Winter covers - full cover vs. cockpit cover

[Morgan donor]

Driving on the NYS Thruway, I was daydreaming about what to cover my boat with. My latest hvy. duty tarp "adventure" had self destructed in the Lake Ontario winds. I looked over at the flatbed semi going 75 mph, next to me...eureka!

Find out who makes the the covers locally for flat bed truck trailers. 14oz vinyl, 3 pieces, giant heavy duty grommets to tie it together and down. Use your mast on horses as a ridge pole. Make sure mast is high enough to shed lake snow. Pad all your mast fittings. Don't tie it down to your Jack stands! Lace it under the boat till it looks like Converse high top sneakers.

I paid $700 for the covers but that was at least 15 years ago. NOT as classy as a canvas cover. But a whole lot less money! And a lot tougher (and heavier) than canvass.

 

[dlochner]

Driving on the NYS Thruway, I was daydreaming about what to cover my boat with. My latest hvy. duty tarp "adventure" had self destructed in the Lake Ontario winds. I looked over at the flatbed semi going 75 mph, next to me...eureka!

Find out who makes the the covers locally for flat bed truck trailers. 14oz vinyl, 3 pieces, giant heavy duty grommets to tie it together and down. Use your mast on horses as a ridge pole. Make sure mast is high enough to shed lake snow. Pad all your mast fittings. Don't tie it down to your Jack stands! Lace it under the boat till it looks like Converse high top sneakers.

I paid $700 for the covers but that was at least 15 years ago. NOT as classy as a canvas cover. But a whole lot less money! And a lot tougher (and heavier) than canvass.

Yep, they work, but you have to pay the yard fees for the crane to put it on your boat!

Are you down at Bayside?

 

[Morgan donor]

Yep, they work, but you have to pay the yard fees for the crane to put it on your boat!

Are you down at Bayside?

 

[Morgan donor]

Used to be at FHYC, but sold the boat to your dock mates end of 2017. Moved to FLA.
Bayside was smart enough to pull all the sticks as part of their haul fee. (The winter wind is less and the early spring air temps SO much warmer down there.)

To Jan11 regarding the benefit is snow: Have to strongly disagree. The temperature cycles that normally occur in the "Great White North" work on the caulk. The deck and fittings absorb heat at different rates, and that expansion and contraction will eventually overcome the elasticity of sealant. New boats are likely fine, older boat? Not so much. But if you pull all your deck fittings, genny tracks, hatches, stanchions and winches every 10 years and reseal...you'll be fine.
Trust us old guys on this one- cover your boat!

 

[dlochner]

Used to be at FHYC, but sold the boat to your dock mates end of 2017. Moved to FLA.
Bayside was smart enough to pull all the sticks as part of their haul fee. (The winter wind is less and the early spring air temps SO much warmer down there.)

To Jan11 regarding the benefit is snow: Have to strongly disagree. The temperature cycles that normally occur in the "Great White North" work on the caulk. The deck and fittings absorb heat at different rates, and that expansion and contraction will eventually overcome the elasticity of sealant. New boats are likely fine, older boat? Not so much. But if you pull all your deck fittings, genny tracks, hatches, stanchions and winches every 10 years and reseal...you'll be fine.
Trust us old guys on this one- cover your boat!

Gary and Kay are taking good care of the boat and enjoying it immensely. They are one slip over from me.

 

[Jan11]

To Jan11 regarding the benefit is snow: Have to strongly disagree. The temperature cycles that normally occur in the "Great White North" work on the caulk. Trust us old guys on this one- cover your boat!

As one of those old guys I have to point out that you don't have temperature cycles when there is snow on the deck. The snow is an insulator. You get more temperature cycling, by far, in the summer time. Especially down south in Fairhaven. Sailed into there a few times. Fun place.

My boat went 33 years uncovered without any water intrusion per this month's survey, not that this proves anything.

 

[dlochner]

As one of those old guys I have to point out that you don't have temperature cycles when there is snow on the deck. The snow is an insulator. You get more temperature cycling, by far, in the summer time. Especially down south in Fairhaven. Sailed into there a few times. Fun place.

My boat went 33 years uncovered without any water intrusion per this month's survey, not that this proves anything.

It is not the temperature cycling, it is the freeze thaw cycle. A little water gets under something, it freezes and expands opening a path for more water to enter to repeat the cycle. In some respects, up north in the ADK where the there are longer periods of below freezing temperatures and fewer warm-hard freeze cycles there may be less of an issue.