Shrink wrapping your #boat is a great and proven way to protect it during the cold and harsh months of winter storage. However it does need to be done correctly to prevent long term issues from arising the following season and thereafter. If shrink wrapping is not done correctly you may re-commission your boat the following year only to find a rusty engine, or in severe cases possible failure to other components. So what is the problem?

Condensation versus Ventilation

Most times when boats are shrink wrapped you will notice that the cockpit area is ventilated properly with several vents in the middle and sides of the shrink wrapped covering. However is this ventilation in and of itself enough? The answer is NO. As boat builders have moved towards producing quieter boats the insulation of these compartments continues to increase as well. Then due to the mass of material inside of the engine compartment this acts like a heat sink and tends to hold heat inside of the well insulated compartment. The result is overall good ventilation in the main cockpit area of the boat, but a “rain forest” inside of the engine compartment as the temperatures go up and down throughout the winter. The end result is that the boat can show no signs of moisture or molding in the carpet or upholstery yet large amounts of corrosion inside of the engine compartment.

Bottom Line: Make sure you’re engine compartment is properly ventilated, and that none of the shrink wrap is covering the engine compartment ventilation if you’re considering shrink wrapping your boat over the winter.     

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