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Splash
07-09-2009, 09:03 PM
Give me the low down on the best weatherproof boat cover.

I need to store the boat (fiberglass) in the weather for a while.

Splash

Splash
07-09-2009, 10:32 PM
Is there a preferred brand over others?

What material should I be looking into?

Splash

Goldfinch
08-09-2009, 09:33 AM
Hey Splash,
I bought my cover from www.stormcovers.com.au
They have a massive range of pre-sized covers for all types of boats. It cost me $815 delivered. The material is very heavy duty and it comes with heaps of straps, sharp edge protectors and has zip accesses on both sides of the boat. Even has a velcro section for sticking your antenna through. Because it doesn't wrap around the boat it allows the air to breath and doesn't get moldy inside. I've been very happy with it so far and have had it for a year.

Here's a pic with and without cover.

Cheers
dave

Splash
13-09-2009, 10:57 AM
Thanks Goldfinch.

Looks great but damn expensive.

I am guessing anything under $500 is a waste of money?

SPlash

bigjimg
13-09-2009, 02:22 PM
Splash whitworths have some in the jumbo size under $500.Jim

samsnap
14-09-2009, 03:06 PM
Another option is buy a lg Caravan Cover when they are on sale at places. Not a custom fit but you can fold & tie it down with the straps provided & some have zips on both sides as well. We got one from BCF on Sale 7ft for around $250 - had it for about 2yrs now. Cheers Sammy

Leighton
14-09-2009, 03:42 PM
I got a large 4x4 cover from Autobarn, cost me $200.
Waterproof, 2 straps, a material lining amd vented flaps
Its been in the full weather for a few years now on several boats

Last Cast
15-09-2009, 02:29 PM
I tried loads of different Boat covers & they dont last very long. 1 year on average. I bought some water & weatherproof shadecloth in the end & had in sewn together & this has been on the Boat for 3 years now, no leaks or deterioration at all. I would recommend it over any boat cover on the market. it will cost a little more but in the long run pays for itself. No Special sewing needed, I had it sewn up by a lady advertising in the local paper. Works a treat. My boat is stored outside in full sun & weather. Hope this helped.:D

ThePinkPanther
19-09-2009, 01:21 PM
I reckon those silver backed tarps that you can pick up at most camping shops are the ducks guts!

They range from fifty bucks to eighty five for the huge ones.

If you measure them up, the shop will usually cut them to size and put a few holes where you want them for ropes, bungees etc. and edge the cut sides as well.

On the southside, Capalaba Camping in Cleveland are the way to go.

They last for years and work out much cheaper than the tailor made ones.

ozscott
19-09-2009, 10:07 PM
Im with PP - see attached - easy enough to put on and I have just cut to length some shock strap for a few of the holes.

Cheers

Chimo
07-10-2009, 04:48 PM
I just picked up a new tarp to replace one that I've been using for a while. Needed to wear a face mask when putting it on and taking it off because of all the silver flecks coming off it as its now US.

After hunting around all the usual options I hit the web got a 7.2 m by 9 m "Super Heavy Duty Premium Grade (295gm²) Green/ White" with a 3 yr guarantee. They have outlets in Sydney and the Gold Coast and some other distributers too that I didn’t worry about. They seemed happy to please and gave me a little discount so after a bit of haggling got it for $255.

An interesting comment they made was to swap sides (exposed to the sun) every so often to make most use of the UV stabilizer in the tarp.

If anyone want contact details PM me;)

Cheers
Chimo

ozscott
07-10-2009, 06:28 PM
Actually I withdraw my endorsement of the tarp depicted above...when I had old clears it didnt matter but I noticed that it has put a few small scratches in the clear and it also doesnt come down far enough (I had a bigger one but it was just too heavy and cumbersome for me to put on solo). So I ordered yesterday an Oceansouth boat cover jumbo that has a built in rope sewn into the bottom and is a semi custom fit for a cruiser - it also has built in tie down straps.

Cheers

bigjimg
07-10-2009, 08:31 PM
Here's one to check out. www.coverworld.com.au (http://www.coverworld.com.au) .Jim

ozscott
08-10-2009, 08:34 AM
Mate these look like exactly the same product as at Whitworths - and allowing for delivery on these Whitworths is cheaper.


Cheers

Crunchy
08-10-2009, 11:11 AM
Regarding the difficulty of manhandling a large cover on your own, I have been thinking about using a pool cover roller to aid getting the thing on and off.....they even have motorised ones! Has anyone been down that track? Be interested to see a set up if so. Thinking about mounting one on the fence rather than on the ground.

PS I like to have my cover big enough to cover the entire boat including the sides and tyres....that sun is brutal

Chimo
08-10-2009, 11:29 AM
Hi Crunchy

Dont know if you need to go that much trouble.

I have found that if initially I lay the tarp out flat on the ground and fold each side up onto what will be the top and then roll it up from the bow to the centre and from the stern to the centre and then lift the tarp up on to the boat its a simple matter of unrolling to the bow and the stern and then smoothing / droping the sides down and tying it off.

Taking it off I fling each side up and walk along the gunnel and roll it up as described above you can then drop the bundle which you then lift up to cover by unrolling when the need arises.

Then again if you had a large A frame on wheels with a tennis judge seat and steps you could attach to one end of the A frame then you could mount a pool roller on it and after climbing up you could roll the tarp up. You would need to attach a couple of long lines to the end of the tarp so you could pull it of the roller. Seems like a lot of trouble to go to when the method described above works pretty well too.

Cheers
Chimo

Crunchy
08-10-2009, 12:27 PM
Hi Crunchy

Dont know if you need to go that much trouble.

I have found that if initially I lay the tarp out flat on the ground and fold each side up onto what will be the top and then roll it up from the bow to the centre and from the stern to the centre and then lift the tarp up on to the boat its a simple matter of unrolling to the bow and the stern and then smoothing / droping the sides down and tying it off.

Taking it off I fling each side up and walk along the gunnel and roll it up as described above you can then drop the bundle which you then lift up to cover by unrolling when the need arises.

Then again if you had a large A frame on wheels with a tennis judge seat and steps you could attach to one end of the A frame then you could mount a pool roller on it and after climbing up you could roll the tarp up. You would need to attach a couple of long lines to the end of the tarp so you could pull it of the roller. Seems like a lot of trouble to go to when the method described above works pretty well too.

Cheers
Chimo
Origami (Sp?) on a large scale there Chimo...my cover is 9m by 5m and quite heavy, also quite stiff and hard to fold...rolling it up does help but I do get sick of it....should bite the bullet and have a "boatport" built I guess...

Zooter
08-10-2009, 12:59 PM
Im with PP - see attached - easy enough to put on and I have just cut to length some shock strap for a few of the holes.

Cheers

Im with these guys too, I had one still in the plastic ofr the last 4 yrs and thought mose well use it to save sum bucks and has been better than any other boat cover ive had before,

Mine was 10x5 mtrs i think that was $80 yrs ago, Its big anyway,I got 2 covers out of it, 1 for a spare! Just run rope around boat with a pully knot to get it nice and tight:)