600D vs 1200D boat cover material..

[wipe_out]

A little over a year ago I got a complete "semi-custom" boat cover from the US for our Merry Fisher.. It's a great fit and all was well but the sun has made it weak and I have ripped it a few times now putting it on and off.. I had the rips patched but I don't think there is much life left in it.. It is made from a 600D polyester fabric..

Having a look online I see there are other companies making similar covers but from a 1200D polyester fabric ,which I assume is twice as thick, for a bit more than what we paid for the current cover..

So the question is if the 600D fabric cover lasted a little over a year how long can I expect a 1200D fabric cover yo last? 2years? 4 years?

Thanks for any thoughts..

 

[nigelmercier]

Real Sunbrella would have lasted at least 10 years.

 

[wipe_out]

Real Sunbrella would have lasted at least 10 years.

Yes, I agree but real sunbrella would also have cost over 7 times the price (I had quotes when I started my search early last year).. So if I can get more than 2 years from a "cheap" cover it will cost me 1/2-2/3 the price of the sunbrella cover over 10 years and I get a new cover every few years..

The issue is that the 600D "cheap" cover only lasted a little over a year before becoming "sensitive", it's still going and will probably last the winter so will reach about 18-20 months, so looking at it's replacement I would like something to last a bit longer for only a small price increase.. The 1200D cover seems to be the right way to go but I don't know what the relationship of longevity to material thickness is to estimate just how much longer I should expect it to last..

 

[nigelmercier]

Yes, I agree but real sunbrella would also have cost over 7 times the price ...

For the material perhaps. Labour will be the same each time.

 

[Nick_H]

I guess the D stands for Denier, and just relates to the thickness of the polyester, so the 1200 will be twice as thick, but it may be that your cover has failed due to UV degradation rather than lack of strength, in which case just buying thicker material may not give twice the service life. As I said on a previous post though, i'd be really surprised if US covers failed so quickly due to UV, as so many of the sportfishing boats are used in Florida.

Sunbrella is solution dyed acrylic, and you can buy unbranded copies. They're a bit stiffer than the genuine stuff, but the material seems to last OK. I'd ask someone like A1 Covers for a price to make an exact copy of your D600 cover in fake Sunbrella.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Real Sunbrella would have lasted at least 10 years.

The fabric will, but the stitching probably won't. Down in SoF the local cover makers reckon four years for stitching that's in direct sunlight.

 

[vas]

The fabric will, but the stitching probably won't. Down in SoF the local cover makers reckon four years for stitching that's in direct sunlight.

+1
what I've been told by the guy building the cover for my f/b.
He recons that he'll be restitching the cover every 4-5 years and the material should be good for 2 extra stitching...

V.

 

[wipe_out]

I did get a local cover maker to give me a price to copy the cheap cover in a material called "Topgun" which is apparently the cheapest viable material and good for 5 years.. It was still twice the price of the 1200D cover and 3 times the price of the 600D cover so I would still be better off with the off the shelf cheap covers and replacing them every 2 - 3 years if I can get one that will last that long..

Also considering abandoning the full boat cover and fitting a window cover, like seems to be popular in the med, for the front and side windows and then get a cockpit cover from the top of the pilothouse to the transom.. Might need some hatch covers too for the bow hatch and the sliding sunroof.. At least then the interior is protected and I will have to polish the rest of the boat to try and keep it looking good.. The advantage to this is its easier to take off and put back on when using the boat..

 

[Plum]

I did get a local cover maker to give me a price to copy the cheap cover in a material called "Topgun" which is apparently the cheapest viable material and good for 5 years.. It was still twice the price of the 1200D cover and 3 times the price of the 600D cover so I would still be better off with the off the shelf cheap covers and replacing them every 2 - 3 years if I can get one that will last that long..

Also considering abandoning the full boat cover and fitting a window cover, like seems to be popular in the med, for the front and side windows and then get a cockpit cover from the top of the pilothouse to the transom.. Might need some hatch covers too for the bow hatch and the sliding sunroof.. At least then the interior is protected and I will have to polish the rest of the boat to try and keep it looking good.. The advantage to this is its easier to take off and put back on when using the boat..

I have been using Topgun fabric for many years and am very pleased with it. My oldest cover is 11 years old and stays on all year (in sunny Essex!l). It is still servicable with no weakening or stiffening of the fabric and will probably go on for another year or two. I use the Sand colour and after 6 years is starts to look a bit grubby but have never investigated the best cleaning fluid.

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