I'm considering using vinyl pinstripping from auto parts store to cover transition between paint and varnish, so I'm interested in any comments.

I used 1/4" vinyl striping on the seam between the painted hull and the varnished deck on my Merganser hybrid. After four years of hard use, it still looks like new. It did not seem to stick well at first, but became very solid after a few hours in the sun. Mine is marine grade vinyl that I bought from West Marine, which may be different from hardware store brands. -Wes

I should also mention that the stripe made a huge difference in the appearance of my boat, far better than I expected, making it look like a very professional job. -Wes

I used 3M automotive stripping - not only did it look great, it was reflective too for added visibility on the water.  

It sounds like you're saying you do all the painting and varnishing and then at the end you apply the pinstripe to the seam.  Is that correct? Thanks.

Reviving this thread ...

For my Oxford Shell, I am planning as the very last step, i.e. after epoxy and varnish, to apply vinyl stripes along the edge between hull and deck, partly covering each. I am also thinking to apply striping to the edge of the washboards/coaming.

Is the tape flexible enough to be bent over these edges? Or should expect it to eventually come off because the radius is too tight?

Thanks!

We have laid various graphics under the glass and had great results using ribbon for stripes, ricepaper graphics, Cammo cloth design on the deck, etc.

If your purpose is to cover the seam between the varnish and the paint, you apply the vinyl striping after everything has cured. -Wes

Thanks for the responses so far.

Does anybody have experience using vinyl striping to the edge of a single board, in my the edge of the 6mm coaming boards. Can the stripes be bent to such a small radius?

Thanks!