Winter Cover for mast up boats?

Don S/V ILLusion · Oct 6, 2020

Two options:
1. Boom tent tied to the toe rails to cover the cockpit and spinnaker pole serving same purpose forward, and
2. Move to Florida.

After years doing the former, we decided the second option was easier

berner73 · Oct 6, 2020

What does "cost effective" mean to you?

quadrille38 · Oct 6, 2020

Well Michigan here and same heavy snow sometimes.
I have a custom winter cover made locally. Terrific company with very effective snow shedding design.

sail sfbay · Oct 6, 2020

You might find this article helpful.

Sailboat Winter Covers: What to Look For - Practical Sailor

Since 1974, Practical Sailor’s independent testing has taken the guesswork out of boat and gear buying.

www.practical-sailor.com

custom boat covers:

Fairclough

"Ask" about our 2020 off-season discounts, on our winter covering systems for your boat. If it's protection your looking for "We got you covered" Custom Boat Cover Welcome

www.fairclough.com

Winter Sailboat Covers - Custom Made Durable Canvas Covers

Custom winter sailboat covers with steel galvanized frames. Our durable canvas covers are built exactly to your boat's measurements.

www.kinderindustries.com

Custom Sailboat Winter Covers

Custom Sailboat Winter Covers, Nor'easter Sailboat Winter cover

www.northshorecanvas.net

sailme88 · Oct 6, 2020

I'm in Maine.. WE get just a tad of snow... Did the PVC gig years ago. The PVC will fracture at the joints with wind and snow load. Did a Shelter Logic building for years. Worked great until the follow on boat was too big ( lifeline stanchions wouldn't clear the arc). The most cost effective was building a ridge pole framework of 2X4s in the bow, midship and stern. It supported a 2x4 ridge board that was joined together with plywood plates at the joints. Strapping was clamped on the stanchions inboard and outboard long enough to apply a top plate that rested on the stanchion top, thereafter no need for the clamps.. Then strapping was mitered to the ridge and doubled up stanchion strapping rails and screwed in place. ALL mitered pieces marked P or S and numbered. 40' poly tarp over the framework and secured. Not an advocate of leaving the mast up all winter, so fitted covers ( one came with this boat) are not an option.

Tally Ho · Oct 6, 2020

In Chicago area...so a bit snowy here...

this cover has worked well for about 5 years so far...

I got this one from “The Canvas Store”.

Greg

Sailfanatic · Oct 7, 2020

Start with

Winter covers - full cover vs. cockpit cover

We've got a 2004 Hunter 41 and cover it with a mishmash of tarps. It is time consuming and they often do not survive upstate New York winters. We are considering a nylon or polyester winter cover for next year (canvas is way to heavy to manage). Does anyone have any recommendations for how much...

forums.sailboatowners.com

MY perspective is that more plastic tarp covers fail than not, usually due to ripping from weight of accumulated ice balls. Any sagging in the cover and it will fail. To avoid sagging, the plastic cover needs a lot of pitch and to be absolutely tight as a drum.

TomY · Oct 7, 2020

This works for me: 2X6" high ridge supported by 3 A frames and a 30' X 50' plastic tarp.

Mast up, I'd go shrinkwrap and hope you could recycle it.

I live nearby and can keep an eye on it. I've never lost a tarp in over 10 winters on the coast of Maine but I think I'm the exception.

It helps me in the spring allowing some work to be done in poor weather. It keeps the boat bone dry and well ventilated (I leave all the hatches open below and open a small vent on each end).

The only cover that has no compromises, is a building.

Sailfanatic · Oct 7, 2020

TomY said:
.....

View attachment 185779

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That looks to have good pitch for discarding snowfall, but having the cover underneath the stand bases would give me a big cause for pause, although it is difficult to explain exactly why...same feeling if my boat was on either side...

ToddS · Oct 7, 2020

Sailfanatic said:
That looks to have good pitch for discarding snowfall, but having the cover underneath the stand bases would give me a big cause for pause, although it is difficult to explain exactly why...same feeling if my boat was on either side...

My boat yard has a strict "nothing attaches to the stands" policy... can't tie a tarp to them... nothing... understandably. I'm not sure if clamping the tarp between the stand and the hull technically counts as "attaches to"... but I wouldn't do that.

TomY · Oct 7, 2020

Sailfanatic said:
That looks to have good pitch for discarding snowfall, but having the cover underneath the stand bases would give me a big cause for pause, although it is difficult to explain exactly why...same feeling if my boat was on either side...

I'd agree, if I haven't been doing it for so long.

I tighten the poppits and capture the tarp against the hull. The stands are chained together in 3 pairs. Then I lash the tarp grommits from side to side under the keel.

Each end is sealed with a 4 - 6' 2x4 rolled up inside the excess tarp material, then another is place on the outside of the wrapped 2x, and screwed into it to sandwich - secure the ends.

I rarely loose a single grommet over the winter which is unheard of with plastic tarps.

I've never had the stands loosen due to the tarp. And I check all the stands in the yard and mine are the ones that need the least adjusting. We get a lot of wind right on the waters edge. Go figure.

Captain Larry-DH · Oct 7, 2020

Sailfanatic said:
although it is difficult to explain exactly why..

Not difficult at all... more likely to slip. Good eye.
(PS - not being critical of Tom. Utmost respect. Sometimes it just helps to have another eye on something.)

shemandr · Oct 7, 2020

The problem I had with tarps was that if I got one long enough to cover the boat from stem to stern, it was too wide for the ends of the boat causing me to use some wonky attachment system. This was true for 5 or so boats I had. One year I got a tarp for my dory. It had the usual problem. So I tied the grommets to the trailer and folded the tarp excess along the ridge pole. I then taped the seam and my wife made some fancy seam from her sewing background. It was pretty easy for her other than handling the tarp. So in the end it fit the boat pretty snugly and I replaced the ties with shock cord. The shock cord didn't make the whole winter, due to winds and some tree branches, and there was substantial water in the boat. Good plan - bad execution. Now you could probably just tape the seam. It helps if you don't have to leave the boat under trees.

sailme88 · Oct 8, 2020

When I tar

ped my boat I used these.. Slick as all get out.. A star shaped disc is placed in a gather of tarp where YOU want purchase. Then the pinch ring goes over the gather and secures the tarp.

Captain Larry-DH · Oct 8, 2020

sailme88 said:
When I tarView attachment 185829ped my boat I used these.. Slick as all get out.. A star shaped disc is placed in a gather of tarp where YOU want purchase. Then the pinch ring goes over the gather and secures the tarp.

Technology as old as the garter belt

You might think it’s new if you grew up in the pantyhose era. :facepalm:

sailme88 · Oct 9, 2020

Captain Larry-DH said:
Technology as old as the garter belt
You might think it’s new if you grew up in the pantyhose era.

Larry, I did grow up in that era... But I didn't wear them....

Captain Larry-DH · Oct 9, 2020

sailme88 said:
Larry, I did grow up in that era... But I didn't wear them....

Pantyhose?

Winter Cover for mast up boats?

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