Lets talk Boat Covers

Would really like to see some boat covers. Ive got a local lady that can sew it, but I would really like to give her some examples. She didnt seem to understand the pockets I want over the oarlocks.

Dave W., I need a couple views of yours to show her, I kinda like the full cover. Is that one pc.? I`ll get pics of Dorfs next weekend at our outing. If anyone else has a cover they can show me it would really help.

Tie downs, to the trailer or around and under the boat?

Any opinions on a cover while towing?

Any feedback would help.Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 3, 2016 at 8:21am

I purchased a boat cover from a drift boat equipment supplier in the Portland, Oregon area. The price was great, it fit well and protected my boat from major problems. After a couple of years of use,; storage in the sun, wind, rain and snow it started to show problems with UV resistance. It was breaking down and starting to rip. The product was advertised as guaranteed. When I called the supplier who purchases the covers from a manufacturer in Texas I was reminded that I had been told of the limitations of the cover. It shouldn't be used outside for storage and not for towing. If not used for such activities it was guaranteed on a sliding scale, the longer I had it the less the guarantee or in other words what percentage of original purchase price  I might get back under a claim. Since I had "used" it incorrectly I both frustrated and out of luck.

Ultraviolet resistance is the key to longevity and also the basis for higher costs. I was shopping for some zippers and such to repair my campers fabric extension when the roof of it pivots up. Anyway they have been in business for a long time and do many boat covers and sell fabrics and supplies for cars and boats and such. When questioned on fabric qualities and resistance to UV I came to the conclusion that most of the high quality fabrics cost $20 + per running yard but should have a ten year life span.

It seems that there are several high quality fabrics available with the ability to resist UV, breathe to allow moisture to escape and prevent mold and mildew, ease of construction etc. Each boat cover builder will have their favorites. Careful discussion of their past experiences with drift boat covers and what the guarantee is advised.

Towing with a cover can contribute to wear and rubbing on the boats finish especially if dirt or such gets captured between the cover and your boat. The often softer fabric liners on some covers can actually trap such items and cause issues. I am undecided as to what I will to to replace the cover I have as during the last trip it ripped apart at a seam. I may do some sewing and a repair or two to the item so I can get some use out of it.

I may have to continue on my quest to cleanup my garage so that I can keep it clean and dry over the winter. I have been sanding and refinishing my boats bright work and revising some of my interior boat furniture. The trip down the Missouri with all the soil revealed issues with wear and tear.

A secondary issue I found was my boats rope seat was continually loosening. I kept tightening the rope but to no avail. I noticed that one of the small pieces of wood that are notched to organize the rope's spacing was starting to bend. Upon closer inspection the two oak dowels that the rope runs over on each side have also started to bend. I am not the lightest drift boat oarsman but apparently I need to do some revisions. Perhaps some galvanized pipe instead! Then the question will be what will the next weakest links be. Maybe I need to standup and row!

To conclude I don't know what the answer is for boat covers. My experiences haven't been too pleasing. Perhaps just a boat bra to be used when traveling to at least keep rocks and gravel from damaging the front of my boat? I am interested to see what others opinions are.

Rick N

Permalink Reply by Mike Thomas on June 3, 2016 at 2:39pm

Thanks Rick, thats some good feedback. So you cant use a cover to store it, or to tow it or in the sun, or with any dirt around :) lol...Now that I have a trip on the boat, honestly I`m not too worried about the finish any more.

This lady has never seen a drift boat, but she showed me pics of a full cover she did for some guys Chris Carft that coverd the sides and top, looked prety good and made it for towing. I guess just something to keep rain and tree dirt out when its sitting is good. I`ll just tarp the tarp for winter if I have to keep it outside.

Got any pics of your cover? She will have to do a notch on the rear for the anchor bracket.

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 3, 2016 at 7:20pm

I am not saying that all covers are the same as the one I bought. I am saying that buyer beware and know what the cover is designed to do and whether or not it is warranted or guaranteed. A ten year material will cost more initially but protect your boat longer.

An issue with wrapping your boat in a waterproof cover is condensation and resulting mold and mildew. I once read that one of the best ways to store a boat outside was under a non-fitted waterproof shelter that didn't touch the boat so air could circulate. Hence my need to cleanup the garage so I can store it out of the weather. My friend Andreas Bachalez bought a cover from a manufactuer in Wyoming. Check it out on his page.

Rick

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on June 3, 2016 at 9:04pm
Rick,
To avoid the UV issue for the cover and the boats outside finish during the months I use it I add an additional cover, one of those cheap blue tarps. I leave the boat cover loose to eliminate moisture accumulation under the cover. After two full seasons the boat and cover show little affect.
I have the same issue with the rope seat, having to tighten it each time I use it. West Marine has pre-stretched Halyard Line which should do us a better job. Bruce at Gougeon Bros, a full bodied guy too, recommended it. I have yet. to look into it but might yet this year.
Mike,
5 C's in Oregon makes custom covers. They can accommodate your raised oar locks. They'll need few dimensions from the boat that you will need to provide. They did a good job on mine.
Dorf
Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 4, 2016 at 7:46am

The issue isn't totally that the rope stretches but rather the foundation for the seat doesn't have the required strength to maintain tension. I bought the lowest stretch rope I could find. On either side of the seat is a .75 x 1" piece of AYC. Equally sized and spaced notches have been machined into the pieces. They are fastened at either end with a screw into the seat frame, perpendicular to the seat frame on cross members. There are also 1" oak dowels parallel to each piece for the rope to pass around.

My svelte body has caused one of the notched pieces to deflect permanently allowing slack. When both of the dowels bent more slack was allowed.

I have the seat out of the boat and will be taking some pictures later to illustrate my points. I may add a supporting piece of AYC (Alaskan Yellow Cedar) to the inside of the notched pieces to prevent and correct the deflection. I am debating replacing the dowels with galvanized pipe. I have a long turnbuckle connecting the rope to provide tensioning. I may have to preload the rope prior to installing the seat in the boat so I could stretch it a few times before final tightening. However the more stress on the system the greater the opportunity for something else to fail.

The other thing I am doing is sanding down all the frames in anticipation of refinishing them. the AYC is soft and dings easily. I recently tried a Sansin product (http://www.sansin.com/) on my gunwales because the finish had failed. I don't know if the finish had problems because of moisture allowed through the boat cover. I had some mildew on several surfaces. Hence the connection of this discussion with Mike's inquiry about boat covers.

Rick N

Permalink Reply by Mike Thomas on June 4, 2016 at 2:17pm

I guess there is some pros and cons to having the cover. To keep some rain (or snow) out of the boat on a trip, before using it would be nice, Storing it I could see problems having it too tight with no air. My little alum jon boat it doesnt matter but the wood is much different. I still need some pics showing tie down points or anything esle I can come up with to show this lady.David W.`s cover looks very complex with the straps, but looks good.

Sorry about your seat Rick. Theres lots of programs like Nutri Sysytem or Turbo Jam, might take a little weight off that seat rope :) hehe

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 4, 2016 at 3:00pm

Hey it takes time to build a foundation like mine! It keeps me in the boat when the big waves and big fish hit! Plus my experiences help others build better boats!

Rick

Permalink Reply by Mike Baker on June 4, 2016 at 5:41pm

+1 for the 5c's recommendation. A client towed a boat from Oregon to New Hampshire with one of those covers and he said it was flawless. I am currently refinishing my power skiff and I can't believe how many rock chips it has (no cover for me). As for your seat Rick I had a similar problem on my first boat, I didn't put the braces inside the rope support and the constant tightening of the rope made them start to crack that's why I go wider now 1-1/4" to even 1-1/2".

Mike

Permalink Reply by David Witton on June 5, 2016 at 7:27am

I'm a bit late with this reply, but here goes. I have no place to store my boat - it just sits outside in the weather, so I needed a cover.  I got a recommendation from Dutch Gotschling to use Montana Canvas for the build - they have a very cool facility in Belgrade, MT making outfitters tents, long haul truck covers and a bunch of other stuff. Turns out the guy who makes the covers does a couple of them a week, and he's a wealth of knowledge about the details. The material is the same as they use on the truck covers, so towing at freeway speeds is no problem. The fabric is waterproof, so I'm careful to get the boat dry before sealing it up, which is no problem in this climate. I went for a full coverage option - there's a length of 1" nylon tape at the gunwale and another at the chine that cinches it tight. There are 4 or 5 straps on each side running from the gunwale to the frame of the trailer, and another two running from the bottom of the transom to the rear crossbar. 

Originally, I had planned to tie the boat to the trailer with NRS straps - you can see them in the picture, they're blue. So the cover had slots in it to allow that. However, I've since been advised that those straps will stretch enough to allow the boat to bounce on the trailer and eat away at the bottom, so I've changed to ratcheting straps that go outside of the cover. I'd post more pics, but the boat is in the shop getting a motor mount and a couple of details for our trip down the Missouri that's coming up soon. 

Let me know if you've got questions abut specific details....

By the way, my seat is holding up excellently, thanks to the bomber design I copied from Mike Baker....

Permalink Reply by Mike Thomas on June 5, 2016 at 9:07am

David is that a 2 pc cover or 1 pc? When you get it back I wouldnt mind seeing a pic of the frt of that cover. That does look like good all round protection. I`m not seeing any boat covers in the photos pages.

Permalink Reply by David Witton on June 7, 2016 at 6:18am

It's a one piece. They build a "standard" cover that leaves the sides bare for a base price of $500. I paid $900 for what you see in the picture - I figure that's pretty cheap compared to another garage. 

Permalink Reply by Al Tuvilla on March 17, 2021 at 5:25pm

Hi,

Did you send the boat measurements to Montana Canvas or are these covers adjustable?

Thanks

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