to cover not to cover?

[ER Guy]

I'm a newbie boater and just bought my first boat. A tahoe 216 w 260hp mercruiser. I bought it new and since it is quite an investment for our family I want to take care of it properly. I have a few questions about boat covers. I bout a semi custom cover from basspro. question one is I have heard different opinions on trailering with a boat cover. Some say yes to keep dirt and debri out. Others say no as dirt gets caught in between cover and boat and rubs away gel coat. Question two is I have looked at the more expensive boat covers to store it through winter here in Colorado and with a cost around 500-700 dollars I was wondering if maybe a portable car port would suffice. I found one for 200 with sides and zipping front door. Any suggestion/experience would be appreciated.

 

[ziggy]

Re: to cover not to cover?

for aftermarket covers, i'd get the best quality one i could get. one that sheds water + breaths too. that's the way i leave my boat over the winter here in NE. after market cover bungee corded taught. and i do have to sweep the snow off in the winter. it looks heavy. check into weather or not thems portable shed can stand the heat, no to speak. by heat, i mean high winter winds with snow pack on top of yer new boat. i've not found any that i'd put mine in for fear of them blowing away or collapseing. some folks make their own tent out of pvc and drape a blue tarp over it. i think what ever ya do, be sure it's a tent and tied taught so the snow and rain run off.

i don't tow with an aftermarket cover. no ramifications that i'm aware of. if it was a oem cover and fit snug i might think about towing with it.

congrats on yer new boat.......

 

[ER Guy]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Thanks for the input, not a whole lot of wind in my neighborhood and storage would be on side of house. Anyone have any experience with one of these pop-up car ports?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Check with some of the local boat dealers. For winter storage some of them can "shrink wrap" your boat with very heavy white plastic. It's done with small to very large boats here in MN.

 

[Bigjohn1]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Thanks for the input, not a whole lot of wind in my neighborhood and storage would be on side of house. Anyone have any experience with one of these pop-up car ports?

The pop-up carport would help some with keeping sun and the elements off but it is really not a long-term solution. As I understand things, this is a brand new boat and it will be stored OUTSIDE beside your home. To me, this is a no-brainer if you truly want it to stay looking good for years to come. Break out the wallet and purchase a high quality Sunbrella cover custom-cut for your exact boat. It will be pricey but in the long run, it is a very wise investment toward protection of the boat interior and exterior. Don't skimp and buy a good one - www.boatcoversdirect.com has been a great source for me over the years.

 

[Bigjohn1]

Re: to cover not to cover?

BTW, don't go for the cheaper poly-cotton covers for outside storage, sunbrella is the material you want.

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: to cover not to cover?

I've pulled mine with and without. Long hauls. with. travel weather is a factor.
Short-haul without, saves time at the ramp. If you have a small boat they're great. I looked at those portable car canopies also, before I found a building to rent. Big ones are hard to find and expensive. Coupler to props, I'm at about 36ft. I think they would be fine moistre protection together with your canvas cover. Ohio winters are not as harsh as yours. The inside of your boat needs to breathe but stay dry. When you do store this winter throw in some Fabreze drier sheets..no bugs, no rodents, no mold and ya smell nice. Some people also put a bucket with charcoal in, supposed to act like silicate and absorb dampness. Dunno?
It's August already ....

 

[ER Guy]

Re: to cover not to cover?

How long does the average cover last? I have seen some with 5-6 yr warranties but have been told not to expext more than 3 out of it. Is this a true number?

 

[salty87]

Re: to cover not to cover?

mine has last longer than 3, i think i'm on 6 but it's getting pretty bad. i don't really do anymore than take it off the boat and put it back on though. i've never washed it and never re-treated it for water-proofing. also, being semi-custom, it pooled water unless i was very uptight with how it went on the boat. that stresses seams, leaves mildew behind when water collects, catches dirt...pretty much ridden hard and put up wet. oh yeah, boat is not garaged at all...outside. better care will get you better results.

i'll go full custom for my next one, get a separate cover for the bow too (open bow)

 

[SmallNFast]

Re: to cover not to cover?

We've always had custom covers made... this latest one we've had is near the end of it's 4th year and we can probably get another two out of it. It's perfect fit, snaps on all around the cockpit, pretty handy. Looks nice too, and definitely keeps the weather out. Little more expensive, but we've liked the results we've had with each boat.

I don't think it matters if you tow with or without the cover...we usually go without just because it saves time, but we'll tow with the cover if theres bad weather. Plus we take the highway so we don't want to worry about the cover going anywhere.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: to cover not to cover?

A sunbrella cover can easily last 8 years if you wash it regularly. Dirt is very abrasive and gets in the fibers and acts like sand paper.

I make my own Sunbrella covers and use a cockpit snap-in cover for towing and a full cover for storage. If you get much snow, I would probbaly go for shrink wrapping unless you can be diligent about brushing of the snow so that you don't stretch or rip the cover.

 

[mike176]

Re: to cover not to cover?

covers and keeping it outside are just worthless. Your boat was alot of $$$$ so why not spend the $ and build a shed for it or rent something to keep it inside because thats the only way its going to stay nice. My boat has a roof and 4 walls and its going to stay nice longer than any boat thats coverd and nobody will disagre with me on that. protect your investment!! covers are cheap and ment for cheap people. If your boat fits in your yard you can put walls around it and a roof over it and if you can't then find good storage.

 

[RatFish]

Re: to cover not to cover?

I keep my boat in a covered dry stack building. A cheap cover ($135) works just fine to keep the airborne grime off. Towing would be a differnt story. Nothing beats a roof. Maybe you can get one of those cheap portable carports and cheap cover? Just a suggestion.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Thanks for the input, not a whole lot of wind in my neighborhood and storage would be on side of house. Anyone have any experience with one of these pop-up car ports?

I have used one of those gray tent/carports for years, the one I had last was over 11 years old and still in decent shape. The doors or flaps go first. The way I see it, they keep the rain off the boat and being somewhat open, they allow the boat to breath some and don't get the hot house effect that a tight plastic cover does. The key around here has been to keep them away from trees and anything that can fall and poke holes.
I just ordered a larger one so I can get both boats inside one cover. I still drape a lighter tarp or boat cover over, but I don't seal it tight. Wood rot and mildew love a good, humid, plastic cover with no airflow. My Renken is an '83 and the floors and transom are still perfect, it's spent it's whole life in either one of these carports or under a tin carports just lightly covered. I also don't put the carport on pavement, mine sits on a layer of driveway stone which can drain water off easily.
Over the winter I put the trailer on jackstands too to get it up off the ground a bit and to take the load off the tires and springs when not in use.

 

[RatFish]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Great minds think alike!

 

[gejandsons]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Just don't cover it wet. Mold & mildew grow in dark damp places.

 

[ER Guy]

Re: to cover not to cover?

I have used one of those gray tent/carports for years, the one I had last was over 11 years old and still in decent shape. The doors or flaps go first. The way I see it, they keep the rain off the boat and being somewhat open, they allow the boat to breath some and don't get the hot house effect that a tight plastic cover does. The key around here has been to keep them away from trees and anything that can fall and poke holes.

I think this is the route I will take. I found a heavy duty canvas one with walls and doors at sams for 200.00 and I got a semi custom cover from bass pro i will cover it with also. Thanks to you guys for the dryer sheets idea. was wondering about that as I have lots of squirells in my neighborhood and did not want my boat to become a nest as my neighbors did.

 

[JAL51974]

Re: to cover not to cover?

I make my own Sunbrella covers and use a cockpit snap-in cover for towing and a full cover for storage. If you get much snow, I would probbaly go for shrink wrapping unless you can be diligent about brushing of the snow so that you don't stretch or rip the cover.

How difficult is it to make your own covers? I really like the snap on one you did.

Joe

 

[sea wolf]

Re: to cover not to cover?

Bruce, you did a hell of a job on that cover. How'd ya do it?

 

[evilratgirl]

Re: to cover not to cover?

The first couple of years we owned our boat it got covered with the OEM mooring cover during the season. We didn't have the money for a trailerable cover. In the winter it got a couple of tarp layers t deal with the Minnesota winters.

We then got one of the white lighter weight portable garages from sams club. This was SOOOO much nicer in both summer and winter. It also allowed me to tinker insid on the boat while under cover vs pulling a cover back. The 1 problem was that it was a gable style and could collect a significant amount of snow on the roof side poles. Never crashed but was annoying. Used this configuration for 3 years.

We then got a real good deal on a larger heavier duty one with the rounded top. Way nicer and shed the snow nicely. We still use this cover and it's 6 years old and still in great shape. She now resides comfortably in a pole barn.

Basically my way of thinking is to cover it an any way you can. I understand this to be a new boat which I suspect means boat payments.

If you go with the portable garage make sure it gets tied down solidly.