The prize boat wrap design for The Hutchwilco NZ boat show was our task.
The Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show is one of the international boat show calendar standouts. With the 30 000 + attendees annually, the prize boat was a topic of conversation at the show. We were pleased to be invited by Brave Design whom we have worked with for over a decade in New Zealand, to provide the design.
Everyone who enters the gates at the ASB Showgrounds has the chance to win this $280 000 door prize!
The Brief
Eye-catching design – local fish – specific to New Zealand.
The brief was open which suits us well for custom boat wrap design. With the Surtees 7.5 metre 750 Game Fisher as our canvas, we focused on local species and drew on New Zealand as inspiration for the theme.
boat wrap Plan – 2020 The black and silver
A prize boat wrap must be specific to its location and the boat show. When we looked at the imagery of New Zealand, the instant standouts were black and silver as their national colours and the Ta Moko, a traditional Maori tattoo.
We went with a dark theme, using whites as the chrome’s highlight and a black base. Again, looking at the Ta Moko, we wanted to adopt the repetitive patterning while keeping a water theme.
After some experimenting, the H2o water molecule, a hexagon, became the central element in our pattern. Drawn as a 3D frame, chromed and warped, it provided the background. This step set the mood for the rest of the design.
Using our carbon fibre design as a third background layer held the image together across the hull and cabin. By layering the background, the boat wrap design began to have a sense of depth.
We introduced some blue highlights into the carbon fibre for the front of the boat. The highlights broke up the boat wrap design and added to the background’s depth.
The final prize boat wrap design
The printing and installation on 3M vinyl was the finishing touch, and the boat looked stunning once printed.
The team were a pleasure to work with, and we thrived on the open brief. We were ready to be invited back next year.
This design is now in our offshore collection.
Contact us to discuss design options if you need your boat to stand out in the crowd, be it a prize boat or sitting in your shed at home. Please browse our range of vinyl boat wraps online today, or get in touch with our friendly team on 0432499492.
For the 2021 Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show prize boat design – see the 2021 blog.