Boat Cover?

[Inselaffe]

Hello!

My 22' ETAP came with a full boat cover. I'm used to this sort of thing for dinghies, but can't recall seeing something like it for bigger boats.

The boat will be on a pontoon, are there any negative points to using such a cover?

Thanks

Leigh

PS Got my Clymer outboard manual, looks just the ticket, thanks to previous advice!

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[tcm]

Boat covers are excellent for protecting the boat in your absence. They can also deter thieves who don't want to be wriggling under canopies which would spoil their rapid exit. Boats large and small have covers - up to and beyond 20mtres. Cost and ignorance is the main reaosn why not all boats have covers - the same explains many other items lacking in their inventory!

The only possible drawback is that in certain conditions and dependednt upon design, a cover may inhibit air circulation and hence condensation could be a problem, holding damp against certain surfaces. If poss, a cover should defl;ect rain but still allow air circulation

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[Evadne]

The negative point is that if your area is prone to theft, a thief can wriggle under a cover and spend as long as he/she likes smashing open the washboards.

On the other hand they do protect the varnish. Our boat is a bit bigger than yours but a £25 2-man tent on special offer from a high street camping shop was a perfect fit over a 4-man cockpit, and it is only into its 2nd winter that it's suffered a bit of storm damage. Quite easy to put up and take down, as well a being twice as tough as the average tarpaulin.

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[ditchcrawler]

If you have an all over boat cover it needs to be tight.I take a separate line from the stern to the bow & back all the way round & hitch the cover ropes to this.The area in front of the mast needs some separate support to avoid sagging & filling with water.I take lines from the gooseneck to the pulpit & sideways to the rails.You can use pieces of timber.It is a good idea to attach used plastic milk bottles filled with water to the ends of the lines after they are hitched to the all round line to stop flapping.

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