Boat Tents

[David Bewick]

Guys, rather than take another thread off topic, I thought I would start a new one...

Paul said "Apparently Cee dubs has found some really posh boom tent material......"

I am currently working on a boat tent arrangement for Aberrare so I am very interested in any insights into good boat tent materials.  

Technically, mine is not going to be a boom tent as I wanted it to work well sans rig for HBBR-type river raids when rowing was going to be the source of motive force.  I am therefore experimenting with a set of slightly cut down  poles from a Vango force 10 ridge tent to hold the whole thing up.  The prototype will have a poly tarp cover but, if this shows promise, I would hope to get a better cover made up.  I have been looking at proper tent materials but I am not sure whether to go for cheap and cheerful nylon or canvass.  My good lady wife is a bit nervous about attempting to sew either with her machine.

So come on, CW, spill the beans!

Best regards,

David

[Timmo]

Nice topic, look forward to people's ideas. Particularly those who crack the problem of having doors both sides so you can get ashore and back when moored alongside without being leaked upon when doors are shut and our British summer does what it's so good at.

On the subject of material: fully waterproof fabrics do tend to gather condensation and drip in inconvenient places. Though ripstop nylon does have the benefit of being lightweight. There are breathable fabrics but they need a reasonable differential in heat/humidity to get moisture to pass through them, something you don't get on a tent at night.

I had this old piece of tent fabric lying around that is already surprisingly tent shaped. Not committed to the idea yet but I'm trying on the idea of using it on Zelva. Just need to crack the problem of side doors...



If it works a tin of Fabsil will be cheaper than new material.

[philoxuk]

Well, if you use something like this

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/go-outdoors-havana-4-tent-p263482

(not quite what I started with, but you get the idea)
as your source of tent material & grp poles, you can drape it over the boom, roll up the spare material at the top & then hem along a straight line when it looks right, & you can end up with something like this (thanks to Steve B for the photo)




with zip up doors on both sides (c/w velcro storm tapes) & handy little bungies on all corners & doorflaps to attach to mushrooms on the hull. Line up the front zip of the doors to go round the shrouds. Looks like I didn't bother to put the hoop in (it goes from rowlock to rowlock, & gives a bit more volume, but not essential).

There's also plenty of midge proof mesh to make a vented screen for the aft end if you want.

Cheers,

Phil.

[Matt Cunningham]

Hi David,

 

I found  http://www.profabrics.co.uk/  to have quite a good range of materials and "stuff".

 

Double sided tape is very useful for  hemming and creating the joint between sections of material.  The down side of the double sided tape is that it clogs the needle up and the only way to clean the glue of I found was meths.

 

I do have issues with condensation as I used 4oz  coated nylon, but other than that it does keep the rain out.

 

I would post a pic of the finished item but I'm technologically challenged on that front.

 

Any have fun,

 

Matthew

From: David Bewick [via UK HBBR Forum] <[hidden email]>
To: Matt Cunningham <[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, 23 May 2013, 9:41
Subject: Boat Tents

Guys, rather than take another thread off topic, I thought I would start a new one...

Paul said "Apparently Cee dubs has found some really posh boom tent material......"

I am currently working on a boat tent arrangement for Aberrare so I am very interested in any insights into good boat tent materials.  

Technically, mine is not going to be a boom tent as I wanted it to work well sans rig for HBBR-type river raids when rowing was going to be the source of motive force.  I am therefore experimenting with a set of slightly cut down  poles from a Vango force 10 ridge tent to hold the whole thing up.  The prototype will have a poly tarp cover but, if this shows promise, I would hope to get a better cover made up.  I have been looking at proper tent materials but I am not sure whether to go for cheap and cheerful nylon or canvass.  My good lady wife is a bit nervous about attempting to sew either with her machine.

So come on, CW, spill the beans!

Best regards,

David

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[Chris Waite]

Not me Guv

I seem to remember that others gave me the Point North website:

http://www.profabrics.co.uk/

I bought five metres of NR6-60 "Matches the colour of your hull, Darling"; having spoken to a gentleman there who assured me he sleeps in nothing else.  Oh, and add a little TSB2 seam sealing tape, for dry nights.

On a more PhilOx note, apparently many of the DCA gang search on line for 'Tunnel Tents', then mutilate them to fit.  Personally, side doors seem like a complicated place to acquire additional leaks - so turn back a flap of the shoreside quarter; if it works with a polytarp

Then would some ripstop not?

CW

[Port-Na-Storm]

I've got a thing for melonseeds at the moment.
This looks to be a shop bought tent, well the fly screen at any rate and shows what can be done.



You can pick up a little tent like that very cheaply.

Here's an alternative from Chris P.



and some alternatives from the rest of the gang.



and



One of our committee members is currently looking for something similar for our club Scaffie, I'll post some pictures if I can get any.  

I borrowed the Melonseed image from here, Marginalia

[Whameller]

I've been using the fly from an EBay cheapo tent for several years now:



Side doors in useful places, etc.  Should probably cut down the hoop poles a bit rather than raising the boom, but the interior space is awsome.  Has stood up to Scottish West Coast downpours but the windage when at anchor is quite high.

Nick

[Paul W]

CONTEXT - Morbic-12 "Proteus" was built mainly during first lockdown, and launched in September 2020.
Aiming to expand the horizons a bit, I aim to build a boom tent.

The "Boat Tent" contributions here have been read with interest, but time and materials have moved on a bit since the topic dozed off almost 10 years back.

QUESTION- What experience, good or bad, do folks have of different boat tent materials.
Any constructional dos and don'ts could also be useful.
(The Roger Barnes video on the topic has useful tips, but the material he chose seems to push-the-boat-out too far.)

Thanks
Paul W
Co-Builder/Owner of "Proteus"
Initiator of the MyMorbicUK website and Forum.
Instigator of the October 2020 "Morbic Meet"

[inwe]

Well having made one for Winoote, not too long ago, last year, I thouight that I had found a good material from Point North as discussed with David { go to builds in progress}. Good firm to deal with - lousy illustrations. It is very difficult to imagine the material from both the description and the tech details. In future I would definitely go for "samples". Then you can feel the material - essential. I have to admit I think I made a mistake but once bought you feel obliged to use it rather than waste the money.
As I said previously like the firm, good quick response.

Richard

[Paul W]

Hi Richard
Thanks for the feedback.
I'll certainly look at Point North, and remember to ask for samples.
You say you may have made a mistake with your choice of material.   Which is it, and what do you not like about it?
I wasn't able to find the discussion about tent material in Builds in Progress, but never mind.
Thanks
Paul W

[inwe]

Paul.
I think the fabric was a little too stiff. The previous one I made for Calluna was more of a lite canvas. The one I made for Winoote was a dark blue. Both are in builds in progress. The one I made for Calluna is on the previous page under Caledonian Yawl by Inwe. The one I made for Winoote again is in Builds in progress. their is a couple of shots taken at Barton Turf. Again look for Inwe. Happy hunting.

Richard

[Alan]

First time I have visited here for a while. On my only Thames raid I used a vintage tent with a reproofed nylon flysheet and a cotton inner. There was no condensation inside whatsoever so if you don't mind the extra complication of having two separated layers this could be the way to go.

[John P]

A new lease of life for a 10 year old forum thread?

I completed building our sailing dinghy in 1978.  Since then it has had two custom made boom tents, both tents being made from fully waterproof synthetic material.  First tent was quite heavy pvc coated nylon in blue.  After about 30 years it was still in reasonable condition although showing some wear where it draped over the boom.  I decided to replace it, mainly because we found the blue colour gloomy and cold looking from the inside.   The fabric we used for the second tent is called Marchem 'Odyssey', I believe it is a coated acrylic fabric.  It is available in a good range of colours, we chose an off-white sort of color which I think is so much nicer than blue.  I think this was a good choice of fabric, but there may be even better choices, I would not know.  (See picture)

With both these tents we sometimes get condensation on the inside but we dont find that to be much of a problem - if there is a lot of condensation dribbles form and run down the inside then I guess they find their way overboard, they dont drip on us.    

One difference between the two tents is that the first tent draped over the boom, the second tent has the ridge suspended from under the boom by having a few sail 'slugs' attached to the ridge of the tent, these sliding into a slot in the underside of the aluminium boom extrusion.  The second arrangement is a bit quicker for setting up the tent - just hang the tent under the boom rather than threading half the tent material between the boom and the stowed mainsail which we normally have flaked above the boom at night. Also, the second arrangement means that spars are entirely outside the tent, with the first arrangment the boom had to pass through an opening in the front of the tent and we did sometimes get rain leaking in there. And the second arrangment avoids wear on the tent by having it rubbing on the top of the boom.    However, there is a disadvantage of the second arrangment - it does not allow the aft half of the tent to be folded back leaving the forward part of the tent as a wind shelter with the aft part of the cockpit uncovered for breakfast in the open air - we did like that feature of the first tent.  With the second tent we are either fully enclosed or fully in the open.

I would not want a boat tent made from non-synthetic fabric, but others make a different choice - its like fisherman anchors vs. 'modern' anchors.  Or gaff sails vs. triangular sails. Mindyou, we now have a boat with a carbon fibre reinforced 'square top' mainsail, fully battened, and we find that people who sail such things refer to the upward tilted top batten as the 'gaff'.

John

Picture is of our boat in Friesland, that was the year that we extended the HBBR Thames trip by carrying on through London, over to Dunkirk, through Amsterdam, then eventually to the Waddensea from where we brought the boat back by road. Most enjoyable trip.  I hope we get to sail in Dutch waters again.