How long of a tarp would you recommend for a Catalina 30 that is roughly 30x11'? I'm estimating that I'll need a 30' wide tarp due to the framework. Just looking for the length, not width
Winter tarp size
- Thread starter Project_Mayhem
- Start date
35-40' This will give you enough length to wrap the tarp at the bow and to cover most of the stern depending on how high the frame is. the higher the frame, the longer the tarp needs to be.
Also, run lines over the top of the tarp every 5 or 6 feet. Tarps die because of billowing in the wind, this stope the billowing and takes the strain off the grommets around the edge.
Also, run lines over the top of the tarp every 5 or 6 feet. Tarps die because of billowing in the wind, this stope the billowing and takes the strain off the grommets around the edge.
100% agree with @dlochner. You want the tarp long enough that you can do a nice fold at the bow and a less than nice fold at the stern. On my Catalina 22 I use a 30' tarp, I wish I could get a 35. 40 would be too long, but I guess would work. I usually buy the closest thing harbor freight has and expect it to last the winter. We started doing ties over the tarp in a couple of places a few years ago, and they really help. No matter how tight you get it when you first put the tarp on, the wind will loosen it.
When you guys say ties, or lines over the tarp, do you mean port to starboard? Essentially creating a "low spot" or channel in the tarp?
I bought a medium and an extreme duty tarp from HF. Both failed. Medium was one month old and the extreme was two weeks old.
Frame circumference is 15-16'. It's resting on the deck attached to the stanchions. It's roughly 4-5' tall and can be adjusted
Anything i should consider if the tarp is partially wrapping the hull? I don't mind if it goes all the way down to the bottom paint but I suspect it'll be difficult to manage since it'll be bunched up.
I bought a medium and an extreme duty tarp from HF. Both failed. Medium was one month old and the extreme was two weeks old.
Frame circumference is 15-16'. It's resting on the deck attached to the stanchions. It's roughly 4-5' tall and can be adjusted
Anything i should consider if the tarp is partially wrapping the hull? I don't mind if it goes all the way down to the bottom paint but I suspect it'll be difficult to manage since it'll be bunched up.
Yes. No matter how well you tie the tarp down from the edges it will fail. Wind will always get under the tarp and cause it to billow, this places too much stress on the grommets around the edge of the tarp. The lines over the tarp reduce billowing and distribute the wind load over larger areas. You will still get some billowing, but it will be in smaller sections reducing the loads on any one area. If the boat is in a very exposed location, the more lines over the top the better. Use decent sized line, ⅜" hardware store nylon will work.
I have used a net over my 310 tarp to stop/reduce the tarp billowing and flapping. One the tarp is in position the net goes over it and that is what I tie down it the tarp itself. After three years here in the north the tarp grommets are still intact and the tarp shows little wear or chafe from use. Saved me time money and frustration.
Is your mast down?
If the frame is 5 feet tall, then you need to add at least 10 feet to the length of the tarp to allow length to get to the deck, PLUS the length needed to get the tarp down over the ends and tied.
If the mast is up, are you splitting the cover with 2 tarps?
The first year I owned Tally Ho, I did a tarp. Very labor intensive and I built a wood frame to secure the boards holding the tarp in place. Took days and a day to take it off ( sacrificial tarps).
Nothing beats a custom-made canvas cover for keeping the ice and snow off the boat (except maybe a boat shed). Something to consider next year. Expensive to acquire, but I am going on 12 years with mine. It is showing some age and I will have some repairs to make next spring, but it has been doing a good job since I bought it. I see too many tarps on boats in the marina that have ripped, or filled with water or blown off. And no frame required.
The only thing I would do different is to get the sides longer.
Greg
Would suggest using several smaller tarps, overlapped, to make them easier (lighter) to install. On our earlier boat we rigged up old Genoa sheets taut outside the lifelines and tucked the overhanging fabric under them. Heavy canvas tarps lasted about six years. Galvanized electrical conduit seems to make the best frames. Perhaps with wood slats running fore & aft tying them together.
Got it. That makes total sense. I have a 1000' spool of 3/16" line rated for 300-400lbs
Interesting idea. Was this an actual net or a sunshade?
Mast is down. I thought I could put the cover on with the mast on the deck. The yard wants $600+storage to move the mast off the boat due to the boat's location. Sounds like they don't want to work in the cold!
I tried this. I used a 1x4 to stitch them together with screws and fender washers. The poor quality Harbor freight tarps failed in multiple ways. I thought using gallon jugs would limit the stress on the grommets. Wind was getting under the tarp so that didn't help.
I ordered a 12 mil 30x40' tarp. What's everyone's opinion of tarp clips?
I have been tarping my boats for years. I have found that the tighter-the-better and more than one layer is helpful. In essence, I use older, more worn tarps as sacrificial top layers.
With the mast down and serving as a longitudinal peak the process is more straightforward and requires less customizing albeit with the expense of unstepping added to the mix.
On the other hand I have also gotten comfortable with "tailoring" (cut & tape) to fit around shrouds and stays; I am at a yard that allows us to keep the mast stepped for the winter.
A frame makes tarps more feasible. Some 2x2s, cable ties, GP screws, black gorilla tape (have found white degrades faster) and some thoughtful planning can make a frame that can be disassembled for storage and reuse. The first year it takes a lot of time, but subsequent years it goes a lot faster (photos, diagrams and labeling ease the process).
A few more tips for tarps:
The grommets are failure points and not always well placed (when tarps are stapled and slatted the grommets are less of an issue as the loads on them are significantly less). But when necessary I have used ping pong balls by wrapping the tarp around them and then tieing a hold down line around the tarp trapping the ball within.
Also... the rolling hitch is a helpful knot to use for tie down lines.
Tying together the athwartship frames with longitudinal slats keeps the tarps from sagging, making depressions that trap snow and ice/water) and provides rigidity and strength.
Lastly, I have found (and this is important) that stapling the tarp (pulled taut) to the frame and then laying thin wooden slats (screwed down) over the top keeps wind from doing its destructive dance. The resulting holes are minimal and can be taped over for future use. The attached photos illustrate my efforts and I can say it's doing fine having survived several 30-40kt winds during this winter in upstate NY. It's not pretty looking, but works and is a lot cheaper than a custom cover (which admittedly, I do hope to someday procure, but for now... it's tarps).
With the mast down and serving as a longitudinal peak the process is more straightforward and requires less customizing albeit with the expense of unstepping added to the mix.
On the other hand I have also gotten comfortable with "tailoring" (cut & tape) to fit around shrouds and stays; I am at a yard that allows us to keep the mast stepped for the winter.
A frame makes tarps more feasible. Some 2x2s, cable ties, GP screws, black gorilla tape (have found white degrades faster) and some thoughtful planning can make a frame that can be disassembled for storage and reuse. The first year it takes a lot of time, but subsequent years it goes a lot faster (photos, diagrams and labeling ease the process).
A few more tips for tarps:
The grommets are failure points and not always well placed (when tarps are stapled and slatted the grommets are less of an issue as the loads on them are significantly less). But when necessary I have used ping pong balls by wrapping the tarp around them and then tieing a hold down line around the tarp trapping the ball within.
Also... the rolling hitch is a helpful knot to use for tie down lines.
Tying together the athwartship frames with longitudinal slats keeps the tarps from sagging, making depressions that trap snow and ice/water) and provides rigidity and strength.
Lastly, I have found (and this is important) that stapling the tarp (pulled taut) to the frame and then laying thin wooden slats (screwed down) over the top keeps wind from doing its destructive dance. The resulting holes are minimal and can be taped over for future use. The attached photos illustrate my efforts and I can say it's doing fine having survived several 30-40kt winds during this winter in upstate NY. It's not pretty looking, but works and is a lot cheaper than a custom cover (which admittedly, I do hope to someday procure, but for now... it's tarps).
Wow! That looks like a lot of work! Do the grommets scratch your gelcoat?
The best tarp job I ever did used the mast as the peak of the framework. I closed off the bow and stern with a 2x4, screws and fender washers. Excess tarp was wrapped around the 2x4, further spreading the load. I was able to pull the boat into a heated building to tarp it. This year was a rush job in the cold. It convinced me to buy heated gloves which I would highly recommend.
I'm thinking about picking up some 1x2 furing strips to roll up in the edge of the tarp so the load isn't just on the grommets. I can then use a screw through the tarp and into the wood to add a single hole D ring.
After wrestling with tarps and home built frames, I broke down and bought a custom fitted cover with frame. It went up fairly easily and allowed for access to the boat all winter. In the spring when weather was not cooperative I was able to work inside the boat. It was worth every penny and amortized over the 10 years I owned it, not particularly expensive on an annual basis.
When the custom fitted cover on my current boat reached its EOL, I replaced it with another fitted cover. Then I got older, added solar panels and the time to remove the canvas, frames, and solar panels and reinstall them was excessive, it was 2 or 3 days of work in the fall and spring to cover and uncover the boat. Second Star now winters in a barn. The canvas stays up, the solar panels stay on, and weather is not an issue when working on the boat. It is money well spent.
When the custom fitted cover on my current boat reached its EOL, I replaced it with another fitted cover. Then I got older, added solar panels and the time to remove the canvas, frames, and solar panels and reinstall them was excessive, it was 2 or 3 days of work in the fall and spring to cover and uncover the boat. Second Star now winters in a barn. The canvas stays up, the solar panels stay on, and weather is not an issue when working on the boat. It is money well spent.
A
absolutely agree! I am on my third custom made cover over two different boats. They last at least 10 years with the newest one having a projected life that’s even longer due to newer materials.
Attachments
Yes, it is a bit of work, especially the initial build phase (year 1). It gets easier with practice. To protect the gel coat I use sections of pool noodle foam to keep the tie down lines and metal grommets off the hull.
I’m going to be a heretic and suggest (at this point in winter) that unless you can get it shrink wrapped you should skip the tarp cover and order a custom cover for next year. You’ll have a rough time putting on tarps yourself this time of year in Chicago.
Yes, it’s awful for the boat to leave it uncovered but tarps are worse. They constantly move from the wind and scuff and scratch the finish - whether paint or gelcoat tarp damage is worse for the finish than ice and snow damage. You’ll spend days compounding to bring it back, and every cycle of compounding makes the finish thinner. As a multihull owner since 2001 wintering boats in CT with either no covers or incomplete covers - I know the freeze-thaw toll is not as bad as many people would think. Your boat doesn’t have much wood, and that is key. The other thing that’s key if uncovered is to be able to shovel out the cockpit after every snow because the skuppers will freeze solid and you must prevent meltwater from entering the interior of the boat. A toddlers plastic-edged small snow shovel is ideal for this.
If you must cover it your wallet might be the best tool (to hire someone to shrink wrap it). The shrink wrap is not only costly but is an environmental concern, whereas the custom cover next year will last many years and be a plus if you sell it with the boat.
Yes, it’s awful for the boat to leave it uncovered but tarps are worse. They constantly move from the wind and scuff and scratch the finish - whether paint or gelcoat tarp damage is worse for the finish than ice and snow damage. You’ll spend days compounding to bring it back, and every cycle of compounding makes the finish thinner. As a multihull owner since 2001 wintering boats in CT with either no covers or incomplete covers - I know the freeze-thaw toll is not as bad as many people would think. Your boat doesn’t have much wood, and that is key. The other thing that’s key if uncovered is to be able to shovel out the cockpit after every snow because the skuppers will freeze solid and you must prevent meltwater from entering the interior of the boat. A toddlers plastic-edged small snow shovel is ideal for this.
If you must cover it your wallet might be the best tool (to hire someone to shrink wrap it). The shrink wrap is not only costly but is an environmental concern, whereas the custom cover next year will last many years and be a plus if you sell it with the boat.
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Shrink wrap is around $1000. I have a cover but the mast is resting on deck due to a miscommunication with the yard. They want $600 to move it due to the boats location, labor and equipment needed to execute such a task. My cover will not fit with the mast on deck. My primary concern is leaks while I'm away. The forward hatch needs a new gasket and it cant be replaced in the cold due to sealants not curing properly. I have some weather stripping in place for now and it seems to be working. One of the genoa tracks also has signs of a potential minor leak that was discovered recently. All are on the to do list. I'm sure I'll discover more as time goes by.
If your budget allows, paying the yard to move the mast and putting on your cover is the best IMHO. As for your leaking hatch, you could use 3m “preservation tape” or ”hull tape” (the type of tape used with shrink wrap). Those tapes seal well and remove without leaving adhesive residue.
I’d leave it uncovered rather than use tarps.
Edit - if you do use a tarp you must not use your mast as a central support for the tarp. I made that mistake many years ago and the weight of the snow and ice put a permanent bend in the mast.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,816
The yard put it on the pulpits. Unfortunately it pulled the bow pulpit out of one of the bases (see saw effect) so I'll have to bug them for the sawhorse that I was promised to begin with. They were bought out and are struggling in their first year under new management
Good idea. One hole down, 99 to go though