TALK OF THE BAY
That’s a Wrap
Hull designs for your go-fast boat—by Ann Eichenmuller
PHTOTS: COURTESY OF AGWRAPS
W
e were lying on the beach, lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves, when our nap was abruptly ended by the frantic shout of a little boy. “Shark!” We both sat up, expecting to see a scene reminiscent of Jaws. Instead, we watched as a bright yellow tour boat roared by, complete with a gaping mouth of jagged teeth and flames streaming from its gills. The vessel was the 70-foot Rudee Rocket, a Virginia Beach icon, and while we’ve done our share of boat-watching, we had never seen anything quite like it. “It is eye-catching,” Captain Skip Feller of Rudee Tours agrees. “Going up and down the beach, being able to draw attention like that, makes all the difference.” Although the Rocket’s design is more elaborate than most, custom paint
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above the waterline has long been seen on large muscle boats and racers. Now, with modern advances in computer graphics and marine wraps, these same head-turning designs are available— and affordable—for everyone. “The majority of the boats we do are center-console fishing boats,” notes John Hall, Jr. While his company, AGWraps, did the graphics for Rudee Rocket, he points out that most of his clients are not commercial operations, but rather private owners of smaller vessels who want to personalize their boats. “There are essentially no limitations to the artwork,” he explains, “and there’s no real increase in price for a more complex design.” With endless choices, it is up to the graphic designer to tease out exactly what the customer would like to see. “Our clients often don’t come in
with a set idea—they don’t come in and say, ‘I want a fish here, I want a boat this big in the background.’ So we ask a lot of questions. Basically, we try to pull the ideas out of their heads.” The company’s four in-house graphic designers start by showing clients examples of other wraps and stock images to get a feel for the theme they want. Hall says it usually takes a couple of days to develop a design, and another day or two of going back and forth with the client to fine-tune the final graphics. For most of Hall’s clients, the real draw of the boat wrap is the opportunity to have a totally unique look. Creating that look is a job that requires a special kind of artist. “I’m pretty picky,” Hall laughs, when asked about what he looks for in a graphic designer. “I look for good composition skills, but also someone with a little bit of an edge. The kind of
