Which cover would you buy?

[lrlima]

23 foot Chris Craft Cuddy (stored outside on a trailer)

I have three choices for a new cover and wanted to see if anyone had any experiences with any of the following covers (2 are on iboats and they are having a good sale right now)

#1. Westland Sharksin Supreme SEMI CUSTOM cover (trailerable) - for $285 shipped and that includes strap kit and "vents".
specs - 11.5oz solution dyed polyester, 840 denier, 5yr warranty
the site says this normally sells for $900+

#2. Westland Sharkskin Plus CUSTOM cover (trailerable) - around $350 shipped includes strap kit. this covers the entire top of the boat
specs -6.5oz polyester, 450 denier, polyester

#3. Have a real customer cover made for about $600 out of sunbrella. THis only covers the seating area and the rest of the boat is exposed to the sun.

So, the tradeoff for 1 vs 2 is a better cover material for less $$, but i lose the "custom" fit. If i go with a true custom cover that i have made locally, i expose the top of the boat to a lot more direct sun, but gain convenience as its a bear to put that cover on this boat by myself. Any input is appreciated....

 

[brick75]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

I just got the Westland Sharkskin Supreme cover for my boat and it seems pretty nice. I can't tell you how it will hold up over time since I just got it. But it's fairly heavyweight, and seems to repel water very well. Also has two vents to allow moisture to escape to help prevent rot and mildew. I'd recommend it, and it was cheaper than the "Plus" version which was a little odd.

 

[lrlima]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

i thought it was odd too regarding the price (supreme v plus)... I wonder how much different there is regarding fit for the custom vs semi custom cover.

 

[raven7]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

Just got my Westland Sharkskin SEMI Custom cover last week. Repels water great!. They didn't offer a custom fit for my 1997 boat. With the semi custom, it's fine for covering the boat when being stored, but too loose in places to try trailering it. I'd say if your fussy about your boat, go with the custom fit.

 

[83Evinrude]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

If your not going to trailer it then I would say get the Semi-Custom cover. If you think you might trailer it at all get the Westland Custom cover.

Fit is everything if you are going to trailer it. I have a Westland Sharkskin Exact-Fit (Custom Cover) for our boat and it fits great. No worries trailering, but it's usually just on the boat in the garage.

 

[lrlima]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

thanks for the replies. i would trailer the boat a few times a year at the most, and that would about 4 or 5 miles. I think Im leaning toward the semi custom...not because of the price, but it seems like the fabric is thicker / better.

 

[msellers]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

I've had many covers over the years and have seven (7) boats with many different covers. Some tricks I've learned over the years is

1) Where you store the boat is very important in getting the most life out of a cover (direct sunlight eat the cover up while a shady damp area will mildew and mold the cover and boat).

2) The better the fit the longer the life

3) cover all areas you dont want to wear (this eliminates one of your choices)

4) I always used a inexpensive farm tarp on top of my custom covers over the winter to maximize their life.

5) Proper support of the cover in sagging areas to allow the rain/snow to run off in the winter.

I hope this helps your decision!

 

[scutly]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

what about a westland custom fit full cover made from sunbrella? they advertise one for my boat for like $660 under the sharkskin one. your boat wasn't listed?

 

[Sparkinator]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

I ordered a semi custom sharkskin supreme last week. I keep my boat under a covered shed so I'm hoping this will last for a pretty good while.

I only plan on towing only a couple of times a year on vacations, so a custom cover wasn't a priority. I may have to spend extra time strapping it down to get a tighter fit, but at only a couple times a year, shouldn't be too bad.

 

[JimKW]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

I ordered a Taylor Made Custom fit and had to send it back because it did not fit my boat like it should. I kept my boat in the garage all winter, but will be getting it out soon so I will probably be looking for a cover since I will probably keep the boat outside during the summer. I makes a very big part of the garage unuseable and it's very tight getting it in and out. I have been looking at the Westland Custom Fit.

 

[BTMCB]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

I bought the Semi Custom Outdura cover from IBoats and am very pleased with the fit and the quality. When I bought it I believe it was on sale for about 250.00.

 

[zchornyak]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

A lot of places online have a pretty steep restocking fee. I had to return a cover and had to pay a 20% restocking fee to the tune of almost 50 bucks. It was my own fault for not reading the fine print but just to give you all the heads up. Covers can be tricky. The site I was on was Discountboatcover.com. I'd recommend not shopping there from personal experience.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Which cover would you buy?

I bought a Westland Sunbrella custom cover for my Crownline 225LPX over a year ago from here on Iboats. Best thing I ever did, I wish I had bought it whan I got the boat. It fits like a glove, it doesn't get damp because rain can't even bead up on it. Water runs off it like a windshield coated with Rain-X. It lets air flow through it instead of trapping the humidity like the other 3 or 4 covers I've had, which trapped humidity and caused mold in the boat.