Full Length boat cover

[Jerry Schrock]

I am considering purchasing a full length boat cover for my Catalina 28 for in the water, year round use. Would keeping the sun, pollen, and dirt off the deck keep the maintance of waxing and polishing to a minimum?

 

[Brian]

probably, but...

I have considered this before myself. I decided that I would end using my boat about half as much because I wouldn't want to deal with taking the cover on and off. I am sure your boat would be happy though.

 

[Steve Dion]

P.I.A.

Jerry:This may not be a bad thing for the winter months when the boat is NOT being used, but I would agree with Brian. This is a royal P.I.A. (pain in-the ass). These are heavy and difficult to store. They are going to be very dirty (that is the stuff you wash off the boat now) bird crap, spiders etc. Then you are going to try to store this 300-500 sq ft of heavy dirty cloth down below when you are trying to enjoy your boat. Oh, ya I forgot to mention the little sand bags that you need to keep the thing from blowing all over the place.Unlike a sailcover (bad enough) you are also going to need regular maintenance on this cover for holes, snags and restitching. And the bottom line is you still need to wash the boat down.

 

[Geof Tillotson]

Heat Build-up

Don't forget the heat build-up. Wouldn't a dark WARM moist place be a perfect breeding ground for mold. And cooking the holding tank, or for that matter the fresh water tank brings to mind other nasty thoughts.And, if you have to get aboard fast, or secure the boat during hurricane or heavy weather, it just adds to the complexity.just my $.02.Geof s/v Day-O

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

I've done it for years, successfully

For my Hunter 29.5 I use a 10x15 for the bow and 15x20 for the aft, with the mast as the demarcation. The key is getting the right tarp. I use Too-Tuff and get them shipped from New Jersey for under $40. They last 12 months and keep the boat in excellent shape. Traditional blue poly tarp won't last but a month or two under stress.No bird droppings, no chalking, no mold inside, no problem to roll up Saturday morning and unroll Sunday night. The trick is to minimize the holding points and to use bungee cords strategically without overkill. I can cover the boat in 10 minutes. If you want details and a phone number, email me at bodonovan@vagazette.com

 

[Jerry Schrock]

thanks for the info!

Thanks to everyone for the thoughts. I have decided to have 2 zippered sections and can choose to do full or half depending on my state of mind/weather at the time. Storage is no problem as they will fit in my dock box/or car when sailing. I do know I will still have to wash the boat and the covers but will see if this helps the teak finish last longer which will save me a lot of time and effort if it does.