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Winter Cover Or Not?

Daddy Mouse
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Daddy Mouse

Daddy Mouse

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Hi all, being new to owning a boat I was wondering what are the pros and cons of buying a winter cover. Looking around I see some boats fully covered when not in use but most are not.

 

2nd part of the question is where can you buy them if needed.

 

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WherryNice

WherryNice

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I quite like the idea of the winter cover but cant really justify the expense currently.
I think most places that do canopies n covers would be able to make one for you, I personally used Jeckells for my new canopy and would recommend them but there are plenty of other places/people who get good reviews and I'm sure others will be along to tell you their personal favourites soon.
One thing to note, covering a boat with a fabric canopy can cause damage to the canopy if not done correctly so dont just lob a tarp over it or anything like that as rubbing can easily occur. Hope thats of some help

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Timbo

Timbo

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If your boat is outside, a winter cover is highly recommended. Prepare to sell a kidney, possibly two. In the past, I've tried to get away with tarpaulin of various description and materials, every single one ended up battered, ripped and torn and needing intervention from boat yards and other boaters to secure them. The expense of buying new every year far outweighed paying for storage in a wet shed in the future!

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JanetAnne

JanetAnne

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The key to any winter/full cover is ventilation. There is no point in saving your nice curtains and cushions from sunbleaching only to have them go mouldy! Your cover needs to be able to breathe.

It also needs to be easy to use. Something fiddly and time consuming will tend to get left off when it's raining or you are pressed for time etc.

A decent cover will mean your boats exterior is always clean and ready for use of course. 

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JennyMorgan

JennyMorgan

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My daughter & I cover her wooden sailing cruiser up with a large tarpaulin that must by now be at least 15 years old and it's still got stacks of life left in it. Same PVC stuff as lorry tarps are made of. I suppose GRP & stainless can survive neglect but really it all boils down to whether you care for your boat or not. Come spring I reckon that you'll be glad that you covered your boat. Far too many people abandon their boats in the autumn & expect them to look pristine in the spring, it just doesn't happen like that!

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addicted

addicted

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Doing it that way will certainly prevent damage to your canopy from being rubbed by the ever moving tarpaulin, if you can secure it properly. A chap who worked at a  marina we used to moor at told us that wind getting under tarpaulins had caused huge damage  by causing boats to shift while on hard standing.

 

 

Carole

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Viking23

Viking23

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On a similar topic, I once picked up an outboard engine cover from a boat show, to put over the  manufacturer's engine cover to protect it over the winter.

Hmmmm...... BIG mistake... The Honda 15 used acrylic paint, and the cover maintained a wet layer between the cover and the paint, so water penetrated the paint and formed huge blisters, under the paint, which when the cover was removed took most of the paint with it.

The cover also provided a sealed but damp environment for rust to build up on the flywheel.

One of my biggest boating errors in 30+ years.

Richard

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Polly

Polly

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I had an interesting conversation re. Covers recently. We have a Jeckells £1000 winter cover, but it only reaches the toe rail. We were therefore advised on the best weight of tarp to cover Brilliant ashore, providing better protection than the cover we inherited with the boat. If she were afloat it would be a different equation of course, but we always take her out.

So I guess my thinking would be to try a good tarp this winter, then decide on the basis of that experience.

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Daddy Mouse

Daddy Mouse

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I had an interesting conversation re. Covers recently. We have a Jeckells £1000 winter cover, but it only reaches the toe rail. We were therefore advised on the best weight of tarp to cover Brilliant ashore, providing better protection than the cover we inherited with the boat. If she were afloat it would be a different equation of course, but we always take her out.
So I guess my thinking would be to try a good tarp this winter, then decide on the basis of that experience.

Thanks for the advice sounds like I need to get some measurements and make a tarp that fits something like for this year.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

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ranworthbreeze

ranworthbreeze

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7 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Just thought of an interesting problem for me having an all over cover for the winter.. That's not going to make the solar panels very well, I need them to keep the batteries charged.

 

 Hmm time for a rethink....

Hi Q,

Can't you have plastic windows stitched into any cover in the relevant places, assuming your panels are flat to the boats roof.

Regards

Alan

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