it. I was pleased with the durability of the paint, but the process took a lot of hours. I was wondering if a camo wrap is pretty durable. This is what I had in mind http://www.camoskinz.com/boat-motor-camo-wraps.htm. They say they warrantee for life for fading. Anyone have any experience?


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

*Why?*

I can't answer your question, but would ask why you feel the need to do either. If you hunt out of the boat, I would assume you have some sort of blind attached and you normally push the boat into available cover grass of some sort. And this completely hides the actual boat such that it can't be seen by friend or fowl. So why do you feel it necessary to go to all that time and expense when the original drab green works just as well? I did a bright, shiny aluminum Grumman Sport Canoe once, but have never done anything with my drab green boats except hunt them as they came from the factory.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it if its something you really want to do, but it really isn't necessary and the money could be better spent on gear upgrades like decoys and such. Go for it if you must and show us your creation when it is finished.


----------



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

dubob said:


> I can't answer your question, but would ask why you feel the need to do either. If you hunt out of the boat, I would assume you have some sort of blind attached and you normally push the boat into available cover grass of some sort. And this completely hides the actual boat such that it can't be seen by friend or fowl. So why do you feel it necessary to go to all that time and expense when the original drab green works just as well? I did a bright, shiny aluminum Grumman Sport Canoe once, but have never done anything with my drab green boats except hunt them as they came from the factory.
> 
> I'm not saying you shouldn't do it if its something you really want to do, but it really isn't necessary and the money could be better spent on gear upgrades like decoys and such. Go for it if you must and show us your creation when it is finished.


Having a little over 14 dozen duck floaters, my wife is not going to let me buy another decoy for as long as I live. Having a camo boat, in my case, is like having a camo shotgun. It more than likely won't make a difference, but I like my things to be camo. Just a preference. We all have preferences. If I could afford to do my wife's mini van in camo, I would.


----------



## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Jr., I don't have any hands on experience with wraps but it seems to me for a boat hull you might be better off with paint. If you tear your wrap up on ice or hit something it might not be easy to fix, and I would worry about water getting behind it. Paint is much easier to touch up. The best paint I've ever used, and what I use on all my boat builds, is Flat Marine Enamel from a company called Lock Stock and Barrel. It's super thick and durable, and although it takes a solid week or so to fully cure once it's cured it's really, really tough and hard to scratch. I use 2 coats of 2-part epoxy automotive primer under it, and then 2 coats of FME on top.


----------



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Pumpgunner said:


> Jr., I don't have any hands on experience with wraps but it seems to me for a boat hull you might be better off with paint. If you tear your wrap up on ice or hit something it might not be easy to fix, and I would worry about water getting behind it. Paint is much easier to touch up. The best paint I've ever used, and what I use on all my boat builds, is Flat Marine Enamel from a company called Lock Stock and Barrel. It's super thick and durable, and although it takes a solid week or so to fully cure once it's cured it's really, really tough and hard to scratch. I use 2 coats of 2-part epoxy automotive primer under it, and then 2 coats of FME on top.


 Cool! Like I said in my first post, I know I could get a very durable paint. Parker's is very durable. But I'm not sure I really want to go through all the work of sanding, priming, painting, and then figuring out a camo pattern that looks decent.


----------



## SCtransplant (Jul 31, 2015)

Paint it. Wraps don't hold up.


----------



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

SCtransplant said:


> Paint it. Wraps don't hold up.


I appreciate the responses, but do you have experience with wraps? How did they not hold up?


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I like my things to be camo.


'Nough said. :O--O:


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I have painted my boat so many times with so many different patterns. I don't know why because I don't think it makes crap of a difference. I guess I just like camo too. The most recent paint job was done by dipping weeds in a paint tray and slapping the heck out of the boat.


----------



## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I appreciate the responses, but do you have experience with wraps? How did they not hold up?


While I don't have any _personal_ experience with the wraps, I have however watched more than one buddy wrestle with them from things not sticking and staying to wrinkles to tears ect... Then when things do go down right then you have to worry about the ice digging into it then its right back to where you started. The wraps look nice but to me are not anywhere near durable enough to justify the cost and headache that surrounds them. On the other hand, I know of a couple guys that have had good luck with them holding up for a couple years.


----------



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Longgun said:


> While I don't have any _personal_ experience with the wraps, I have however watched more than one buddy wrestle with them from things not sticking and staying to wrinkles to tears ect... Then when things do go down right then you have to worry about the ice digging into it then its right back to where you started. The wraps look nice but to me are not anywhere near durable enough to justify the cost and headache that surrounds them. On the other hand, I know of a couple guys that have had good luck with them holding up for a couple years.


I noticed that the widow maker guy wraps all of his stuff. I might have to give him a call. I can't imagine him using the second best stuff.


----------



## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Chuck is one of the guys ive noticed that can get good results with the wraps. 

... Im curious as to if its because he's working with fresh ally?


----------



## sketch21 (Jul 11, 2013)

Longgun said:


> While I don't have any _personal_ experience with the wraps, I have however watched more than one buddy wrestle with them from things not sticking and staying to wrinkles to tears ect... Then when things do go down right then you have to worry about the ice digging into it then its right back to where you started. The wraps look nice but to me are not anywhere near durable enough to justify the cost and headache that surrounds them. On the other hand, I know of a couple guys that have had good luck with them holding up for a couple years.


Ice has definitely damaged my wrap, but only the bottom few inches that are below the water line. 
Overall, i like my wrap and it looks great and is for the most part going strong after 2 seasons.
It was expensive and depending on how many seasons i get out of it, I may or may not do another wrap.


----------



## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Jr., I think that in the long run you'd be better off with a good paint job, with quality marine-grade paints. It's more work but seems to me there is a lot less potential for problems, both in the application and down the road. If your wrap starts to fail in a few years, what would be your options? Can you strip it off or repair it? What if it fades after a while, can you paint over it?


----------

