Boom Tent left over winter?

[Tim Good]

I've never used a boom tent but they look like a low cost solution as something to give protecting from sun or rain when on the boat or protection from the elements when not.

My question is does anyone have one that they leave on through the winter months to give the cockpit / spray good additional protection? I my case I do go to the boat every 3-4 weeks in winter anyway but wondered if a bomb tent would stand up to a good blow if tied down well.

 

[Seajet]

I have a simple boom tent, just a rectangle of thick 'waterproof canvas' material with lots of eyelets; it's very useful as you say in sun or rain, but I don't think it would stay put in a severe gale.

I wouldn't even think of using it on a boat ashore on chocks etc, way too much windage.

Definitely worth having for while you're aboard though, mine is in use as I type by a chum living on his boat.

 

[Tim Good]

I have a simple boom tent, just a rectangle of thick 'waterproof canvas' material with lots of eyelets;

Yeah that's the kind of thing I mean. I notice there are lots of places selling 550gsm canvass tarps for not too much. With an eyelet punched in the middle I suppose it could be shifted further astern and attached to the backstay with a loop connecting the boom to the topping lift rather than a full slit and valcro.

 

[Seajet]

Well it depends on your boat, as you can see my boom stops a fair way forward of the backstay; I suppose I could have a longer 'tent' and roll it up partially to use as in the pic, or maybe use a spinnaker pole, brush etc to extend right to the backstay.

In this particular set-up it would be necessary to fit boom crutches of some kind as the topping lift needs to be taken off.

 

[RAI]

Lots of eyes

I have one, very useful to keep the sun off in harbour. However, it does need lots of hold down points to spread the load during a blow. The more the merrier. Otherwise, it needs taking off before it blows off.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I have a simple boom tent, just a rectangle of thick 'waterproof canvas' material with lots of eyelets; it's very useful as you say in sun or rain, but I don't think it would stay put in a severe gale.

I wouldn't even think of using it on a boat ashore on chocks etc, way too much windage.

Definitely worth having for while you're aboard though, mine is in use as I type by a chum living on his boat.

Does it keep the rain off the side-decks?

 

[lancelot]

Hi.
I have used one for several years. The earlier ones needed replacing regularly as they were the cheaper plastic ones - degraded quickly in the Sun. Last year I bought a better one from Halfords, a thicker and much sturdier type. They come in several sizes, unfortunately they only sold green ones. It has been up at least a year and is going through its second winter. In fact, only today, my wife suggested a second sheet to cover the whole of the cockpit. I will price another one this week. My boat is a Cobra 850 and is kept in a marina and the tarp. is on everyday, unless we go out. We have had several gales during the year - mine is secured with bungee cord and during the winter/gales it is also secured with light cord. There are enough eyelets on mine. It keeps the rain off and has kept the boat drier. I would recommend one, however, I am in a marina with some shelter.
Fair winds,
Lancelot

 

[Lakesailor]

A certain forumite was in the habit of leaving this tarpaulin on his boat for extended periods.
It seemed OK, except that certain of the lashings came away now and then.

 

[JClarkes]

Would you leave a tent up in your back garden and come back after winter expecting it to be in the same shape.

Leaving any sort of canopy up in the winter will stretch it here and there unless its a proper winter cover or tonneau cover. Obviously depending on where your boat is stored or sitting. Snow and ice can sit on the canvas making it sag in spots, then these sagging spots spoil the water runoff if the water can still run off. If it can't then you have a nice puddle forming on your canvas stretching it further.

Sprayhoods, cockpit covers, typical 2,3,4 bar canopies on motor cruisers and bimimis are a no no.

Cheapest option would be a hatch cover. If you want to splash out go for a bespoke tonneau cover (covers everything behind the hatch including the hatch. )

 

[oldsaltoz]

Back when I sailed a mono-hulls we had to have good shade as most of our sailing in the Whitsunday Islands.

We had a sheet of canvas that had some electrical PVC conduit pipe sewn into it, this meant the front end was fixed to the shrouds just below the boom height to give it fall (no pipes)

The centre of the sheet had a conduit sewn in so it ran from the back of the mast to the back stay. This prevents any sagging. (a large eyelet was used to pass the topping lift through).

Both sides had a conduit sewn in about 2 feet from the edge and another on the edge, this meant the conduit about 2 feet from the end could be secured onto the shrouds and the remaining conduit outside that was secured to the safety lines.

The rear end had 2 conduits sewn in, in each side leaving the centre conduit to support the
back end and the two short conduits to keep the back wide open (no sag).

In bad conditions at anchor or in port the frond section could be lowered to the deck and prevent and wind driven rain getting under it.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[Zagato]

I notice there are lots of places selling 550gsm canvass tarps for not too much.

Do you have a link for these as I am considering something similar - a tad larger than 10' Sq.

e.g. cover over the boom with a split at the back with velcro for the topping lift (as per my boat cover!) to attach it to the back-stay. It also needs to be held up higher over the guard rail so there is enough head height to sit in the cockpit - plastic pipes maybe looped over as some do or simply raised up on pipes attached to the rail. Mine would only be temporarily to keep the sun and drafts out.

Also there was a company at SIBs that made what looked to be good bimini covers/tents for a reasonable price if anyone wanted them already done.

 

[prv]

My question is does anyone have one that they leave on through the winter months to give the cockpit / spray good additional protection? I my case I do go to the boat every 3-4 weeks in winter anyway but wondered if a bomb tent would stand up to a good blow if tied down well.

Kindred Spirit came with two boom tents - one nice one in acrylic canvas and one grotty one in PVC lorry siding. I used the canvas one when cruising, putting it up in harbour in wet conditions to give a "porch" for taking off and storing oilies, etc. A couple of times I had a bucket bath in the cockpit under it. You wouldn't want to sit under it in the rain though like Zagato is proposing - go in the cabin, that's what it's for.

The PVC one I used while refurbishing the boat in the winter, taking it in the car each time (to avoid storing damp gear on board) and putting it up when I was working in the rain.

I would not rig a boom tent permanently over winter. It will either get damaged itself, or damage whatever you attach it to, or in extremis pull over a fin-keeled boat stored on props.

You mention using it to protect the spray hood - the right way to do this is to take off the spray hood (the hood itself if not the frame) and store it somewhere dry - same as the sails, dodgers, and any other external canvas.

Pete

 

[JClarkes]

I have said it before, but if your taking off canopies , sprayhoods etc... with windows in them, roll the windows rather than folding them. Folding them will cause them to crease and rip.

 

[explores]

For holding down the cover i use some Swedish clips that hold the material. The more presure on the cover the tighter they hold.
www.holdon-products.co.uk

 

[solar]

If you're planning to keep the boat for long...

Invest in a good cockpit tent with SS tube frame.
Then you can keep everything under it dry & safe all year long.
Mine is up for its 4 season and holding the elements out of my cockpit well.
Look around to get the best price,some of the sailmakers are asking for the Moon...others don't.

 

[matelot]

got a properly tailored boat cover. Tried it for part of one season but never again. Wind gets under it and gales try to move the boat - maybe rocking it on its cradle. The material itself rubs and scuffs against the grp. The bits of tie cord fray and give way.

Came to the conclusion that the boat is best left completely bare. No sprayhood or other canvas at all. Its how god intended.

 

[Bodach na mara]

Do you have a link for these as I am considering something similar - a tad larger than 10' Sq.

e.g. cover over the boom with a split at the back with velcro for the topping lift (as per my boat cover!) to attach it to the back-stay. It also needs to be held up higher over the guard rail so there is enough head height to sit in the cockpit - plastic pipes maybe looped over as some do or simply raised up on pipes attached to the rail. Mine would only be temporarily to keep the sun and drafts out.

Also there was a company at SIBs that made what looked to be good bimini covers/tents for a reasonable price if anyone wanted them already done.

I had a look using Google and found that they were expensive in any of the sites I looked at. eg £75 for a 9 ft X 6 ft compared with a plastic one at under a fiver.

 

[yodave]

Northcave; depends on your location. We have both a full cockpit tent and a boom tent, but on the hard last winter I rigged up a makeshift tent with heavy duty tarp. It was ripped to shreds within a fortnight ...so I certainly wouldn't leave £2500 worth of cockpit tent up over the winter, nor would I leave our boom tent up. There will be 70-80 mile an hour gales where our boat hibernates, so any covers have to be tight/close fitting with no air space underneath.

Seajet; nice photo. Dorset unless I'm mistaken. Never been there but recognised it from a photo here; http://macwester.wordpress.com/macwester-seaforth/

 

[danielefua]

I've never used a boom tent but they look like a low cost solution as something to give protecting from sun or rain when on the boat or protection from the elements when not.

My question is does anyone have one that they leave on through the winter months to give the cockpit / spray good additional protection? I my case I do go to the boat every 3-4 weeks in winter anyway but wondered if a bomb tent would stand up to a good blow if tied down well.

Did you ever see something like this?
In the port of Palma de Mallorca there are many wintering boats like this and I am sure they can resist strong winds.

...no necessity of boom/bomb!

Daniel

 

[akyaka]

We have a boom cover which we only put on in the winter when she is on the hard . Going down every 3/4 weeks such as Northcave we have had no problems. One of its major advantages is we can open the hatch in bad weather and not get rain/snow in the saloon; we are also not stepping out onto a dangerous icy cockpit some 3m above the ground. We found the cheap tarpaulins did not last but our sailmaker made one with double sewn edges etc for £50 which has lasted for over 5 years without any wear