Right-I've been down all sorts of roads trying to find a protective coat of some sort for my new boat. I've researched all sorts from paint to Nyalic to Nanoclear and unfortunately all of these are either too expensive or they are a problem to get except for paint here in Taranaki. Paint is my last preferred option.

I've got a 6mtr boat that we vinyl wrapped. I own a sign business so this was the easiest way to get a coloured hull for me. When I purchased the boat new the company didn't want to let it out of the factory without at least nylac despite my arguing it didn't need it as the vinyl would give the protection. I caved in the end and let them apply nylac. I still don't believe it's necessary - if you peel off a set of graphics from an old Ali boat the Ali underneath is like new. We see this a bit at work where we are asked to replace damaged or old graphics.
I also covered the whole sides of my vinyl wrap with stone guard as well for added protection. A couple of years ago we had a bit of an accident with the boat and had to replace graphics on one side. This was a simple process of peeling off the old vinyl and applying new. The boat was in and out of the shop in 4 hours. we didn't put the stone guard back on and to be honest, wouldn't both with it again.
Things you need to know if you are considering wrapping. DON'T use the Easy Apply films that are used on most vehicle wraps. They will fall off due to the way the adhesive is applied to the back of the vinyl - they just don't have enough stick to handle the pressure of water trying to get up underneath. They also aren't warranted for boats where graphic is in the water.
Make sure your applicator uses Edge Sealer on any edges where the water will try and wil try and get under vinyl - such as along water line.
Don't expect vinyl to be as hard wearing as paint, but don't expect it to be as expensive as paint and a lot easier to replace if damaged, or you just want a colour change.
Petrol can eat vinyl too, so be careful with that, although you can get petrol resistant laminates to protect agains this if that's a concern

Check out these this guy:

Denny Boy I did the same as you, researched all the options for coating my boat.  I have had a boat previously which had nyalic on, it looked great, but did wear off in high use areas and got eaten off with fuel.  On another boat I then went down the nano-clear option but had a very bad experience, not through the product but as a result of an incompetent applicator.

My boat was painted in 1987. It has bubbles as you note but only where SS fittings were originally put in with no duralac or similar.  No bubbles anywhere else.

flyfisher wrote: I did a Vinyl wrap, it's fantastic, much more durable than paint IMO and a hell of a lot cheaper without the associated under-paint-bubbles that WILL occur! Stands up to sinker impact better. Still mint after 3 years, I had a sign company apply wet in my garage for under $500, looked very straight forward, but my boats only 4.5m. There was two vinyl types, can't remember which it was, but I have zero fading after lots of use.

Had ours done through Brave Designs - they also did the BAF boat. They know what they're doing and did a great job. Definitely the go over paint. In saying that, a bit of rough jetty/rope work has damaged a small patch up front. Will get a replacement bit and sort it. Should be dead easy.

Lone Star wrote: Denny Boy I did the same as you, researched all the options for coating my boat.  I have had a boat previously which had nyalic on, it looked great, but did wear off in high use areas and got eaten off with fuel.  On another boat I then went down the nano-clear option but had a very bad experience, not through the product but as a result of an incompetent applicator.   I have just had my new boat wrapped, I do not like the look of alloy once it starts oxidizing and has the water marks staining it, so I ended up wrapping the entire boat - cabin, hull, and all the sides/seats inside.  It has come up fantastic, looks just like a paint job and like mentioned above sections can be replaced in time if required.  I have not really used the boat yet so cannot comment on durability but it has all been edge sealed.

Incidentally Lonestar is that a clear wrap on your boat or a silver colour wrap? I wanted a clear on mine but apparently there isn't an option for this in the vinyl wrap. Instead they quoted me a twice-the-price hexis clear film which is self-healing, seemingly fantastic for small dings scratches etc as somehow it mends itself?? 

Now you've sparked off more options and decisions Lone Star, thanks, I think. The internal graphics wrap, which I hadn't considered previously could be custom design, colour...and on a well used boat such as mine could transform the internal look completely.