Boom tent
- Thread starter regor-123
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We use a canvas painter's tarp from Lowe's. It was $5. I planned to install grommets (also available at Lowe's) but saw some plastic tarp clips that are more versitile. The clips were $1.50 each and I got six of them. The tarp is 5'x6' which sounds small but does a good job. I also bought a 8' x 10' painters tarp that I have not taken out of the package. The clips are easy to use and can be repositioned or moved to another tarp. I put the tarp over the boom (half on each side) to give the cockpit general shading. The clips are attached to the lifelines or stanchions or grab rails with bungee cords. This size tarp allows you to see while you are sailing or speaking to passersby at the dock. If the sun is coming more from one side you can attach one edge of the tarp to the boom and the other to the lifelines, stanchions, etc. There are a lot of possibilities and I only spent @ $20 including new bungees. When I attach the tarp to the boom (around the sail) I only use the bungees that have a ball on one end so it loops around itself. I don't like hooks near the sail. The painter's tarps are an off-white color which I think looks better than the blue tarps and they breathe so you do not get as hot. The fabric is also quiet in the breeze unlike the blue tarps. I may use the larger tarp to shade the entire cabin and most of the cockpit when I am anchored out to reduce the temperature down below.
In the post above I mentioned using the boom tent while sailing. I should have said motoring but it could be used while sailing with the jib/genoa alone. When I am using both sails I don't have any protection from the sun but a bimini is near the top of my list of future improvements.
Before I bought a Bimini I made a boom tent using a ground cloth I bought at REI, it was blue in color and tough as nails. Already had brass grommets installed 8 X 10 in rough size so that meant it was roughly 7'6"X9'6". I bought two small pieces of PVC pipe (smallest I could find at one of the big box stores) A small line was fished through the PVC I added a small washer then tied a knot to hold them against the PVC. These lines went through the grommets on the corners. Put the boom tent on the boom then run the aft lines to the cleats the forward lines went down to the turnbuckles. This worked great for me. To help hold it in the center (if needed) small lines can be attached one for the backstay and one for the mast.
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