pin striping

[SailAwayToo]

Hello Everyone.

I need a little advice. This is actually for a marketing class I''m taking.

Has anyone heard of reflective pin striping?
Not just reflective tape, but reflective material that is incorporated into vinyl pinstriping. The idea is that your boat would be more visible in mooring fields.

It could be any color, but I am thinking specifically of red for port and green for starboard. I guess that''s obvious.

If this product were around and reasonably aesthetic, would you use it?

What is the general consensus on the vinyl striping vs. painting anyhow (ie. is the vinyl stuff hard to work with, is it so much cheaper than painting that it''s worth it, anything about the vinyl that you really hate?)

I''d appreciate any comments.

Thanks so much.

[Jeff_H]

I am familiar with reflective tapes. They are widely used in industry and in such marine applications as marker identification and on life jackets.

I am also familar with the use of vinyl tape vs painted stripes. Vinyl tape for uses such as cove stripes and graphics has better color retention than most amateur appliable paint materials. They are also easier to apply and get a professional looking result. Once vinyl tape fails it is a real mess and harder to reapply.

As to reflective tape, I think it is a good idea. If it basically looked white (my boat is dark blue)in daylight I would probably consider it for a cove stripe. Although my boat lives at a dock, the increased visibility is not a bad idea.

From a marketing standpoint, few sailboats today have covestripes or the kind of hull graphics popularized in the 1980''s. Even when a boat is kept in a mooring field the reflective tape won''t help much without a light source. If they are red and green you also have COLREG issues of being mistaken for running lights.

Jeff

[RichH]

I would prefer a reasonably well priced white reflective tape that can be applied to the mast - would be a great safety item for those dark and stormy nights with large waves, etc. A reflectively glowing mast would aid in rescue locating, collision avoidance (if lights are shown upon it), etc. I''ve attempted to locate the source of the reflective material used on commercial over the road trucks .... but found it to be prohibitively expensive from ''retail'' sources.

[Jeff_H]

I think Rich has the right idea.

Jeff

[goduke]

Rich and Jeff both make good points. On the cost issue, I''ve found that a little of some good tape goes a long way. West Marine sells SOLAS-Grade tape by 3M for about $1.89 a foot. It is 2" wide. I bought about 3 feet and used it "strategically" in about 6" sections on my Lightning cover and mast butt that protrudes behind about 2'' when trailering. In car lights, the tape lights up very well from a considerable distance. I''m sure that a few feet would be plenty for the mast of a larger boat and maybe on the bow and stern pulpits as well.