Winter cover - tarp - please send photos

[hudson_rogue]

Hi - I am trying to get ready for winter storage (in my driveway). I need to continue working on various parts of the boat, so the cover should be removable.

I can't afford a custom cover.

I think a tarp over the boom would work, but I don't have the mast up. I could put the mast up, but that seems like a bad idea for the entire winter in my driveway.

If you have any photos of your winter storage solutions - especially if they include a tarp that is removable for work days, please share them here.

It is fine if your photos show boom mounted draped tarps, though I"m particularly interested in ideas that don't

 

[fred1diver]

Where are you storing the mast?
When we put the boat to sleep for winter we made mast crutches to support the mast a good distance from the top of the boat and cover the whole boat with a tarp

 

[hudson_rogue]

Where are you storing the mast?
When we put the boat to sleep for winter we made mast crutches to support the mast a good distance from the top of the boat and cover the whole boat with a tarp

good idea

 

[dlochner]

Where are you storing the mast?
When we put the boat to sleep for winter we made mast crutches to support the mast a good distance from the top of the boat and cover the whole boat with a tarp

This is what most people do. Build the crutches high enough so you can move around a bit under the tarp.

A common mistake people make with this approach is tying the tarp down only at the edges. It is more important to have lines going over the top of the tarp to keep it from billowing in the wind. The grommets at the edge are not all that strong and will pull out from the billowing. For a 22' boat 3 or 4 lines over the top will work along with some lines from the edge.

 

[Apex]

@dlochner and some lines or straps UNDER for carrying additional load. Good idea on over the top. To combat weakness in the grommet
I would use a tennis ball, and bunch the tarp material around the ball, then use a cow hitch to secure.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

The best tarp job I ever did was on a 19' boat. I believe I used a 25-30' long tarp. I don't remember the width. My mast was resting on the pulpits. I sealed off the bow and stern by screwing the tarp to a 2x4. I used fender washers. Surprisingly, I only had one partial pull through over the winter. To really secure it, you can roll the tarp around the 2x4 and then secure it. I placed a few large objects inside, such as milk crates and buckets, to keep the tarp from sagging. I had very little snow build up that year.

Be mindful of tarp grommets and bungee hooks touching your hull as they will leave scratches

I see a lot of boats in the yard with a little bit of an opening. The owners don't go for a complete seal as it can be hard to acheive

 

[JBP-PA]

Where are you storing the mast?
When we put the boat to sleep for winter we made mast crutches to support the mast a good distance from the top of the boat and cover the whole boat with a tarp

Some years if I'm not storing the mast on the boat, I use some 2x4's as the ridge pole on the mast crutches.

 

[JBP-PA]

The best tarp job I ever did was on a 19' boat. I believe I used a 25-30' long tarp. I don't remember the width. My mast was resting on the pulpits. I sealed off the bow and stern by screwing the tarp to a 2x4. I used fender washers. Surprisingly, I only had one partial pull through over the winter. To really secure it, you can roll the tarp around the 2x4 and then secure it. I placed a few large objects inside, such as milk crates and buckets, to keep the tarp from sagging. I had very little snow build up that year.

Be mindful of tarp grommets and bungee hooks touching your hull as they will leave scratches

I see a lot of boats in the yard with a little bit of an opening. The owners don't go for a complete seal as it can be hard to acheive

You can use milk jugs with some water or other weights to keep the tarp tight. Grommets rip out easily. You can buy tarp locks, but it's easy to make your own. Take a golf ball or smooth rock and tie it into the tarp with some string. This spreads the load better plus you can put them any where you like.

A complete seal is bad, you don't want any rain or snow to get in, but if you can arrange for some ventilation, it keeps mildew down. People who shrink wrap often need to use dessicants or even dehumidifiers.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

You can use milk jugs with some water or other weights to keep the tarp tight. Grommets rip out easily. You can buy tarp locks, but it's easy to make your own. Take a golf ball or smooth rock and tie it into the tarp with some string. This spreads the load better plus you can put them any where you like.

A complete seal is bad, you don't want any rain or snow to get in, but if you can arrange for some ventilation, it keeps mildew down. People who shrink wrap often need to use dessicants or even dehumidifiers.

I use jugs with my winter cover. They work very well. If you fill them up 2/3-3/4 of the way with water, they won't leak or burst. Unlike a piece of line they are self adjusting as things settle in. Bungy cords are self adjusting but they usually only last a season, sometimes two

 

[fred1diver]

We use gravel(rocks) in our jugs instead of water, no need to worry about the jugs busting.
The best we heard from compound members is to install rope of straps at a few places to hold the mast and prevent the tarp from being compressed and stretched, and yes straps/ropes… on the outside as well, we always leave the front a bit open to prevent mildew, this year we will try to partially close off the aft with a zipper door to prevent raccoons from going in, we were always lucky in the past (dryer sheets or car air freshener all around, inside and some outside. A lot of our members had issues with them, even on the docks
Where we are located there are MANY of those buggers.
But it is easy enough to do, if you plan on going in and out often when covered, I may suggest making a different style of crutch for the stern as we did, it allows us to easily go in and out.
I will try to find pictures, mind you our boat is 30ft so a bit bigger than a 22, but still just make it so it makes your life easier

 

[shemandr]

One problem with a tarp is that if it is large enough to cover the middle of the boat, it will be entirely too log at the ends of the boat. Then you faced with awkward ways of using up that extra tarp while trying to create a tight closure. Instead you can fold the tarp along the horizontal mast support so that the tarp hangs evenly from stem to stern. You can use tape at points to hold the shape while you take it off the boat. On the ground you can then use tape - there are varieties that make a very strong bond - to secure the seam. For my skiff my wife sewed the seam on her Kenmore sewing machine but it was only 14'.
I think I probably heard about this on this forum. So apologies to that original poster.
Animals are a problem. If a raccoon wants in, it'll get in.