HELP! Boat Covers and Prices
Greg Bolt
Have a 21' Bowrider and looking for a boat cover. I need to research
the boat covers because of the different kinds and promises each make.
the prices vary widely as well.
Looking for a boat cover that will trailer down the road and protect the
inside from rain. Also will use in storage to keep dirt, dust, etc.
out.
I don't want to spend 300-400 dollars on one. Are the boat covers
indeed that expensive?
Also, what is the advantage, if any, of a customized boat cover versus
universal? I hear that it is due to stress points, windshields, etc.
Does this make them worth an extra $100?
Does anyone have a preference on Mfrs. and/or materials? Anyone know of
a mfr or seller that is significantly cheaper with a good product? Any
ideas or comments are appreciated.
Greg
Joseph P. Coffey
>Have a 21' Bowrider and looking for a boat cover. I need to research
>the boat covers because of the different kinds and promises each make.
>the prices vary widely as well.
>
>Looking for a boat cover that will trailer down the road and protect the
>inside from rain. Also will use in storage to keep dirt, dust, etc.
>out.
>
I purchased my boat cover through Overtons Supply for my 21' bowrider. I
bought the Hurricane Co. Cloudburst II, 11 oz., custom-fit cover. The
custom fit allows me to trailer the boat with the cover on. A universal
fit cover will tear and flop in the wind as you drive. Fine dirt does
filter into the boat throught the covers' material but gross contaminants
do not. Water will penetrate if allowed to pool on the cover.
>I don't want to spend 300-400 dollars on one. Are the boat covers
>indeed that expensive?
>
Yep! I paid nearly $300 for mine and it is only a cotton/polyester material
from a discount mail-order house!
>Also, what is the advantage, if any, of a customized boat cover versus
>universal? I hear that it is due to stress points, windshields, etc.
>Does this make them worth an extra $100?
Yes it does. A few of my friends have universal covers made out of
Sunbrella material and all of them tore where they make contact with the
cleats, windshields and other hardware.
>Does anyone have a preference on Mfrs. and/or materials? Anyone know of
>a mfr or seller that is significantly cheaper with a good product? Any
>ideas or comments are appreciated.
>
>Greg
I am happy with the product that I have, happy not estatic! I would have
preferred a Sunbrella material with a custom fit but that was out of my
budget. I would get the custom fit it you plan to trailer, if not get the
better material in a universal fit.
Good luck!
Joseph Coffey
Rod McInnis
Joseph P. Coffey wrote:
>
> In article <32FDEB...@phoenix.net>, Greg Bolt <greg...@phoenix.net> wrote:
>
> >Have a 21' Bowrider and looking for a boat cover.
> >
> >inside from rain. Also will use in storage to keep dirt, dust, etc.
> >out.
> >
>
> >indeed that expensive?
> >
>
> Yep! I paid nearly $300 for mine and it is only a cotton/polyester material
> from a discount mail-order house!
>
I bought a cover for my 19' tournament ski boat from a local boat
shop, paid only $180 for it. It was "semi-custom", meaning that they
had a bunch of different styles and I picked the one that matched the
description of my boat.
The material was a mild weight canvas type material. It fit real loose
at first, but shrank after the first big rain, and now it fits just
right!
The first cover lasted about three years, and then started to
deteriorate. The boat shop didn't recommend it as a traveling cover, but
I used it that way anyway. The cover probably would have lasted a lot
longer if I had used it only while parked, but I consider three years of
service for $180 to be OK. After the first one died, I bought another
one just like it.
It was fairly watertight, but you do have to make sure you don't get
any pools of water forming. I made a couple of "bow" that hold the
cover up in the center, assuring that water runs off. When on the road,
I throw a couple of passes of rope over the top to keep it from
billowing up so much.
Rod McInnis
Chuck Jackson
Greg Bolt wrote:
>
> Looking for a boat cover that will trailer down the road and protect the
> inside from rain. Also will use in storage to keep dirt, dust, etc.
> out.
>
I strongly advise against towing your boat with a cover...Even the
tightest fitting covers will either wear the cover from flapping or
scuff the gel coat....Why do you need to tow with a cover?
I tow a 21' open bow Sea Ray and yes, I have hit rain storms but it's no
worse than a couple of wet skiiers coming in out of the water or having
a wave come over the bow. We use to tow with a cover on our old boat but
the cover ($450 custom made tow cover) still had some wear in a few
places where the cover was flapping, and marred the gel coat. When we
bought the Sea Ray, I decided not tow with the cover. After 3 years, the
59.99 cover still looks great and there is no scuff marks on the hull.
Another suggestion is too use a cheap plastic tarp to cover the cover (I
know, sounds stupid) but the plastic cover will keep any dust from
settling on the canvas/cloth cover. And if you store your boat outside,
the plastic will keep the bird/tree/bug droppings from staining the
cover over time. And a cloth cover will eventually leak, I don't care
how many times you ScotchGuard it...trust me.
MrOffshore
If you want to protect your investment the cover really isn't the place to
skimp. Not only does a custom well made cover protect your boat it ads to
the aesthetic quality of the boat. I would reccomend a cover made of
SunBrella. This is high quality material, lasts very long and stays good
looking for years and years.
The difference between a bargain universal cover and a custom made cover
is very insignificant after you have owned it for a year.
Good luck