Dinghy tube cover

[miha90]

Does anybody know where people get their covers for small to medium sized inflatable boats? I‘m talking about covers for the tubes that stay on permanently while the boat is in use. I guess they are good UV protection but I would mostly them to protect my 2,5m dinghy‘s tubes from sharp objects. i realize there are a lot of different boats with different size tubes. This might account for the lack of this product on the market???

 

[Daverw]

You mean what they call “chaps”? From what I’ve seen they seem to make them as needed to suit, seen a number of youtubers do them

 

[Graham376]

You mean what they call “chaps”? From what I’ve seen they seem to make them as needed to suit, seen a number of youtubers do them

Because of professional cost, most I know including myself have made them ourselves, easy enough if you have a machine capable of sewing the fabric thickness.

 

[VicS]

Does anybody know where people get their covers for small to medium sized inflatable boats? I‘m talking about covers for the tubes that stay on permanently while the boat is in use. I guess they are good UV protection but I would mostly them to protect my 2,5m dinghy‘s tubes from sharp objects. i realize there are a lot of different boats with different size tubes. This might account for the lack of this product on the market???

ITYWF that Covercare, based in Thornham Marina will make them.
Rib Covers

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[duncan99210]

They’re a custom item, fitted to each model of dinghy. Sailmakers, spray hood and cover makers will do make them for you. Make sure you’re sitting down when the quote arrives…..
As Graham says, most make them to keep costs down. We made a set for our current dinghy, worth the hassle as the relatively cheap dinghy is still going 7 years on. However, be prepared for a certain amount of marital discord during the design and manufacturing stage…. Ours cost about £120 for materials and a week or so to cut and sew. We used cheap shower curtains to make the patterns, as the material draped similarly to the acrylic canvas.

 

[Graham376]

We used cheap shower curtains to make the patterns, as the material draped similarly to the acrylic canvas.

I didn't bother with patterns/templates for chaps but shower curtain is a good idea, presumably being non stretch. I need to make new sprayhood this winter and will give curtains a try for patterns

 

[Martin_J]

If you're making a new sprayhood, another cheap material is found in those cheap blue crinkly sounding tarpaulins, the like of which you'd get in Toolstation or other hardware stores. It's very much like the clear patterning fabric in the Sailrite videos

I used that tarpaulin fabric to pattern for a sprayhood


And for a full cockpit tent...


Back to the original post .. Best patterned to match your needs and a heavy sewing machine isn't actually needed for sewing a couple of layers of something like Sunbrella. With fairly simple seams held in place (before sewing) with double sided tape any machine should do. It's not gong to be as heavy as doing a full sprayhood.

 

[ashtead]

I would endorse Covercare who made some covers for our spray hood plastic windows . Very helpful and delivered on time.

 

[Eeyore]

As others have said, most are DIY to keep costs down. This was our first attempt, and we have since made several more for other boats.

 

[miha90]

What would be the best way to secure the cover on the outside. Or is there no reason due to the heavy material? I don't want it flopping around due to wind or waves...

 

[Graham376]

What would be the best way to secure the cover on the outside. Or is there no reason due to the heavy material? I don't want it flopping around due to wind or waves...

Wind will lift it if not fixed down. I originally used some plastic hooks (can't remember the name) which clipped over rubbing strake lip but found the best way was to use hook and loop (velcro). Glued direct to tubes it fell off after a few months so, after advice here, sewed it to some strips of pvc dinghy material and stuck those to tubes. Adhesive and pvc available from Polymarine.

 

[Martin_J]

As Graham 376 says - Or if the dinghy is made from hypalon, sew the velcro to a hypalon patch then stick that patch onto the dinghy.

Maybe even try a long piece of velcro stuck into a concave section in the rubbing stake all the way around, if there is one.

You could always use the painter/ towing rings as more secure places.. perhaps even design the chaps to clip into or around the painter rings somehow.

 

[Martin_J]

If you watch the Sailrite video, you'll see that simply having a line run around the outside seam (like a leech line) can hold the chaps down nicely as well.

That's what I did for my dinghy cover (temporarily) about two years ago... it's been fine through the last two winters :/

Sailrite do show some other methods as well

How to Make Dinghy Chaps

 

[Eeyore]

We used Velcro, about 1" wide, on the inside and outside of the tubes. You have to carefully sand off the top coating only of the hypalon before gluing the Velcro on and we used SC2000 glue. The Velcro on the Sunbrella is sewn on. Never had any problems whatsoever since first fitted.