Cass,..it's all done through the magic of computers...I provided them with tons of art,..they use what's called a "template" of a Ranger and a Chevy Silverado or Suburban in their Adobe Illustrator software pkg....they (Action) designs the truck and boat using my art,.....they send jpegs of each to me for final approval and/or changes,..they make revisions if req'd and then I give the final approval. From there, it's all done through a pad printing process, where each color is called a "stamp" and the total costs are determined by the number of "stamps" it takes to complete the job per boat,..and per truck........simple jobs(minimal colors) are obviousley less expensive per unit,...complex jobs can get very expensive!! I knew these were coming months ago...just wasn't at liberty to show anybody. The process for doing a full size boat is less complicated. The artwork is printed onto 4' wide sheets of a thicker vinyl material called a "wrap" and they're applied to the boats hull during the final stages of assembly...usually just before the rub rail and final trim are installed. Sometimes the rubrails are covered by the wrap...othertimes they're installed over the wrap....just depends on what the final design reqmnt's are. It takes 2 guys at the plant about 8 hours to wrap one boat.....the same 2 guys do all the wraps and they're very good at it. Each section of vinyl overlaps the other piece by 1/8" or so and upon close inspection, you can see the seams...but step back 3 feet and they disappear...very cool looking!! It's like a .jpeg...if you enlarge it too much, you see the pixels....at the right size it looks great. Wraps are the same way....they look their best when photographed or you're @ 3 feet away...if you look at them like you're looking for blemishes in a gel coat,..then they look "grainey"....I'm sure the printers who make the actual vinyl wraps are getting better all the time and improving with every one they do...I can't wait to see my new boat later this spring. There should be a S&T wrapped Ranger at the Atchafalaya Basin FLW Tournament in Feb. in 'Weeziana
but that one won't be mine...it'll belong to Ranger and they'll take it from tournament to tournament...it'll have a Yamaha or an Evinrude on it since they are the 2 motor sponsors of the FLW Tour. I just show up and work the funzones on Friday and Saturday and do my promotional work with and for kids at the fun zones...passing out S&T coloring books....small freebies of S&T and Ranger merchandise etc..etc.!! My website will have all kinds of photo's and coverage as it developes. My personal boat which will be done later this spring will be built to my specs, and it'll have a 225Opti on it and my choice of elecs. and options, etc..etc..It'll be a blast!! Can't wait for Feb!!
Mac