Winter boat cover - oval "pool tarp" vs rectangular?

[Chris & Lenore]

I was going to purchase my usual 30 X 40 foot tarp but heard that some people use oval pool tarps instead? Apparently less expensive and the oval shape avoids all the excess tarp at the bow and stern.

I'm just curious if anyone has anyone tried this?

The shape makes more sense and they use a "cinch" line instead of grommets that should work well.

Any comments or advice?

Chris

 

[David in Sandusky]

Why do you cover your boat? Ours has spent the last 17 years on the hard near Lake Erie with no discernible effects.

 

[31seahorse]

In past years we have stored our boat in the storage yard with the mast up and have struggled to cover it effectively. Many years we did not cover it. When we did cover the boat the excess tarp at the bow or the stern was handled by crossing the tarp corners under the bow and the aft end was pulled onto the frames for the dodger and bimini. Two problems always reared their ugly heads when (1) we tried to work the tarp around the mast and the shrouds and (2) when the tarp sagged and created ice dams on one side or the other of the boom which supported the tarp aft of the mast. [ Oh, yes, then there was the year when I used good old red plastic bailer twine to secure the tarp by running that stuff under the hull. I did get a ration of ribbing from friends for that choice when the twine continued to pull apart all winter!]

Tomorrow our boat will be hauled out in Geneva, NY. At this boatyard the mast must be removed for fitting into the travel lift and for storage in their yard. I plan to use a heavy, rectangular, gray tarp to cover the boat. The mast will be supported on "X" braces at the stern and the bow. That will eliminate the shroud and standing mast difficulty, but it will take until next spring to see whether the ice dam condition can be avoided by stretching the tarp tight and by supporting it with lines out to the toe rails.

 

[31seahorse]

After thought..... We used a light to medium weight blue tarp to cover furniture being moved to NY in our open trailer. When we arrived after the four hour trip the furniture was covered with blue tarp flecks! Would pool tarps suffer from a similar destruction during the winds of several/many winter storms and cold temperatures? "Mongo not know. Only pawn in game of life"

 

[shemandr]

Tarp issues: For years I've had trouble with making an effective, easy to place and remove tarp. Not there yet. These years includes a professional made canvas tarp with framework, which didn't always last the winter storms. I sent that tarp off to the new owner. I'm not sure it was a favor.
Now I'm trying to cover a 14' dory and it's not going that well. I've made the sprit boom a fore-aft supporting member with risers forward of the bow, attached to the trailer, and aft from PVC on a wooden base. Still, with a rectangular tarp there is room for rain to gather, or snow and ice, and you know it will. That's just one boat! The runabout I have has a cover I bought which is OK. After three seasons I learned that three risers made of PVC, anchored on plywood bases, can make it through a winter - if we don't have too much snow. Once snow sticks to the tarp it is only a matter of time until there is sag and then it just gets worse.

 

[DougM]

Why do you cover your boat? Ours has spent the last 17 years on the hard near Lake Erie with no discernible effects.

Did you ever see your boat with three feet of partially frozen snow in the cockpit and on the decks ? That adds a few hundred pounds of excess weight, can unbalance the boat on stands if the sun hits one side more than the other. Freeze/Thaw cycles can get water into nooks and crannies where it refreezes and expands. we live in a snow belt and can get over 100 inches of snow in an average winter. The cover helps to shed a lot of that accumulation.

 

[Chris & Lenore]

This is a case where I needed to provide more information.
Our boat has an aluminum cover framework from a previous cover, just no fabric.
We tarp more for rain than snow. The past two winters we used a 30 X 40 polytarp over the aluminum frame and the boat was completely dry to the point where we could actually do some deck work (sun and cover create a fair bit of warmth).
No moisture/mildew issues as I have a 30 watt solar panel powering a 600 cfm fan that pulls air from the engine room, bilge and cabin (in that order). Not even a stale smell in the spring with this setup.
The boat is in Toronto and there is very little snow. Last two years there has never been any snow at all on the tarp itself. Guess 4 million people generate a lot of heat
So my question is "just" around using an oval pool cover vs a polytarp - both over the existing aluminum framework. The rectangular tarp has a ton of extra material at the bow and stern. But I'd hate to buy a pool cover only to find that it really doesn't fit well enough. Looks like I may need to flip a coin

Oh, on our previous boat (on Lake Erie) we tried two seasons of not tarping. The issue was the cockpit filling with snow and turning to a solid block of ice over the winter. When it rained in the spring the water had no way out of the cockpit and only a few inches to rise before flowing over the bridge deck and into the cabin. Ended up having to tarp over the cockpit which was as much work as tarping the entire boat...

Chris

 

[Justin_NSA]

Did you ever see your boat with three feet of partially frozen snow in the cockpit and on the decks ? That adds a few hundred pounds of excess weight, can unbalance the boat on stands if the sun hits one side more than the other. Freeze/Thaw cycles can get water into nooks and crannies where it refreezes and expands. we live in a snow belt and can get over 100 inches of snow in an average winter. The cover helps to shed a lot of that accumulation.

+1
Freezing can cause unseen damage. Covering also gives your boat a break from the UV rays a few months out of the year. Yes, even on cloudy days. Then there's the birds that roost on the mast and target your deck.

 

[Tally Ho]

I never covered my Hunter 280, but she had an open transom and I did not worry too much about flooding the cockpit. I did worry about the long winter UV exposure and freeze/thaw cycles doing damage in unknown cracks.

When I got the O'Day 322, I tried to cover it with home-made frame and tarps. Looked butt-ugly, but the tarps made it through the winter. Took a lot of work to build the wood frame, etc.

The next year, I splurged on a custom-made canvas cover. Much easier to install, no damage to the canvas after 1 year( I am hoping to get 5-10 years out of it). It was pricey, but the cockpit is covered to keep out the snow and rain, the port lights, hatches, etc are protected from UV over the long winter, and she doesn't look so butt-ugly !


Greg

 

[sailortype]

framing and tarping is a total PITA and takes at least a full weekend in the cold Fall, but I would never not cover my boat. The cockpit fills with snow that then melts and becomes a huge heavy block of ice blocking the scuppers. Huge weight as mentioned above being supported on a few square inches of contact at the pads (which may or may not be positioned under bulkheads), and in our marina alone I have seen two split cockpits due to the ice expansion and several flooded boats... once the ice fills the cockpit the run off has nowhere else to go. Add in the effects of ice constantly freezing and thawing in all the fittings... I will always cover my boat.
(and I will always take my mast down and cover it)

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I was going to purchase my usual 30 X 40 foot tarp but heard that some people use oval pool tarps instead?

Any comments or advice?

Chris

Typical "pool tarps" are permeable as they are designed to trap solids, not water.

Not sure if you are referring to something else or if I took your nomenclature too literally but a pool tarp is useless if your intent is to keep the boat dry.

 

[shemandr]

. Huge weight as mentioned above being supported on a few square inches of contact at the pads (which may or may not be positioned under bulkheads),

Shouldn't the weight of the boat be supported by the keel to block/ground? You've cited some good reasons to cover the boat but I don't think weight on the pads is one. Someone could argue that the extra windage of the cover would put more force sideways on the pads than the weight of snow or ice would put on them, if properly blocked.

 

[bletso]

As I work on Vigah in the winter we have tried a couple approaches. The blue tarps are horrible. I use 8 mil shrink wrap, but we don't shrink it. I have a frame from electrical EMT conduit, Klover klamps and fixtures from Defender. http://69.89.27.238/~sailboa1/2013/10/29/protecting-vigah/#cover I can get 2 + years out of the cover. Took less than a day to set up if everything is ready and the wind co-operates. You would be astounded what a big sail a 24 X 50 ft cover is!!!

 

[justsomeguy]

You would be astounded what a big sail a 24 X 50 ft cover is!!!

Being sailors, I don't think we would.

 

[berner73]

The next year, I splurged on a custom-made canvas cover. Much easier to install, no damage to the canvas after 1 year( I am hoping to get 5-10 years out of it).

Got a similar cover the year we bought the boat. Has held up great for the past 7 seasons (New England Winters). To date, we've already paid for the cover and saved another $1K when compared to shrink wrapping every year. Cost aside, one of the nicest benefits is the ease of putting it on and taking it off. Not sure how easily tarps go on, but they appear to come off fine as there's always a bunch blowing around the yard during the Winter months.

 

[dscribner]

We cover our boat with a PVC framework: essentially ladder sections tied to the toe rail and push/pull pits. Then PVC ribs spaced at about 24" over the horizontal mast and clipped to the ladder sections, secured with (please take a seat) duct tape! The first few years I tailored a "Mah-den's tahp" (AKA those cheapo blue ones) to be a real cover. That material only lasts a few years before abrasion takes its pound of flesh. SO . . . two years ago, as I was walking thru Marden's (AKA Mah-den's) I spied a Sunbrella wannabe for $4.99/yard. About $125, two weekends and 60 pounds of cloth later, I have a beautiful winter cover, Pacific Blue (the correct color for a sailboat anything). Some might be thinking "PVC! Are you nuts! How strong can THAT be???" Go ahead, I'll wait. . . . . OK, the PVC frame has easily taken many hundreds of pounds of built up ice and snow. So much that if I was any brighter, I'd be embarrassed to admit that I had let it go that long. I mean, this is MAINE! The snow aint gonna move itself! And if it stays, and starts to melt and collects on a pretty blue, waterproof cover which causes bigger places for the water to collect . . . . Well, you get the picture. Inside it looked like bleachers at a Willie Neslon concert. Took an hour and all the strength in my legs to get the stuff off.

 

[bletso]

I tried PVC and it did not like high cold winds. It became brittle in 0 degree temps and 25 mph winds just destroyed it. That was 1 1/2 in. sched 80 pipe.

 

[Doug4bass]

Why do you cover your boat? Ours has spent the last 17 years on the hard near Lake Erie with no discernible effects.

Oh my.................

 

[bletso]

Well let's see... Most of the damage to Vigah was due to neglect for sure, but the unending freeze / thaw cycles in KY did its job. How strong is freeze /thaw. It lifted the sail tracks off the mizzen track and boom. It gradually over time opened any crevice it could find and expanded it. I replaced a good bit of the interior and some of the deck core. Oh my........ is and understatement. Of course if far enough north and it freezes and stays frozen, not such a big deal. It is the cycles which will do the damage. After all freeze / thaw cycles bring down mountains and help create pot holes!!!

 

[sailortype]

...and the damage is cumulative. Water is relentless and freeze/thaw cycles extremely damaging.
Good post bletso. Everyone makes their own choice on this but I will never not tarp my boat no matter how much of a pain it is.
@shenandr... point taken although it might also be argued that the smooth deflecting surface of the cover may present less windage then all the appendages on an uncovered boat. You are right of course when you say that the weight is on the keel but in howling winter winds there is considerable leeeward forces on just a few square inches of contact (flat pads against the curved hull) under two and maybe three pads, and 2-3 feet of snow on the boat and a cockpit full of ice adds to this considerably. Having said that, the weight/windage argument is more for taking the mast down for the winter... huge windage and levering action, again on a few square inches of pad contact which may or may not be under bulkheads. I see many boats in the yard with their hulls pushed in at the pads and this does not always spring back into shape. And when I see pics of toppled boats, they invariably have their masts up.
Tarping/mast unstepping is very much a 'your boat, your choice' type of thing.