Building a cover

[pauls_SPT]

Hello,

I'm looking for help/advice on building a cover to work on my boat under. I've built any number of tarpaulin convers over it in the past three years and they've all either blown away of been ripped to shreds in the wind.

I've come to the realisation that I need help here, but I've no idea who to ask. I'm hoping somebody else must have done this in the past and can tell me who they spoke to and what they did?

My boat is in a yard near Falmouth, so if anybody knows of anybody local who can help, that would be fantastic. I'm thinking along the lines of a metal/scaffolding frame with a heavy-duty tarpaulin tied over it - all the wooden frames I've built so far have been smashed to smithereens come the winter storms...

The owner of the yard where my boat is has made if very clear that I'm not to build anything semi-permenent over my boat, but I'm sure this sort of thing would be OK...it's just a question of finding somebody who knows how to do it /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Thanks for any help,

All the best,

Paul

 

[aztec]

have a look at these...

i've spoken to the guy that runs it... Bob.

say steve from dorset fire put you in touch.. might be worth a pint!!

Tent thingy

good luck.

steve

 

[sarabande]

I am not sure that the garden patio tent things are going to be tough enough for the job, especially if there's a bit of a breeze around, or if you need it for more than 6 months or so..


I have used Monarflex tarpaulins on a building job, with standard scaffolding poles. Their site

http://www.monarflex.com/

shows all kinds of examples. They have a technical departments with all the answers to wind, light, durability etc.

The tapaulin is 100% waterproof, fixes to standard scaffolding, so if you don't feel like a DIY job, then any local scaffolding firm can whip up a frame in no time.

The kit would also have a reasonable re-sale value when you are finished with it, as there are frequent questions on the Forum.

 

[burgundyben]

Hi Paul,

How is progress?

I guess the weather is holding you back.

When I bought my boat she was in a tent, it had been scaffolded and then shrink wrapped. It did suffer from condensation so I cut some holes to let air through.


It would cost quite a few hundred quid to cover a boat the size of yours but you have to consider how much faster your progress will be.

Do you think the yard owner would allow it?

 

[Casey]

For the last two years I have covered Kala Sona with a tarpaulin - one of those cheap green thingys. I needed one 15 ft x 30 ft but could only get one 30 feet square so I doubled it over and installed that with the mast as a boom and my anchor rope as 'rafters' across the mast on to which I place the tarp. I then place a bungy rope all around the boat and secure the tarp to that with small rope. On top of the tarp I laced from side to side all of the mooring ropes I can muster, joining them together when necessary and securing them to the trailer holding the boat. A good throwing arm is needed! It is important that the tarp is secured so that it can give and bungy is just fine for the job and the ropes across it makes sure that it is heavy enough not to blow away.

The sheet I used is still in reasonable nick and good enough for a couple more years yet.

 

[andrewbodenham]

If you have a look on my website andrew-bodenham.co.uk you can see the cover I've constructed for my own boat. Essentially it's two portal frames (100x50mm channel) which can be unbolted for transport / storage, supporting 50x25 battens, supporting h/d tarp. In a more exposed situation, or for a bigger boat, you could use 75x50 timbers, or use additional support frames.
The portal frames are also designed to lift the boat, using a couple of chain hoists and a sling at each end.
The whole thing has worked very well this winter. The tarp is roped down, but also fastened to the woodwork along the edges at intervals with screws and penny washers. This stops the wind lifting it.

 

[pauls_SPT]

Thanks for the advice, everybody - I think my problem is the sheer size of cover I need...my boat's 40' long and 9'6" wide, so the cover needs to be fairly huge...

Hi Ben; progress, as you say, is slow - it's rained pretty much constantly for the last three months and I haven't done any significant work for weeks /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif It's all a bit frustrating, really, but I'm absolutely stuck for a solution...

Paul

 

[Timcowen]

Depends on the size you want but I bought a heavy duty affair via E Bay. It was described as a 'Car Port come anything port.' It consists of a heavy duty frame that had pins and circlips to secure the poles together. The fabric appears very hardwearing. Took a morning to construct. I secured it to the ground using ground anchors and ratchet straps and so far its survived all sorts of weather. It measures 20'X 10' . might be worth a look, I think it was posted under ' Boat covers' (paid £200)

 

[Forbsie]

I've got one that I 'acquired' after a mate finished a project. It's made up of 2"x2" studding with a curved roof that has now 3 layers of tarp. Every time one goes, I just add another one. The top tarp should be secured/wrapped round a baton at each end (fore and aft). To secure the sides, get some old cycle inner tubes and tie them to the grommet hole things and then to the studding. This gives the tarp more of a chance in high winds.

 

[pyrojames]

I put my boat ina barn. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Much easier, lots of work space, always dry. You just need to find a friendly farmer. Depending on how long you expect to be doing it, and how much the yard is charging for storage, it may not be as expensive as you think.

 

[Keith 66]

For a 40 ft boat you need something fairly substantial else it will blow away.
My father in law & I are using a shelter made up from scaffold poles rolled into hoops with short legs whatever you do make sure you have plenty of diagonal bracing. All purlins should be on inside and dont have sticky out bits.
It is a waste of time using polytarps or similar they are a conspiracy by the cloth manufacturers to sell more and are so utterly useless as to beggar description.
We are currently using a tarp made by a polytunnel manufacturer, he told us to put 6mm foam tape on the steel to insulate the cloth from the steel as when it gets hot in the sun the UV resistance of the cloth is degraded.We have done this and hope it sees the job out!
You may have a problem with the yard owner and a good cover does not come cheap but saves you time in the long run.