(How NOT to do it!)
Why use covers or tarps along with frames instead of shrink-wrapping? There are several different reasons. If you plan on keeping the boat indoors, for example, an inexpensive generic cover would be fine. If you are planning on keeping the boat for several years, the cost of a custom cover and decent frame can be amortized over those years and actually cost less than shrink-wrapping. You may be planning on working on the boat and need decent headroom and easy access to various parts of the deck. Finally, you may have an oddly configured boat that may make shrink-wrapping difficult and a precisely fitted cover more practical.
- 100% Cotton
- Dupont Tyvek (R)
- 100% polyester with acrylic coating
- Olefin fabric with a waterproof
coating
The
purpose of your cover will determine the type of material needed. Top of the
line cover material is required for outdoor use in the winter. The material
needs to be waterproof, to shed water obviously. It would also be nice if the
surface texture was at least a little bit slippery to shed snow and ice. An
average useful life of eight to ten years can be expected of a well-constructed
custom cover built of the best fabric.
The
less expensive, materials are suitable for use when storing the boat under
cover, such as in a garage or shed. Why do you need a cover when storing
indoors? Think birds, or at least the surprises birds can leave behind. Better
to leave those on the cover than inside your boat. A cover will also keep out
other critters looking for a cozy home for the winter as well as keep the
general dirt and dust out of the inside of the boat.
Having
decided where you’ll be storing your boat, you can consider the type of cover
you’ll need. Again, custom covers are made for your exact model and type of
boat. These covers are a little more expensive but can be cost effective if
used for many years. They fit tightly and have robust tie down or fastener
systems to prevent flapping and the resultant scuffing of your gelcoat.
Check
with an established cover maker or canvas provider as they may already have a
pattern for your boat. I know one manufacturer, Fisher Canvas Products, Inc. of
Burlington, NJ, has patterns dating back to the early
1960’s. Their covers are also exceptionally long-lived, some lasting as long as
ten to fifteen years with proper care and repair.
At
the bottom of the cover food chain are the stock or generic covers sold by many
boat stores. These are available in several grades of material. Most stores
will have some sort of catalog or configuration sheet available, listing the
different covers for different configurations of boats, i.e. vee-hull, cuddy cabin,
bow riders, etc. Each configuration has several different length and beam
configurations available.
You
pick the closest match to your boat and hope for the best. Most of these covers
have a rope or elastic drawstring along the bottom edge. This helps snug down
the cover on your boat but must be supplemented with additional straps or lines
to tie the cover down.
Any
style cover must be properly supported to prevent water from pooling. Some
options are extendable cover poles or flexible battens. The extendable poles
fit into grommets or sockets in the cover to hold it up. The battens fit into
special fittings either side of the boat and bow upwards to support the
cover.
You can also use inflatable tow
tubes (used for tubing and towed behind your boat) or similar products to
support the cover. In some cases a framework may be necessary. I’ll discuss
this at the end of the article. The important thing is to eliminate the sags
and the flapping of the cover.
Tarps
Whatever
quality tarp you buy, it will need to be longer than the boat, at each end, to
be able wrap it around the bow and stern and tuck it into place. All the tarps
I’ve seen have regularly spaced grommets for tying the tarp down. You may well need
to tie off at locations where there are no grommets. Most places selling tarps
also have grommet or tarp tie-down fittings to add those extra tie-downs where
needed.
Tarps
are much harder to properly tie down and are much more subject to flapping in
the wind than other types of covers. Spend the extra time and the extra line to
get your tarp or tarps tied down properly. Don’t expect the tie downs to remain
tight all winter. Get out and check them regularly. If you don’t, you risk the
cover shredding prematurely of the loose lines scuffing your gelcoat.
By
the way, NEVER TIE THE TARP OR COVER TO THE BOAT STANDS! The constant motion of
the tarp and lines from the wind can actually work the boat stands loose,
thereby ruining your whole boating experience, not to mention your neighbors.
Be sure the boat stands are chained together, side-to-side, to keep them from
walking out from under the boat.
Frames
At
one time, almost all frames were made of wood. Some of these frames were works
of woodworking art, intricately shaped and assembled with precision. These
frames were knocked down and stored each spring for use in the next fall
haul-out. Other wood frames were cobbled together from furring strips and
common lumber and were often discarded at the end of a season.
The
boat owner now has several different choices for frame material and some unique
frame parts available. White PVC tubing has been used for frames many times.
Individual lengths of tubing are bent into arches and fastened to stanchions
with hose clamps, duct tape or large wire ties.
Other
lengths of tubing can be run fore and aft to act as rafters and ridgepole.
Fasten these on the inside of the frame to make pulling the cover over the boat
much easier. The individual PVC arches may need to be supported in the middle
if you are expecting a heavy snow load.
Another
option for frame material is electrical conduit or EMT. This tubing is
available at any home improvement store, in ten-foot lengths and at a
dirt-cheap price. It can be cut to length with a simple tubing cutter. Bending
is also simple using an electrician’s conduit bender.
To
make assembling a conduit frame much easier, there are specially designed clamp
systems available. These clamps, called Kover Klamps, will hold two pieces of
tubing together at any angle. The complete system includes protective rubber
pads to snap around the Kover Klamps (To protect the tarp from any sharp
edges), special connectors are available for connecting lengths of conduit
together and rubber feet to prevent damage to the gelcoat on your deck. A video
is available from Kover Klamp to take you through the entire process of
erecting a conduit frame.
The
photos show a winter frame on a
Columbia 34 being built with Kover Klamps. The boat is being worked on during the winter
so the frame allows standing headroom on deck.
One
of the most important factors in a successful winter frame is the elimination
of any sharp corners or rough spots on the frame or the boat. Any of these will
ruin a cover or tarp in no time. Pad the sharp corners with carpet scraps well
fastened in place. Split
foam pipe insulation works well on conduit as long as it’s firmly taped in
place.
If
you plan on reusing your frame next year, make sure you properly mark each
piece with an identifying mark. Make an overall sketch or diagram for the frame
so you know where each piece goes. Depend on your memory and you’ll be standing
among a bunch of parts wondering where they go.
Finally
Companies
mentioned:
Fisher
Canvas Products, Inc.
Kover
Klamps
P.O. Box
04
City Island New York
10464
A well-fitted custom cover
A Generic cover, well tied down
The standard blue tarp
Kover Klamp system, from upper left: conduit connector, rubber foot, closure
for tube ends, Kover Klamp, all on a rubber protector snap pad
Kover Klamp frame
KK Frame with tarp on
How not to do it
