Winter Cover Or Not?

[TheQ]

That is a possibility, but probably means getting a tailor made cover at even more vast expense than a good quality tarpaulin.

[ExSurveyor]

I have used the heavy clear tarps for a few years with mixed results.  The blue ones are useless.  The key is strapping it down well.  I did fit extra eyelets as required.  For the Calypso l had a large sheet of vinyl made up with eyelets to match the fender eyes,  that has proved very successful and withstands the high winds but folds back if we use the boat out of season.

[finny]

I never bothered like many covering my boat (GRP Hampton ) what i did do was make sure the rear well had a canopy any rain water would drain to the bilge there and considering i would be leaving it for four months or so i didnt want batterys draining via the bilge pump

Also i used to as part of the winter lay up wax the gelcoat as much as i could get on - funnily when i set the boat up for the new season it never took much of a clean up to get to standard  - should i have owned a woodie then i would have a cover made or gone inside a wet shed 

None of the hire fleet put covers on there boats over winter and many ex hire boats are in private hands and are still around alive and kicking

if anyone lived miles away and are going to worry about the boat over the winter - then i would suggest lifting on to hardstanding and take away the worry - you can pay for many lift in and outs in the price of a full cover 

 

finny  

[SteveO]

I have recently invested in a tailored summer/winter cover which covers the superstructure of our boat down to deck level. It is well-ventilated and, so far, has saved me a huge amount of cleaning time, as it protects the boat from all the leaves, alder and birch seeds, bird poo and other crap that rains down from the trees that we moor under and which stain our elderly gel-coat.We commissioned it from Jeckells and despite some to-ing and fro-ing about design features which were possibly not nailed down sufficiently thoroughly at the outset, I am delighted with the end result.

Cheers

Steve

[JawsOrca]

Hi All,

I know this is an old thread but I've been away.

It may have been said already, covering your boat is really only needed if you have a leak which you can't fix or timber bits which you want to preserve.  Covering well though can cause big problems with keeping condensation inside the boat. Boats do need to breath, leave windows open to allow it breath. 

A problem with tarpaulines also is that they do rub really badly and can wear through gel coat in a couple of months, they also break down pretty quickly so it's just not worth the expense.   

These's negatives can be removed if you use a bespoke cover, most manufacturers sew in air vents to allow and force airflow where required, there is also special materials designed for the purpose, there's one even which has a nice soft backing which removes rubbing issues.   Cover's aren't cheap but they are well worth the investment.

If you did want a quote drop me an email direct: alan@trimnet.co.uk and I'll assist.

Don't forget to you can buy materials direct from our online store: trimnet.co.uk/shop use NBN for a 10% discount.  (not all products are on there but more are added daily).

[Daddy Mouse]

Hi All,
I know this is an old thread but I've been away.
It may have been said already, covering your boat is really only needed if you have a leak which you can't fix or timber bits which you want to preserve.  Covering well though can cause big problems with keeping condensation inside the boat. Boats do need to breath, leave windows open to allow it breath. 
A problem with tarpaulines also is that they do rub really badly and can wear through gel coat in a couple of months, they also break down pretty quickly so it's just not worth the expense.   
These's negatives can be removed if you use a bespoke cover, most manufacturers sew in air vents to allow and force airflow where required, there is also special materials designed for the purpose, there's one even which has a nice soft backing which removes rubbing issues.   Cover's aren't cheap but they are well worth the investment.
If you did want a quote drop me an email direct: alan@trimnet.co.uk and I'll assist.
Don't forget to you can buy materials direct from our online store: trimnet.co.uk/shop use NBN for a 10% discount.  (not all products are on there but more are added daily).

Thanks for the information Alan. I will get in touch when I have finally
decided what to do.

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