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To those that tint boats - need some help

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finishlineautosports

finishlineautosports

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I have tinted a few boats in the past however we took the windows off of the boat and out of the frames, however I now have a mastercraft here that a friend is letting me try however I will not be removing the glass from the frames and wondering how to cut a good pattern without showing light, and if I need to trim the seal out on the inside of the glass? Also how do you guys clean the glass well enough? The last two boats I did no matter what I did seemed to have contamination...I'd like to do this one very well as he knows alot of guys with boats so...ANY help is appreciated.

 

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bman848

bman848

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It is hard to get them completly free of contamination because those rubber seals hold alot of dirt and trash. Trim out what u can for light gaps. I clean them as usual witha blade and then go over the seal alternating between paper towell and squeegie. Do that a few times for cleaner result. Also, put the paper towell over ur hard card to jam up into the seals to clean. When u spray the window to apply the film, use as little spray as possible and do not spray the top edge. 

This helps slow down contamination but i have yet to get a boat free of contamination or comparable to a car wndow.

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Tintmaster08

Tintmaster08

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It is hard to get them completly free of contamination because those rubber seals hold alot of dirt and trash. Trim out what u can for light gaps. I clean them as usual witha blade and then go over the seal alternating between paper towell and squeegie. Do that a few times for cleaner result. Also, put the paper towell over ur hard card to jam up into the seals to clean. When u spray the window to apply the film, use as little spray as possible and do not spray the top edge.

This helps slow down contamination but i have yet to get a boat free of contamination or comparable to a car wndow.

I agree it's not going to be 100% contaminate free. This is how I would do, boats are time consuming.
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Dugefresh

Dugefresh

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If you have access to a air compressor use a air blower , soak the gaskets ,blade the windows wipe them wet again and blow them out a few times , works well for me , I have a boat very similar to this one and I'm very picky almost no contamination 4or5 specs

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H.G.

H.G.

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I do just like bman stated but then take a vegetable brush and scrub the seals , spray down the edges and go to the next piece . By the time you're done prepping , the first window should have drained down and you can start with the toweling and squeeg'ng.

 It definitely doesn't help dealing with outside airborne contaminates. 

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Thirtyfive

Thirtyfive

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Hey mate, be thankful its not on the water. Unfortunately this is one of the jobs where u have to be realistic to the custy. Not that u can't get a good job, but don't expect perfection. It ain't gonna happen. Those curves look "okay" but I had a boat not long ago I had to really think about the shrink. You want it to sit and not suck any shit in and you want it tacked quick. Last one I did I had to shrink three ways so when it sat it say down nice with little resistance to pull. The more u clean it the cleaner it will be. Although you can only clean it till its clean, if u want the better result spend some extra time on the prep. Air hose is a good idea. Trim the rubbers, get any type of sealant/silicone scraped off if there are any and clean it over n over with a card in a rag getting all the crap outta the seals as u can.

When putting the film on, treat it somewhat like flat glass, get the top edge in, tack it down. Stop dirt running down and have that top edge dry before you put the film on.

Go down, leave the sides a bit, trim it push the rest of the water out.

Good luck!

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