Boat cover repairs... advice needed.

[WilliamUK]

Hi again - another one of a list of things on my to-do list.

The cover that came with my boat needs some work. I'd get a new one, but right now I can't afford it so this needs fixing up.

There are some holes, some small slits and some threadbare parts.

I'm told that this cover let water in - the water is the reason the deck has a hole in it - and the hole is the reason I could afford to buy the boat. Before fixing the deck, I want to be sure it's not going to get wet like that again.

Any advice on how to get it back into useful condition where it'll keep the wet stuff out?


My thoughts were to patch the holes, back the slits with a synthetic fabric of some sort and then coat the repairs and the threadbare bits with some sort of waterproof/rubber paint. I have no idea what products to use or if this is even a good approach to take though.



I also need to replace the velcro (which no longer sticks) - is any old velcro up to the job or will I be needing some special UV-resistant super-boaty-type velcro?

 

[ianat182]

Assuming that the cover is an acrylic or plastic surfaced one you could patch with Evostik,and the fabric you have, however the Velcro strips will need to be sewn I expect if under any strain.
An alternative might be to purchase a set of die and punch brass eyelets and replace the Velcro strips with a lace-up set of eyelets. They'll have to be brass ones as stainless will need a special press to fit them. Might also be worth investing in a palm thimble and some sail needles and waxed whipping twine or Polyester thread for future repairs. You can buy a an old sewing machine for about 15-20 quid at a car boot to do any other canvas/sail work using a 'denim' sewing needle to do it.

ianat182

 

[WilliamUK]

I'm not sure what it is.
It seems to be a synthetic weave with a rubbery/plastic type coating on both sides. I don't have any fabric or any coating to use yet. I was hoping someone might be able to suggest the right things for the job.

I'm expecting to need to sew the velcro. Not sure if I'll get an awl or a palm to do it though. Well, that or get a sturdy machine at a car boot.

 

[bigwow]

Just take it into your local firm that do curtain sides for lorries, they will fix you up and not at boaty type prices

 

[WilliamUK]

I've found one 40 minutes away and will see if they can give me a rough idea of price over the phone. I'm on a seriously tight budget though, so I may still need a DIY method.

 

[electrosys]

If it's the same type of material as lorry curtains, then it's a soft PVC with a laminated fabric core. The best suggestion is indeed to take it to your local truck or tarpaulin repair firm for heat-welding, as you'll need some offcuts to patch it with anyway - which they'll have in abundance.

If you can source offcuts elsewhere, then a 2-part PVC glue is best, but a good professional 1-part (such as 'Stelmax 1985') would also do the job.

But - heat-welding is by far the best solution, if this can be arranged.

 

[WilliamUK]

Thanks.

I can't be 100% sure, but I think it probably is the same stuff as a lorry curtain.

As I said to bigwow by PM a moment ago, the trouble with getting it done by a professional is budget. I've got funds for buying the boat (done) and fixing the hole in the deck (I've got some mahogany ply offcuts lined up - need to settle on glue and method - another thread though). As I now have a not-entirely-unexpected list of extra repairs and replacements anything I can DIY is a bonus.


For the parts that are just wearing a bit thin, is there a paint-on soft PVC that I can daub on for a few years service before rain starts dripping through?

 

[electrosys]

Hi William - I suspect you're not going to want to hear this - but going back to your original post ...

I'm told that this cover let water in - the water is the reason the deck has a hole in it - and the hole is the reason I could afford to buy the boat.

Seems to me that you can't NOT afford to fix that cover properly, otherwise history is simply going to repeat itself, and all your hard work and expense to repair the boat will have been wasted !

If this were my boat, then what I'd do until finances improved is either:

1) buy a 'cheap and cheerful' tarpaulin - the sort you can buy at boot sales or off Ebay, and install it under your existing cover. They don't like UV too much and have a life of one or perhaps two years - but under your cover it should last a lot longer.

2) leave the cover off completely, as a cover with even a pin-hole in it is much worse than having no cover at all. The reason being that even a small amount of water trapped beneath the cover will cause an area of high humidity to be created whenever it's warm, which creates ideal conditions for rot spores to multiply and spread. Allowing the hull to ventilate naturally will largely prevent this, although the hull should have some meaning of draining-off rainwater which will otherwise accumulate in the cockpit.

Good luck, Colin

 

[WilliamUK]

Cheers Colin.

You're absolutely right, of course... and that's why I'm keen to either pay for it to be done if it's affordable or do a good job myself if not. I have the boat in the back garden now so every time it stops raining I take off the cover, dry everything off and leave it to air.
Whether I pay for a fix, DIY it or buy a new cover I'll be checking it after every rain in the same way. I intend to solve the cover problem before I fix the decks.

When in discussions with my partner in crime she asked why I was so bothered about the cover and my response was virtually the same as yours. There's no way I want to go to the effort of fixing the deck only to have it rot away again.

As the plan will be to start sailing the boat as soon as repairs advance far enough to allow it (a new pintle, a couple of cleats, a bung, floor scraped - painting can probably wait, and the deck fixed) I'm not keen to have to stow a lightweight tarp and then fuss around setting it up again every time we finish sailing. I'd like to do as good a repair as I can on the current cover and then, probably in a few months, buy a completely new one.

If I can't do a good enough job of a repair I think Plan C will be to take down the mast after every sail, stow it somewhere and turn the boat hull-up until I can get a cover. Not an elegant solution and a complete pain in the backside, but that's why it's Plan C after A (see if I can afford to have it fixed) and B (see if I can fix it).

The only ways I see of draining the cockpit right now are with the autobailer left open -which will only drain the starboard side - or through the transom flaps which can only drain it down to the last inch.

 

[Reptile Smile]

Old Boater's saying:

"If you can't mend it with gaffer tape, you haven't used enough..."

It depends on what your aspirations are, but a sly approach with some gaffer and an offcut of heavy duty plastic membrane will give you a serviceable and waterproof fix for about a fiver, and will last a season. Then see where you are finance-wise...

 

[WilliamUK]

Old Boater's saying:

"If you can't mend it with gaffer tape, you haven't used enough..."

It depends on what your aspirations are, but a sly approach with some gaffer and an offcut of heavy duty plastic membrane will give you a serviceable and waterproof fix for about a fiver, and will last a season. Then see where you are finance-wise...

How is gaffer tape like The Force from Star Wars?
It has a light side, a dark side and holds the whole universe together.

I don't know why I didn't think of that (maybe I'm trying too hard) as when I lived in the French alps, a lot of us who were hard-up used to repair rucksacks and mountain clothing with gaffer and it did a great job. As the winter season progressed you could spot the ski-bums you hadn't already met by the gradually growing patches of gaffer all over their kit.


It's an option... though I'm hoping to manage something a little more sturdy before resorting to wonder-tape. If I do need to do that though, what do you mean by "heavy duty plastic membrane"? Something particular or just whatever I can haul out of a skip?

 

[Reptile Smile]

You and I seem to be on the same wave-length (btw, am currently starting a blog at nanobudgetsailing.wordpress.com - there's not much there yet, but if I can tempt you into writing anything for it, that'd be fab ).

I meant see-through plastic tarp, skip digging, or frankly part of a bin liner if it came to it... Anything to keep the rain out of the boat and the money in your wallet...