Illustration for Boat Shrink Wrap Cost and the Clean to Do First

Why the clean comes first

New Hampshire, home to Lake Winnipesaukee, had 102,728 registered recreational vessels in 2024, according to the Coast Guard. Come fall, the same questions show up in boating groups. What can stay aboard? Will clear wrap trap moisture? Is $21 a foot fair?

Wrap is a sealed shell. One shrink-wrap maker’s instructions say every cover must be ventilated to remove moisture, condensation and mildew. Vents only move air, though. They can’t dry a wet carpet or clean a dirty seat. Whatever goes in damp or dirty sits that way until spring.

The pre-wrap clean, in order

1. Empty it. Take out life jackets, cushions you can remove, towels, lines, food and anything that can freeze. A state wildlife agency’s boating blog passes on life jacket makers’ advice. Store life jackets fully dried in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. A marina worker in one boating thread wraps hundreds of boats each fall. The advice was the same: take out everything you can.

2. Clean the bilge without soap. New York Sea Grant’s marina guidance says to clean water, oil and debris out of the bilge with absorbent material before storage. Don’t use soaps or detergents on oily bilge water. The same guidance says using dish soap or detergent on a fuel sheen on the water is prohibited in most cases. Ask the marina how it wants used pads handled.

3. Wash the deck and hull on land, gently. New Hampshire’s environmental agency says soapy water, or water with grease or oil in it, can count as wastewater. It asks owners to keep wash water from draining into a lake. It also says to use phosphate-free detergents and skip products with bleach or ammonia. Plain water may be enough. Detailers working at marinas should check the wash-water rules too.

4. Clean and dry the vinyl properly. One boat builder says to dry vinyl thoroughly. It warns that air drying alone isn’t enough. Moisture gets trapped near piping and in the stitching. That moisture is what turns into mildew. The same builder says never to use bleach or a power washer on vinyl. Chalky panels or dye stains are a separate job. See chalky pontoon panels and stained boat vinyl.

5. Dry everything, then wrap. The marina worker suggested a wet/dry shop vacuum on soaked carpet. Then run fans for a night or two before wrapping. Open hatches and lockers so air can move. One New Hampshire shop includes a mildew bag and a vacuum-out in its wrap price.

Shrink wrap cost per foot

Business (location) Shrink wrap price What’s included or extra
Alma Marina (Alma, WI), 2026 list $18.20/ft up to 22 ft; $20.70/ft for 23–29 ft Zipper door $49.25; bottom pressure wash $5.85/ft; outside storage $18.95/ft
Nashua Marine (Nashua, NH) $18/ft, by registered length 1 mildew bag, 1 vent, vacuum and clean-out included; extra vents $3.50; door $25
Signs East (Kingston, NH; mobile) Most 18–26 ft boats $12–$15/ft Small-boat minimum around $250–$300; vents included; zipper door optional
Broken Rudder (Juneau, AK) $25/ft under 25 ft; $30/ft for 25–30 ft Lumber for the frame billed on top

For a 22-foot boat, those lists work out to:

  • $264 to $330 with the mobile wrapper
  • $396 at the New Hampshire shop
  • $400.40 at the Wisconsin marina
  • $550 plus lumber in Alaska

The $21-a-foot quote one owner asked about sits inside this range. What changes a quote:

  • Length bands. Rates step up with length on most of these lists. Flybridges and towers can cost more.
  • What’s bundled. At the Wisconsin marina, a bottom pressure wash on the same 22-foot boat is another $128.70. One owner with a 40-foot boat near Buffalo pays about $1,800 a year for winterizing and wrap combined. That’s a poster’s figure, not a market rate.
  • Vents and doors. The wrap maker’s chart suggests four vents for a 19- to 24-foot boat. Ask how many are included.

Owners still argue about tarps. In the threads, tarps on a frame worked for some smaller boats stored at home. Other owners said tarps tore in high wind or collected snow and water. Some said wrap is less work if you can’t visit the boat to adjust a tarp. Detailers adding wraps to a boat menu can compare these rates with per-foot boat detailing prices.

Paying someone to do the clean

Some shops fold a clean-out into the wrap price, like the New Hampshire shop above. Get the clean, the vent count and any mildew bags written on the quote. Ask whether they pad out the bilge or just pump it. Our guide to finding a reliable detailer covers the other questions to ask.

In spring, cut the wrap off cleanly. A plastics-industry recycling sheet says to strip out rope, strapping, doors, zippers and other non-wrap material. Keep the wrap dry and clean so it can be recycled. Ask your marina or transfer station whether it takes it.

How we check every number: methodology.

Sources

Based on 15 sources · How we price

Checked 2026-10-09.