To cover or not to cover?

Impaler

Impaler

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Is it really worth fitting a winter cover? I have a 21ft boat which can easily be covered but wonder if there are any benefits. I hardly ever see covers on large boats kept ashore.
I guess it will keep bird doings off and stuff from trees but I intend to keep mine ashore in the marina. As most harbours are exposed to winter winds I worry that any cover will flap about no matter how well secured and cause scuffing of my immaculate gelcoat. I know that condensation can be an issue too, although I'm sure it can be managed.
I had one once on another boat and it was a PITA if I wanted to do winter work, access, loss of light and headroom in the cockpit. It was tailor made but still scuffed the topsides.
My dream is a lovely warm shed.
 
Impaler said:
Is it really worth fitting a winter cover? I have a 21ft boat which can easily be covered but wonder if there are any benefits. I hardly ever see covers on large boats kept ashore.
I guess it will keep bird doings off and stuff from trees but I intend to keep mine ashore in the marina. As most harbours are exposed to winter winds I worry that any cover will flap about no matter how well secured and cause scuffing of my immaculate gelcoat. I know that condensation can be an issue too, although I'm sure it can be managed.
I had one once on another boat and it was a PITA if I wanted to do winter work, access, loss of light and headroom in the cockpit. It was tailor made but still scuffed the topsides.
My dream is a lovely warm shed.
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I have always covered my boat .... what concerns me most is the damage that freezing water could do if trapped in any nooks and crannies.

Covers made from the heavy PVC that is used for lorry covers and side curtains does not flap although at the moment I am using 250 gram Monotex from Tarpaulins Direct. I note they now do 570g PVC tarps. They should be bullet proof and last for a good few years .. but are expensive.

Dont waste money on lightweight covers!

I use three overlapping covers so that I can easily gain access and have a tranparent one over the front section where the solar panel is mounted
 
I've seen to many covers just flapping around causing noise and therefore damage on grp boats. I can understand a cover for an old wooden boat as long as it is properly secured though.
 
In winter I do wonder whether a cover wouldn't just trap damp under it. If everything's left open, it does at least get a chance to dry out occasionally, as long as the boat can drain. Ashore it isn't such a problem but, unless the cover is 100% reliably self draining, it could easily fill up and cause stability problems afloat.

I rather think there's a better case for covering in the summer, when the sun has the strength to damage brightwork and paint.
 
A cover will protect your boat from harsh Winter weather. A wooden boat really needs this, but GRP ones benefit, too. Just Draping a £20 blue plastic thing over it will not do, though. The cover must be fitted, must be tied down securely and protected from sharp corners. Like Vic above, I have a Monotex from Tarpaulins direct. Mine is in one piece, but I have trimmed it to shape to fit the boat and re-hemmed it with plenty of tie down eyes. I have padding all around the guard rails and most important - the mast is down and being used as a ridge pole, also with padding. I guess this last thing makes most owners turn away these days. My boat stays dry and protected underneath it's cover, though. You can get clear Monotex, if you need to work under it.
 
eastlands said:
One reason you don't see covers on larger boats is the cost and size/weight of the cover when it needs to be stored.
I compromised on a tonneau cover for the cockpit that runs in the channel that secures the spray hood and ties to the stanchions. This protects the teak in the cockpit.
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When I bought my boat (39ft) it came with a full size winter cover, but it is very unwieldy and I was concerned that it added a lot of windage and a lot of extra pressure on the cradle. So I only used it one winter and had a cockpit cover made that uses the fasteners of the cockpit tent but is much lower profile than the tent. Very satisfied with that solution: the teak in the cockpit is protected and no extra windage.
 
I used to have a heavy cover, lorry curtainside, made in two parts split at the mast, hard to fit, dark inside, expensive £500+ needed to remove stanchions because of the combined weight with snow bent some, life expected 10 years?
Now I use white (Indian Made from Devon) tarps over water pipe hoops. Stil in two pieces, lighter though there still is a knack to folding to place if single handed, Daylight inside with crouching headroom and good ventilation. Cost about £70. Prone to tear the eyelets out though shockcord and wooden discs helps with that. Equal frost resistance to the heavy one but space under warms up much quicker. Noisy if working inside on a windy day. Life span 2-3 years. Around here when the lighter stuff starts to pinhole they just add another layer.
 
For 9 years my boat has been more or less without winter cover. The first winter it was covered from the mast and back. I found it was too much work and it was a fight to enter every time I came look after the boat, so after that I have just occasionally had a tarpaulin over the boom.
I cannot see any deterioration that can be linked to missing cover. I'm sorry i don't have any control sample. It was not in my budget. Also, the boat is 1982 model so it may already have reached steady state when I bought it.

Sometimes nature cover for me
20190119_183124.jpg
Does this count as a cover?
 
My boat is ... both my boats are ... all my boats are made of washable plastic. The only one I have a cover for is the Drascombe Longboat. Although it was quite useful for keeping bird reesmogg off when she lived under cover, it's pain in the liamfox outdoors, because water pools in it. This year I have left her with the cockpit cover I use in the summer, and that is working far better.

The other two take their chances. They get a bit green, but dealing with that is an hour's work in the spring.
 
I do cover my boat, over the boom, from the mast to the backstay. Trimmed at the sides so it is tied to the toe rail, reinforced along this edge with eyelets every 18" approx. Ends left open but tied together. In white 200gsm? medium weight from Tarpaulins direct. I usually have to make minor repairs each year but it usually lasts 5/7 years. I raise the boom slightly so there is plenty of room in the cockpit. Ideal for keeping the worst of the weather from the cockpit and woodwork etc. Being white gives sufficient light underneath to easily work in the cockpit.
 
Well worthwhile covering any woodwork. Plastic guttering over grab rails, canvas over tiller, cover over cockpit wood. Saves a huge amount of weathering and varnish lasts at least 5 times longer without damp freeze thaw action.
 
Agreed, I remove my tiller and rudder over the winter as they are varnished. However I prefer to leave my teak untouched and allow it to go grey, much like me. I can't really see that GRP and stainless will be hugely affected by winter up here. Sunshine on gelcoat is a summer problem and I do polish the coloured topsides before launching. I'm still not convinced about a winter cover, it can get very blowy up on a north and east facing boat park.
KAM said:
Well worthwhile covering any woodwork. Plastic guttering over grab rails, canvas over tiller, cover over cockpit wood. Saves a huge amount of weathering and varnish lasts at least 5 times longer without damp freeze thaw action.
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