Heavy Equipment & Marine Fleet Storage with Shrink Wrap

When your assets are sitting instead of working, they still need protection. Heavy equipment parked in a yard and marine vessels tied up at the dock are exposed every day to UV, rain, dust, salt air and curious visitors. Traditional tarps sag, blow loose and hold water. Indoor storage is limited and expensive.

Industrial and marine shrink wrap solves that problem by turning each machine or vessel into its own weatherproof enclosure. Applied correctly, it creates a tight, durable skin that keeps the environment out and preserves what you have invested in.

This guide walks through how to use shrink wrap for:

• Heavy equipment storage
• Marine and workboat fleet storage
• Mixed fleets and project sites where both live side by side

and how Pro-Tect Plastics supports you with the film, accessories and know how to do it right.

1. Why Shrink Wrap for Outdoor Fleet Storage

Shrink wrap is not just a cover. Once heated, it contracts around the equipment or hull and becomes a single, tensioned shell. Compared to tarps and improvised covers, that delivers some very specific advantages:

• Full weather barrier
  Properly installed shrink wrap sheds rain and snow, blocks dust and dirt, and keeps debris and leaves from collecting in equipment housings, decks and bilges.
• UV and finish protection
  White and opaque industrial and marine films block sunlight that can chalk paint, dry out rubber components and degrade hoses, seals and interiors over long storage periods.
• Contamination and corrosion control
  By keeping water and airborne contaminants away from bare metal and coatings, shrink wrap reduces rust, pitting and staining. Combined with vapor corrosion inhibitor (VCI) packs under the wrap, you can protect sensitive surfaces and electronics during multi year layups.
• Stability in wind
  A tight shrink wrap enclosure does not flap and pump air the way a loose tarp does. With correct strapping and venting, it resists wind uplift and does not constantly rub against painted surfaces.
• Scalable for fleets
  You can apply the same method to a single excavator, a row of generators, a patrol boat or an entire seasonal fleet. Once the process is dialed in, it becomes a repeatable, documentable part of your storage program.

For many operations, that combination makes shrink wrap the most practical way to free up indoor space while still protecting high value assets outside.

2. Heavy Equipment Storage with Shrink Wrap

From excavators and dozers to cranes, articulated trucks and plant equipment, heavy machinery has a lot of surfaces and cavities where water and contamination like to hide. Shrink wrap helps seal those up for the season or for long term layup.

2.1 Common use cases

Contractors and owners typically turn to shrink wrap when they:

• Park machines for off season or multi month slowdowns
• Mothball surplus units that are still in good condition
• Stage equipment near future jobsites without fencing or building storage
• Prepare machinery for long distance transport and want both physical and weather protection

The goal is the same in each case: close the machine up, stabilize conditions around it and reduce the effort needed to recommission it later.

2.2 Choosing the right film

Industrial storage calls for films that are:

• Thick enough for real exposure
  Pro-Tect’s industrial and construction shrink wraps are available in heavier mil thicknesses that stand up to sun, wind and handling better than light packaging films. For large machines or rough environments, most customers prefer these over lighter general purpose wraps.
• Sized for the asset
  Rolls are available in widths that can span entire machines or large subassemblies, which reduces seams and labor.
• Color matched to the environment
  White is popular for heavy equipment because it reflects heat and looks clean in yards and visible laydown areas. Blue or clear films can be used where visual inspection is needed.

For fire sensitive locations, a flame retardant formulation may also be part of the specification, particularly if stored units are near occupied buildings or public areas.

2.3 Prep and wrapping strategy

A good heavy equipment storage wrap starts before the film touches the machine:

• Clean the exterior so dirt is not trapped against paint and seals.
• Address obvious rust spots and open coatings before covering.
• Remove or secure loose items like hand tools, panels and covers.
• Fold mirrors, booms and attachments in as compact a footprint as possible.

During wrapping:

• Pad sharp corners, bucket teeth, handrails and lifting lugs so they do not puncture the film.
• Use woven strapping and buckles to create a supporting framework that the film can tighten against.
• Shrink from the bottom up so the film draws down and locks over the machine instead of lifting off.

On long term storage, many owners place desiccant or VCI packs around sensitive components before the wrap goes on. That turns the enclosure into a controlled mini environment instead of just a rain shield.

2.4 Access and identification

A machine in storage still needs to be:

• Inspected
• Occasionally serviced
• Located and identified quickly

Zipper doors and inspection hatches make that realistic. You can:

• Install zipper access panels near service points or control stations.
• Create small hatches where gauges or ID plates need to be checked.
• Add clear label pockets or durable tags on the outside with asset numbers, service status and any special handling notes.

Plan these details during the first wrap on a given machine type. Then standardize them so crews know exactly where to find access points later.

3. Marine Fleet Storage with Shrink Wrap

Boats live in a harsher environment than most land based assets. Salt spray, UV, constant moisture and freeze thaw cycles can quickly ruin finishes, hardware and interiors.

Shrink wrap has become a preferred option for winter and long term marine storage because it creates a custom fit shell around each hull and superstructure.

3.1 Ideal applications

Marine shrink wrap is widely used for:

• Patrol, workboat and barge fleets between seasons
• Fire, rescue and law enforcement vessels on standby
• Research, survey and utility boats parked for refit
• Marina and boatyard customer fleets during winter or extended haul outs

Whether vessels are on trailers, cradles or blocks, the principle is the same. The wrap spans over the highest points, is secured around the hull or rub rail area, then shrunk tight.

3.2 Key benefits for marine assets

• Weather seal from gunwale to cabin top
  Properly installed marine films keep rain, snow and debris from entering through hatches, vents and canvas seams.
• UV shielding for gelcoat and paint
  Extended sun exposure fades and chalks hulls and superstructures. Marine shrink wrap blocks that exposure, especially in bright climates.
• Mold and mildew control with venting
  Built in vents and optional access doors allow controlled airflow so trapped moisture does not turn into mildew throughout the interior.
• Security and tamper deterrence
  A sealed wrap is harder to casually open than a snapped canvas cover. Any cut or breach is obvious on inspection.

For fleets, these benefits compound. Boats come out of storage cleaner, drier and closer to ready for service, which reduces turnaround time every season.

3.3 Fleet friendly details

When you design a storage program around shrink wrap, it helps to think about the entire fleet, not just one vessel at a time.

Helpful practices include:

• Standardizing film colors for different fleets or agencies
• Using consistent strap and tie off layouts so crews can move from vessel to vessel without relearning the pattern
• Marking access doors and key locations in the same positions across similar hulls
• Logging which boats have VCI, desiccant or battery maintenance provisions under the wrap

The result is a storage yard that looks organized and is quick to mobilize when the season starts or an emergency call comes in.

4. Mixed Fleet and Project Site Storage

Many operations need to protect both heavy equipment and marine assets at the same facility. Shipyards, industrial plants, ports, military installations and disaster response bases are common examples.

Shrink wrap supports a unified approach:

• Heavy equipment in laydown yards can be wrapped on pads or gravel.
• Skids of spares, tooling and sensitive components can be wrapped and labeled.
• Boats, barges and floating plant can be enclosed on land or alongside.

Because the same core materials are used across all of these, inventory stays simpler. Crews can be trained once on proper shrink wrapping technique and then adapt it to each asset type.

5. Planning a Shrink Wrap Storage Program

For owners and managers, the practical questions are usually:

• How do we start.
• What needs to be standardized.
• How do we control cost while increasing protection.

A good starting framework looks like this.

5.1 Define which assets qualify

Not everything needs shrink wrap. Prioritize:

• High value equipment and vessels
• Units with sensitive electronics, coatings or interiors
• Assets located in the harshest parts of your facility
• Backup and standby units that must be ready after long idle periods

Create a simple matrix that identifies which categories always get shrink wrapped, which are conditional and which are lower priority.

5.2 Standardize materials

Work with your supplier to select:

• One or two primary film types and thicknesses that cover most of your use cases
• Appropriate colors for heat management and visibility
• A standard set of accessories, including:
• Woven strapping and buckles
• Tapes for seams and repairs
• Vents and zipper doors
• Optional VCI and desiccant products for long term preservation

Buying and stocking these as part of a program is usually more cost effective than one off purchases before each season.

5.3 Document procedures

Capture best practices in short, practical work instructions:

• Surface preparation and inspection
• How to pad and protect sharp edges
• Strap layout patterns for common equipment types and hulls
• Shrink sequence and target appearance when complete
• Safety protocols for using heat tools and working at height

Once documented, training new crew and maintaining consistency becomes far easier.

6. How Pro-Tect Plastics Supports Heavy Equipment and Marine Storage

Pro-Tect Plastics has supplied industrial and marine shrink wrap for decades to contractors, marinas, shipyards, government agencies and fleet operators. The company focuses on giving you both the materials and the guidance to make storage a controlled, repeatable process instead of a yearly scramble.

For heavy equipment and marine fleet storage, Pro-Tect offers:

• Industrial shrink wrap films selected for equipment transport and storage, available in multiple thicknesses for different exposure levels.
• Marine and boat shrink wrap films designed to weatherize vessels, protect against UV and shed rain and snow throughout the storage season.
• Flame retardant options for locations where fire performance is part of the site or project specification.
• Complete accessory lines, including shrink wrap tapes, woven strapping, buckles, vents, zipper access doors, VCI products and application tools.
• Technical support from real specialists who can review your fleet, walk through your storage environment and help you choose film types, sizes and patterns that match your operation.

If you are ready to move from tarps and ad hoc covers to a structured storage program for your heavy equipment or marine fleet, Pro-Tect’s team can help you design a shrink wrap solution that protects your assets and fits the way you work.