Covers..
If you build your own pitch, pitch, pitch. Custom covers are great but who you buy from often determines the quality, fit & finish. I've seen custom covers that are generally a sloppy fit when compared to say Fairclough cover. Fit is very important in a winter cover.
Perhaps in the mid west the snows are not wet and heavy but here in Maine I've seen 6" collapse covers due to the saturation and moisture in the snow (see photos below which were the result of was 6-7")..
Winter covers from Fairclough are expensive but also a good value. A cover for my 36' boat is $3200.00 +/- and will last more than ten years if well cared for and a shrink wrap cover is $700.00 each winter. It would take me only 5 years worth of shrink wrapping to pay for a Fairclough then the next five+ years would be free.
To this day I still choose to shrink wrap because I do not want even soft cotton canvas in contact with my Awlgrip painted hull all winter.
My only gripe with the custom canvas covers is that they rarely have enough pitch for Maine and will usually require, at additional expense, internal snow strut braces on top of the regular frame. They also require getting under them to bust the snow off when it gets too deep & heavy. Also canvas just does not shed snow like a shrink wrap cover does and tends to grip the snow vs. releasing it and letting it just slide off.
If you decide to make your own cover just remember:
#1 Pitch
#2 Cross ties at stanchions (prevents snow load from breaking or bending stanchions inward)
#3 Breathability and ventilation
#4 Perimeter board - prevents cover from resting on stanchions and poking through or loading/stressing the lifelines.
#5 If you use your mast as a ridge pole support it in multiple locations not just at the ends. There have been more than a few masts bent from supporting snow loads.
Cross ties:
P.S. I know I spelled perimeter wrong but I suck at MS Paint and spelling was the furthest thing from my mind.
Good Pitch = No Snow:
The material and the design are the two biggest contributors to snow shedding. Shrink wrap sheds snow like crazy.
This particular custom made Fariclough cover has a lower than ideal pitch, I've seen some made by the same folks with a much higher pitch, and when we get freezing rain that then turns to snow things like to stick to the canvas. Nothing beats cotton duck though for breathability!!
Minimal/Marginal Pitch:
If you build your own don't cut corners. These are all home made failures. I counted 9 collapsed covers in just this one 6-7" storm..
Top Shop vs. Fairclough on fit. This is a comparison of fit between two of the bigger cover makers. I know which one I would want...
Top Shop Cover: (photo courtesy Top Shop)
Fariclough Colver: (Photo Courtesy Bob S.)
If you build your own pitch, pitch, pitch. Custom covers are great but who you buy from often determines the quality, fit & finish. I've seen custom covers that are generally a sloppy fit when compared to say Fairclough cover. Fit is very important in a winter cover.
Perhaps in the mid west the snows are not wet and heavy but here in Maine I've seen 6" collapse covers due to the saturation and moisture in the snow (see photos below which were the result of was 6-7")..
Winter covers from Fairclough are expensive but also a good value. A cover for my 36' boat is $3200.00 +/- and will last more than ten years if well cared for and a shrink wrap cover is $700.00 each winter. It would take me only 5 years worth of shrink wrapping to pay for a Fairclough then the next five+ years would be free.
To this day I still choose to shrink wrap because I do not want even soft cotton canvas in contact with my Awlgrip painted hull all winter.
My only gripe with the custom canvas covers is that they rarely have enough pitch for Maine and will usually require, at additional expense, internal snow strut braces on top of the regular frame. They also require getting under them to bust the snow off when it gets too deep & heavy. Also canvas just does not shed snow like a shrink wrap cover does and tends to grip the snow vs. releasing it and letting it just slide off.
If you decide to make your own cover just remember:
#1 Pitch
#2 Cross ties at stanchions (prevents snow load from breaking or bending stanchions inward)
#3 Breathability and ventilation
#4 Perimeter board - prevents cover from resting on stanchions and poking through or loading/stressing the lifelines.
#5 If you use your mast as a ridge pole support it in multiple locations not just at the ends. There have been more than a few masts bent from supporting snow loads.
Cross ties:
P.S. I know I spelled perimeter wrong but I suck at MS Paint and spelling was the furthest thing from my mind.
Good Pitch = No Snow:
The material and the design are the two biggest contributors to snow shedding. Shrink wrap sheds snow like crazy.
This particular custom made Fariclough cover has a lower than ideal pitch, I've seen some made by the same folks with a much higher pitch, and when we get freezing rain that then turns to snow things like to stick to the canvas. Nothing beats cotton duck though for breathability!!
Minimal/Marginal Pitch:
If you build your own don't cut corners. These are all home made failures. I counted 9 collapsed covers in just this one 6-7" storm..
Top Shop vs. Fairclough on fit. This is a comparison of fit between two of the bigger cover makers. I know which one I would want...
Top Shop Cover: (photo courtesy Top Shop)
Fariclough Colver: (Photo Courtesy Bob S.)
