Fishing fans can spot an FLW angler coming from a mile away. That's the whole idea.

Legions of anglers on the Walmart FLW Tour drive bass boats and vehicles emblazoned with colorful graphics and logos of the companies that sponsor them. The partnerships help fishermen pay expenses of competing on the tour, such as the $4,000 entry fee it costs to fish in the pro division this week at Beaver Lake.

These pickups and boats are traveling billboards for the sponsors. No telling how many thousands of pairs of eyeballs see the jazzy graphics when FLW anglers drive from one tournament to the next.

So how do they create these works of art on wheels? Micah Whitfield at Sir Speedy in Springdale showed the process from start to finish during a visit to the business Tuesday. The company is one of several printing and sign firms in the area that does this work.

Whitfield has seen everything from trucks to boats to a bull rider's helmet wrapped at the business.

"Someone might forget a business card, but when people see a stand-out vehicle wrap, they remember it," he said.

The process starts with the customer and designers sitting down to finalize what the customer wants. Customers see a proof of what the finished vehicle or boat will look like and give the OK to start. Then the graphics are printed on vinyl sheets.

In layman's terms, they're great big decals.

On this day, a pickup wrap project for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball team was taking place. Whitfield showed a Naturals logo coming out of a large printer that will go on the truck's tailgate.

Printing is automated, but installing the graphics is all hand work. With boats, the decals are installed then laminated with a clear covering to make the bond to the hull even stronger.

The boat of an FLW angler that goes 70 mph on the water or a trailer every day gets a stronger laminate than a boat that isn't used as much, Whitfield said.

Whitfield drove the Naturals logo a few blocks to a shop where installer Perry Auxier was doing the wrap project. Auxier and his son, Halen Auxier, loosely attached decal sheets to one side of the white truck. They hung like wallpaper from the side of the bed and the doors.

Perry Auxier cut the window openings from a decal sheet with a sharp knife. His son removed a tail light, fit the decal and replaced the light. It's tedious work. Halen's cuts around a wheel well were so precise the fit was exact.

The average pickup or boat wrap takes a day or more. Trimming has to be done around fixtures such as mirrors and door handles, even exposed bolts.

Once the decal sheet is in place, hot air from a heat gun secures the graphic in place. Then, the edge of a plastic card is run over the decal to smooth it and remove any air bubbles.

Whitfield showed tiny holes in the vinyl that are nearly microscopic. These let air escape so the graphic is tight to the vehicle or boat. Trade schools are available to learn the wrapping trade, he said. Students graduate as certified installers.

Auxier is a second-generation sign pro and worked in the profession with his dad.

"Eventually I made the transition from paint to vinyl," he said.

There's an art to the job, said Mike Niccum. He owns Graphics by Mike in Springdale where Auxier worked Tuesday on the Naturals' truck. Niccum has been doing vehicle wraps since 2001.

Using good material is key to a quality job, Niccum said. Lesser quality vinyl takes longer to install and may peel off.

That begs the question: If an FLW pro sells his wrapped boat to John Q. Fisherman, do the graphics come off?

Whitfield said they peel off "fairly easily." They can't be re-used, he added.

Tournament fans this week can admire the artwork on boats at the tournament weigh-ins. The fishermen, and their sponsors, will want everyone to notice.

NW News on 04/10/2014