Winter Boat Cover - Cotton Duck or Acrylic Coated Woven Polyester?

Rich Stidger · Oct 24, 2016

I have a Fairclough Cover made out of Cotton Duck. I have used it for 18 winters. I have modified it over the years to accommodate a wind generator and a radar pole by putting in cuts and zippers. For the last 5 years or so I have suffered thread failures that required me to either apply tape in the fall or hand stitch in place. Fed up with this constant problem, I went back to Fairclough in Essex, CT and had them restitch the cover. They told me re-stitching is needed about every 12 years.
I believe that the cotton duck material allows the cover to breathe and will eliminate a lot of condensation on or in the boat. However, since the weak point of all sewn items is the thread, I would insist that the cover be made with the lifetime Tenara thread. The thread itself is about 3-4 times the price of Dacron thread, but it shouldn't add more than $75 to the cost of the entire cover.
Regarding your question about putting the cover over the lifelines- sharp edges are to be avoided at all costs. My framework has 1x3x12' wood strips taped to the lifelines and across the metal legs that sit on the deck. The wood strips support the cover from sagging with a snow load and at the lifelines they eliminate the sharp edges.
Below you can see pictures of the framework with the wood strips, the inside of the cover after installation, and the outside view.

uncledom · Oct 25, 2016

I too have a Fairclough cover but I chose to go with the man made fabric. I will be moving south soon and Eric at Fairclough told me the cotton will not survive summer sun. He also told me new stiching about every ten years with the cover life being around twenty. Mine is a boom tent style and goes to the toe rail. The stantions are exposed. Not having a slotted toe rail on my Hunter makes tying it off more of a challenge but nothing too horrible. I think I would repurchase it again if I bought another boat. It really bothered me to keep using plastic and not being in a yard that recycled it.

Rich Stidger · Oct 25, 2016

uncledom said:
<snip> I will be moving south soon and Eric at Fairclough told me the cotton will not survive summer sun.

Would you be using the cover in the summer down south? When I was a Fairclough this last spring to drop off my cover for re-stitching, I asked about the expected life. I agree that he told me 20+ years but that they have seen some go as long as 30 years. It all depends upon how they are handled & stored.

shemandr · Oct 25, 2016

Ward, if you think it was labor intensive to erect your home made cover, don't look for relief with the Fairclough-isk cover. Mine used to take a solid two days to put up working by myself - some of that time was resting from the more arduous parts. Dragging the cover up from the ground to the cockpit was really a chore. Lifting from the cockpit to over the frame was worse. And it was in two parts. I had issues with the fit of the cover and the quality of finish as delivered. Every winter I would have to board the boat and repair areas where the frame loosened from the set screws or some other problem. If you think this is all acceptable for the superior protection the cover offers, I would counter that the cover acted like a bellows in the wind and pump dirt onto the deck of the boat. It never closed at the aft in five years of different renditions of placing it. In the spring the deck would be way more dirty than if it were un-covered. These covers have their attributes, but easy isn't one of them.

Rich Stidger · Oct 25, 2016

shemandr is mostly correct with his assessment of the Fairclough cover. I cannot imagine trying to install this cover or a similar by myself. It is definitely a two-person job. It takes my friend and I 8 hours to erect the frame and put on the cover. And we have been doing this for 18 years so we are well beyond the learning curve. For my 40' boat the cover is in two pieces and I wish it was three pieces. The piece from the mast to the stern is very heavy and it takes both of us to horse it up a ladder and on-board. Rolling it out on the framework also takes two people.
I have never had a problem with loosening frame members, but we have added additional wood strips to better support the snow load than were originally designed. I have had some fitting and closing issues at the bow and stern, and I suspect that the cover has shrunk over the years- can't prove it, but that is what I think. I do get some small gaps at the stern or the bow that do let in a little snow and rain, but it is minor. Attached are pictures of my bow and stern from covering this fall. Some years the gap at the bow is worse and the stern is tighter and other years it is the opposite. This year the stern had larger gaps. These gaps could also be caused by the framework not being pulled down as tightly one year vs another.
But for all of these issues, I must admit that this cover is the best I have seen. One of the pluses is that the boat is quite warm in the sun under the cover and you can get on-board during the early winter and late spring to do work. A heavy flannel shirt is about all that is needed to work comfortably.

Joe Blizzard · Oct 25, 2016

Ward H said:
$700 price difference

I could go through a whole lot of polyethylene tarps from Tractor Supply without ever approaching that price point...

joker460 · Oct 25, 2016

Ward H said:
What is shown in the photos and what your describing is similar to what I have now except I have a one piece heavy duty rip stop tarp which has shown absolutely no wear in the first two season. It takes a full day to assemble the 3/4" thin wall conduit frame and one day to manhandle the tarp into position, tape the joints and rope it down.
I think it is a pretty good system and most parts are adaptable to a different boat size. If I had the time, I would sew my own cotton duck cover, making three pieces that zipper together and install the grommets for the lines. But that is a bit of a project on its own.

All three custom covers I am getting quotes on do not require a frame, come in 2 or 3 sections and are supported by the boom and jib halyard. All three makers said they need to come to my boat to take measurements. The only one who says they have thousands of boat designs in their book already don't have a 1980 O'day 25 design.
My buddy was at his boat on Sunday and watched one owner put his cover on in under two hours. The yard said putting one on takes about an hour and the cover makers said the one to two hours at most. They install it the first year to ensure the fit is correct.

Another option is to leave it uncovered this year and sew my own next year. I should have plenty of free time by then.

I'm surprised it took so long to put up the frame. I just finished doing mine (Using the Klover Klamp Method) and the total install time was 6 hours with the tarp. Mast is down. The tarp lasts 3 to 4 seasons.

Gunni · Oct 25, 2016

There is a guy across the way from me with a sweet Cheoy Lee ...38? who keeps his boat and it's immaculate brightwork covered year round. His cover looks like a Fairclough cover and I swear he can have that thing off and stowed in just over an hour. It is boom hung and somehow straps to the bow, draping the stanchions.

lehighsail · Oct 25, 2016

Pictured to the left here is my H290 that was destroyed in Sandy. I replaced it with a H33. The Fairclough cover that I had, of course, did not fit. What I did was refitted the the skeleton structure using electrical conduit and splines from Home Depot, with rivets and straight connectors which was exactly what the original skeleton from Fairclough was made from. Originally, the cover was in two pieces. I cut the larger back section in two and added another section of canvas duck for a total of 4 pieces, and reconnected everything with #10 zippers. Sewed the whole thing on a 1949 Singer. The new cover is easier to put on because the canvas pieces are smaller and I can do the entire installation by myself. It takes me about 3 hours to do the framework and two hours to put the cloth cover on and tie it in place. It doesn't fit like a glove but with the alterations I did I would give the 'new' cover a grade of B. It does the job. I think the Fairclough cover was great.

Apex · Oct 26, 2016

our cover uses the boom and a single ridge board, so 2hours to secure. I have to remove the topping lift.
There are two saddles: one in the cockpit to hold the boom up, a second lashed to the mast. The second then houses a 2x6 ridge board that lays in the anchor roller. A very simple yet effective frame and cover.

uncledom · Oct 26, 2016

Rich, it's a boom tent style cover so no frame work and yes I plan to cut it down to a boom tent sun cover once south. I have 4 halyards on my boat and routinely use one to hoist things to the deck, sometimes directly and sometimes via the boom. I removed my old batteries to the bed of my truck and brought the new ones up using the boom and a halyard. No reason to strain yourselves gentleman. I work almost exclusively single handed and find it pretty easy. Perhaps you should sow a lifting tab or two into the cover to not only get it on the boat but to help take some weight off while you position it.

DougM · Oct 26, 2016

Joe Blizzard said:
I could go through a whole lot of polyethylene tarps from Tractor Supply without ever approaching that price point...

Good point, except if you store in the snow belt.
Up here, between wind and snow, no matter how carefully they are put on, they often don't last a month.

alexco38 · Oct 26, 2016

Went to a dump truck tarp company to have one custom made from my drawing. $400 + tax. 9 years now. No issue.
I put the cover and frame on the boat before haul out. Let the crane lift them up for me.
If I would have to do it again, I'll choose a frame-less design. They cut slots to go around the stenchion.

njlarry · Oct 26, 2016

The OP, Capt. Ward, was asking about choice of cover material. That's a great question. I would like to hear from experienced users their thoughts on both choice of cover material and toe rail vs waterline length covers.
Thanks to all.

Rich Stidger · Oct 26, 2016

I have already stated my preference on material for the reason of breathing. I have never had a toe rail cover, but I can say that having a cover that goes to the waterline seems that it would protect the topsides from the sun and UV for the storage season. I don't know if that claim is over-rated or real. You decide.

uncledom · Oct 26, 2016

It was explained to me by Eric at Fairclough that cotton is the better choice. It breathes and when it gets wet the fibers swell and the pitch makes it shed water. It will only last a bit over a year if you leave it on through the summer months. His words. It is UV sensitive. Because I wanted to convert it to full time use as a sun cover he said to go with the synthetic material. Mine goes to the toe rail without going over the stanchions. I am pretty happy with the design of it.

Doug4bass · Oct 26, 2016

I recommend NOT going over the stantions if you expect any kind of snow load. Ours is Top Gun. So far so good.