Winter boat cover

[Lloydus123]

I was wondering if anyone knew the ball park figure for a tailored winter boat cover for a 30 foot yacht .I’d like it to extend all the way down to the waterline to protect the topsides that I am currently refurbishing . Anyone who has had one made before ? And if so any recommendations?
Thankyou

 

[Tranona]

How long is a piece of string? Type of fabric, method of support, openings, fitting around shrouds, over guard rails etc. Will certainly be in £000s but the only way to find out is to get 2 or 3 quotes. When I had mine made - not so sophisticated as what you propose the design was the result of much discussion with the experienced guy who made it. Where are you based? You need a local to come and spend some time with you measuring and discussing the options.

 

[Lloydus123]

I appreciate the answer, when I say ball park I was just trying to work out weather I’m looking at hundreds or thousands to be honest . I’m based in southsea marina , there’s a cover place there that I’m going to discuss with next time I’m there , was just itching my brain wondering what kind of price bracket I’m looking at

 

[oilybilge]

I paid £550 for a fitted cover for my 24-footer. Good quality, light-weight fabric, sturdy loops etc.

 

[Tranona]

I appreciate the answer, when I say ball park I was just trying to work out weather I’m looking at hundreds or thousands to be honest . I’m based in southsea marina , there’s a cover place there that I’m going to discuss with next time I’m there , was just itching my brain wondering what kind of price bracket I’m looking at

Definitely in thousands, particularly if you are looking at mast up and over guard rails down to topsides as there is a huge amount of work in fitting around mast, rigging and guard rails. Top of the range supplier would be Tecsew and you might also try Kemps in Gosport as they do good canvas work.

If you plan on keeping the boat an overall winter cover is an excellent investment. Mine kept the weather off my wooden boat in a marina berth typically October to April for about 15 years with only odd repairs, mainly to cuffs round the mast which took a lot of strain. don't skimp on material or reinforcements.

 

[[70521]]

I have no idea, but if you are in Devon my favorite sailmaker does them.

Rowsell sails, Sailmaker, canvas work, repairs, kite repairs

 

[Lloydus123]

Definitely in thousands, particularly if you are looking at mast up and over guard rails down to topsides as there is a huge amount of work in fitting around mast, rigging and guard rails. Top of the range supplier would be Tecsew and you might also try Kemps in Gosport as they do good canvas work.

If you plan on keeping the boat an overall winter cover is an excellent investment. Mine kept the weather off my wooden boat in a marina berth typically October to April for about 15 years with only odd repairs, mainly to cuffs round the mast which took a lot of strain. don't skimp on material or reinforcements.

I was thinking of giving tescew a call also , they used to do all the canvas work when I worked at southerlys , always done a great job . I’ll compare a couple prices . 15 years sounds well worth the money , especially after all the hours I’m currently putting into the varnish work .
Thanks

 

[lustyd]

Your boat is 9m long and probably at least 3m wide. As such you'd need at least 4 lengths of acrylic canvas to cover it, probably 5. This means around £700 just for the fabric. To keep it tied down without it rusting you're probably looking at another few hundred for the fittings including expensive zips to allow it to fit around masts etc. so let's call it £1000 before anyone starts work.
1 person spending a day discussing requirements, answering your calls through the process, chasing payment etc.
2 people for 2-3 days measuring and pattern making
2 people for a day cutting out
1 person for 4 days sewing
2 people to test fit for a day
I make that about £6k in labour for skilled people

so...£7K would be a reasonable cost I would think

 

[WFA]

About 8 years ago £350 for a heavy duty white PVC cover for 36' yacht.
Made in three sections, using boom and whisker pole as ridge, attached at the sides to the toe rails, extending at least 12" below the top strakes and open both ends for ventilation. A dummy mast is fitted to support the ridge if the mast is taken ashore for storage and refit.
To keep costs down I gave the basic measures to a local industrial cover maker who panelled up the 3 sections, I then collected the sections to mark up the final fit, over laps, shroud\stay slots etc., returned them for finishing and hi presto it has been in use every winter since.
The white material makes it light below which is more than sufficient for a solar panel to keep 4 batteries fully charged.
Lacing the cover with shock cord to the toe rails while extending the cover down below the deck level provides rain, yard grime and snow protection, extra ventilation and offers significant topsides protection without the need for further fixings.
As lustyd points out - its the non-sewing time that racks up the biggest costs.

 

[Solwaycruiser]

Pity it wasn't a Beneteau 473 you have as I have a mast up cover for one sitting in my garage. Far to big for you though . For that size certainly in the thousands new.

 

[BabaYaga]

I’d like it to extend all the way down to the waterline to protect the topsides that I am currently refurbishing .

This requirement suggests to me that the cover is only intended for when the boat is ashore. Correct?

 

[oilybilge]

There's your answer, Lloydus123 -- the ballpark figure is between £350 and £7000 ?

 

[jwilson]

About 12 years ago a tailored cover for a 35 ft boat from mast aft over cockpit and to deck level to also cover sugar scoop stern with a zipped entrance in quality heavy fabric was about £1,000. This covered all exposed external teak over winter. Have had to resew a couple of the hold down webbing straps last year, apart from that still in good condition. Adding forward to bow would have been about £800 more, but I did not bother with that as all that was exposed forward of the mast was GRP, alloy and S/S .

If you also want to go down over topsides on a 30-footer I'd guess you are looking at £2,500 at least. No point in using cheap fabric with expensive labour.

 

[Lloydus123]

This requirement suggests to me that the cover is only intended for when the boat is ashore. Correct?

That is correct

 

[BabaYaga]

In order to avoid labour intensive and expensive canvas work I would simply use a tarp or two over an aluminium tube frame like this one:
Utliggarställning
Presuming that the mast is down.

 

[Quandary]

I had a custom cover in blue truck curtainside material made for our Finngulf 33, it was too heavy to handle in one piece so it was made in two, overlapping at the mast. It cost a bit over £500 in 2007 and lasted about five winters, It was heavy, hard to support and opaque, so pitch dark inside, and was always wet with condensation.. Since the I have been using white medium weight standard tarps which cost less than £100 a pair over hoops of 38mm blue hdpe water pipe, they admit plenty of light. Again I buy them in two pieces and get at least three years out of them, the forward section lasts longer than the aft. To extend life I lay the new tarps over the old ones which take most of the abrasion, even with two layers there is plenty of light coming through and less condensation in mid winter. Extending them down the hull considerably reduces flapping but also through ventilation. To fit over the hoops I lay the sheet out on the ground and fold like a fan from each side, roll up, then unroll along the ridge batten and draw down the sides, a lot easier than trying to drag it over particularly in a breeze. Use shock cord loops to reduce strain on eyelets.