Recommendations for custom boat covers?

[alopenboat]

On 2 Apr 2011 at 1:46, Forthsailoar [via UK HBBR Forum] wrote:

>
>
> Thanks! The big difference I see is that you tarp completely covers
> the whole length of the boat. My Walkabout 16' by 5 something, and the
> tarp only covers the cockpit - it's decked at both ends, with a
> coaming round the cockpit.
>
> The standard sizes of tarp don't fit long thin boats well - a longer
> tarp would be too wide to tie down at the sides! And once I start
> having custom sized tarps made I wonder whether I should just go the
> full hog!
>

I have an 18ft motor boat. I buy cheap tarps from B&Q. I get the huge
ones (8m x 6m I think) and cut them in half. They last about 3 years.
Like John I double up with the older one underneath.

 --
Hoping for calm nights

Alastair Law,      
Yeovil, England.
<http://www.little.jim.freeuk.com>          

[Paul H (admin)]

alopenboat wrote

I have an 18ft motor boat. I buy cheap tarps from B&Q. I get the huge
ones (8m x 6m I think) and cut them in half. They last about 3 years.
Like John I double up with the older one underneath.

Ditto. When the original cover leaks put a new one on top.

Has anyone tried the old cover on top to protect the new cover from UV?

-Paul

[Timmo]

Thought I'd add one more approach to the 'cheap boat cover' list.

Having a convenient wall next to where I store the Acorn on her trailer, and being a lazy type (also arthritic) who finds faffing with ropes under the boat more hassle than he wants, I went for this throw-over approach.

Top of the tarp is held by those clip on eyelet things. The original eyelets don't last long. The bottom has a length of slate batten rolled into it and held with a couple of short bits of wood screwed on to clamp the folds in place.

Accessing the boat takes seconds; just lift the batten and throw it over the boat at the wall! Re-covering the boat is just as fast. The slope on the tarp is sufficiently steep to ensure water doesn't gather. The weight of the batten is enough to stop it blowing off.

In winter I do supplement the cover with another tarp bungeed onto the boat itself, but that's to stop next door's cats using it as their den. Will consider Brian's comments on the need for that cover to be breathable!

Tim.

[BrianP]

Tim, your set up has lots of opening for air to blow through so that's good, the thing that might be a worry is it looks like cover is against the gunnel. Any condensation running down the inside of the cover will collect there an possibly damage the gunnel. There was a posting on the Welsford Group where a Plymouth chap, are you on here? His gunnels were badly affected by this condensation collecting at the gunnel.

You guys build such wonderful boats, with very expensive materials, I really do wish the advice given me by professional boat builders, to always use a breathable cover counted for more.

My dinghies spend about 8 months of the year at the sailing club so a fitted cover is needed and I believe has to be breathable. It's just so nice to go back to a completely dry boat. Where boats are kept at home, a set up such as your Tim look's like a good amount of air can get through, I think I would just use a piece of timber to hold the cover off the gunnel.

Brian