Boat Cover

[J&C]

Hello to all,

I am weighing the possibility between buying a boat cover for my Oday 23 or making one. I would prefer to buy one if it is remotely affordable.

Any tips from those of you who bought a boat cover for your Oday? Has anyone here made one? Thanks for your help.

 

[1977oday22]

I use a 30' x 40' blue tarp from Harbor freight.
It's not the most elegant, but it works.
I think it was about 25.00 and I can't complain about that.
Cheers

 

[bellnier]

Hey Kevin This will be my first winter for storing 'Greta' in the back yard. Did you build a frame or did you simply wrap the tarp around the boat?

 

[1977oday22]

I didn't last year but seen a great idea I'll use this year.
I store the mast laying on top of the boat.
A friend of mine made these simple wooden 1x2 x 3 feet or so. at the top he drilled a hole in them and connected 2 - together with a little peice of rope... Then, he simply layed one over the mast about every 2-3 feet. Giving it a tent effect.

 

[HukilauMike]

Hello to all,

I am weighing the possibility between buying a boat cover for my Oday 23 or making one. I would prefer to buy one if it is remotely affordable.

Any tips from those of you who bought a boat cover for your Oday? Has anyone here made one? Thanks for your help.

I was getting sick of the yearly shrinkwrapping fees, so I looked into buying a cover for my Oday 23. Having a custom frame and heavy canvas cover made was just so expensive that I dropped the idea completely. Instead, I bought some pvc tubing and made my own frame, covering it with a blue tarp. The frame lasted about a week before a winter storm broke some of the tubing, leaving me with a mess. I fixed it once, strengthening the whole shebang with scrap wood, but that didn't really take either. A noble failure. I went back to shrinkwrapping. The shrinkwrapping works so nicely and requires so little effort on my part (other than writing a check).

Whenever I get ambitious, I think about trying this:

www.bosunsupplies.com/Cover.cfm

 

[Joe11688]

Hello to all,

I am weighing the possibility between buying a boat cover for my Oday 23 or making one. I would prefer to buy one if it is remotely affordable.

Any tips from those of you who bought a boat cover for your Oday? Has anyone here made one? Thanks for your help.

Carla,
I've been using large polytarps to cover my O'Day 222 for many years and I really never had much luck with them until I experimented with various ways of holding them down without tying them. I used milk jugs filled with water and various methods of tying these tarps and they would always rip on me. Finally, I came up with a way of securing my main tarp without getting rips and tares. What I have been doing is removing my stays and spreaders and wrapping the mast with old pieces of polytarp cut into strips of 2'X 10' or more feet long. I wrap both ends of the mast so that my main tarp has chafe protection. In essence what I'm doing is using the mast as a ridge pole for the tarp. The mast is tied to the mast crutches. Then I spread my 18'X30' Polytarp over the top of the boat and tuck the tarp over each end of the mast and use a 3/8"X5' rope to tie a large clove hitch with half hitches to anchor the tarp to each end of the mast. After I've tied one end I make sure that the tarp is stretched out taught, then I tie the other end. Then I take a 3/16"X100' braid line and tie it off to my trailer or a boat stand near the stern and spiral the rope over and under the boat and tie it off at the bow. At the bow where the two ends of the tarp come together, I take a piece of strapping about 4' long and role the tarps around it and use a carpenter's spring clamp to hold it in place. I leave the stern area of the tarp open a little so that the air can circulate under the cover. That's it. I've gotten about six years out of a polytarp. A canvas is good, but they're a little heavy and the material is pricey.
Joe

 

[J&C]

Thanks to everyone who replied. We appreciate it.

Joe, as always, the pictures help me to visualize what you are describing. Here is Northern CA, snow is usually not an issue. I am looking for a solution for sun and rain protection. The poly tarp idea sounds pretty good. Do you happen to have a good source for poly tarps or do you just run down to Home Depot?

Thanks, Carla

 

[Joe11688]

I tried Home Depot and they were too expensive. Up here we have "Ocean State Job Lot" stores and I found a nice heavy duty 18'X30' Polytarp for under $55.00 and bought it. Harbor Freight may have a good buy on these tarps also. For sun and rain, you can't beat a polytarp. I've been buying the Ozark Trail blue polytarps at Wal Mart and using them for awnings. They have plastic reinforced corners on their tarps. I bought an 8X10' to go over the boom and a 5x7' for over the forward hatch for when I anchor in the cove in the hot summer. You can't beat them. They make the boat so cool and also keep the morning dew off the deck when I get up in the morning. I bought some 3/16" braid line and cut pieces to size for the tarp. Also, I bought a grommet tool with 1/2" grommets. The grommets on the tarp are never centered right where I tie off to the mast and end of boom, so I install the grommets so that the tarp can hang even over the boom and tie the tarp off to the lifelines. I use quick release hitches on these tarps so I can remove them in a hurry if I have to. The last pic is my "poor sailor's Bimini Top." My apologies for Penny's rude behavior. She likes to moon the camera.
Joe

 

[J&C]

Thanks for the tips. We live near both Harbor Freight and Wally World. Also appreciate the quick release knots. I use them all the time but my "knot challenged" husband does not.

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks for the tips. We live near both Harbor Freight and Wally World. Also appreciate the quick release knots. I use them all the time but my "knot challenged" husband does not.

The thing to always keep in mind about Polytarps is that they are flammable. Outside of that, they're cheap, they keep out rain and snow and protect the boat from UV rays.
Smooth Sailing!
Joe

 

[billh]

Carla (& Joe)

What the others have said works well regarding tarps. The blue ploy tarps work well for sun and rain. But if there is snow they need some extra braces to prevent the sagging area's

I lay my mast on the rails for and aft, and add some braces in the center area of the mast as well. Then simply drape a tarp over the entire thing. After several years of having to recover the tarp after heavy winter winds in Upstate NY, I figured out to add some more grommets. Then I run a string through the grommets and basically thread it around my trailer frame and the grommets. This gives good holding points for the tarp.

Also, I learned to shorten the tarp on the bow exposing a bit of the bow, and leaving it open in the back as well. Making a breezeway through the tarp. This allows moisture to escape reducing the chance of mold and mildew as the breeze blows through the underside of the tarp between the tarp and the boat. I open the hatches and all is nice and dry and moisture free come Spring.

This years addition will be a white tarp. it was actually an advertising banner a monster tarp essentially as the back side of it has no writing. I will drape that over the blue tarp. The issue is aesthetics. I can see that blue tarp through the woods and it sticks out like a huge beckoning monster. Drapping the white one over it should reduce the eye sore factor there. Blend in with the snow and all that.

However it is important to add more grommets to the tarps for more holding points with having the front and back open for wind to pass through. Or you will be hearing it flapping on windy days or worse chasing it down the road when the wind blows it off!

Happy Sailing

 

[RichBone]

Carla (& Joe)

What the others have said works well regarding tarps. The blue ploy tarps work well for sun and rain. But if there is snow they need some extra braces to prevent the sagging area's

I lay my mast on the rails for and aft, and add some braces in the center area of the mast as well. Then simply drape a tarp over the entire thing. After several years of having to recover the tarp after heavy winter winds in Upstate NY, I figured out to add some more grommets. Then I run a string through the grommets and basically thread it around my trailer frame and the grommets. This gives good holding points for the tarp.

Also, I learned to shorten the tarp on the bow exposing a bit of the bow, and leaving it open in the back as well. Making a breezeway through the tarp. This allows moisture to escape reducing the chance of mold and mildew as the breeze blows through the underside of the tarp between the tarp and the boat. I open the hatches and all is nice and dry and moisture free come Spring.

This years addition will be a white tarp. it was actually an advertising banner a monster tarp essentially as the back side of it has no writing. I will drape that over the blue tarp. The issue is aesthetics. I can see that blue tarp through the woods and it sticks out like a huge beckoning monster. Drapping the white one over it should reduce the eye sore factor there. Blend in with the snow and all that.

However it is important to add more grommets to the tarps for more holding points with having the front and back open for wind to pass through. Or you will be hearing it flapping on windy days or worse chasing it down the road when the wind blows it off!

Happy Sailing

What about where the tarp lays on the lifeline stanchions?

Rich

 

[billh]

Rich,

Ah, good point, I remove lifelines and stanchions. They have two screws holding them in so I remove the screws and lay the stanchions down on the deck right there where they were attached.

However I could leave them if I were to raise the mast higher on the boat. I raise the back with a brace so I can access the cabin while she rests to do work in there. But if I were to raise the front and back of the mast I could clear the stanchions I suppose.

But, it is simple to remove them preventing poking holes in the tarp. But lesson learned, have a hand under the screws or face trying to find them in the grass when you drop them Mine are fine threaded and short set screws so when they pop out it happens quickly and I have had to fish around in the grass looking for them when they drop. So now I keep a bucket or hand under so when it does fall I am catch it.

Happy Sailing

What about where the tarp lays on the lifeline stanchions?

Rich

 

[Joe11688]

What about where the tarp lays on the lifeline stanchions?

Rich

I remove the lifelines and stanchions from my boat.