Going rate for slant back canvas cover?

[johnr]

I'd like to have a snap-on, slant back, Sunbrella canvas cockpit cover made for my 25' c-dory. Not a camper back. Anybody know the going rate these days in the PNW? I've been somewhat shocked by the quotes I've received so far, and not in a good way.

[thataway]

An option is to make it your self. Shelter—Rite is a PVC Dacron tarp material which glues with HH66. It would take 7 yards of 61” wide maaerial, at $21 a yard. The bolt rope would be about $8. Glue about $11, snap set and hole cutter about $30. Snaps in the $25 range. $250 for the material, with some left over….Plus you now have the snap setting tool, and a hole punch…. I can walk you thru the steps of making a custom fit.

[PNW_Wesley]

Hayden Island Canvas, in Portland OR, is making one for my 19 in April.

The cost is $1,050.

They are also making a new rear drop curtain for $1,200.

I got quotes from other local shops that were in the same ballpark.

[zuunami]

thataway, I've appreciated many of your posts about making your own mooring covers. so, I'm getting ready to do it with our 16' cruiser with flex-a-rail and awning rope for under the roof. But we want to do it without snaps - for example, there could be a flap of fabric forward on both sides that we can tie to the cleats that are about a foot forward of the cabin, and tie downs to the aft cleats, so it goes over the splashwell about 3 inches. The fabric would hang about 10" or so below the gunwale on the sides. We just don't want to put a bunch of holes in the boat, and would rather the fabric came down further over the gunwales than a traditional snap on mooring cover. Thanks for any thoughts on the matter

[thataway]

[zuunami]

thataway, here's a rough mockup, my photo program is giving me grief tonight. This is just a mooring cover for the summer to keep debris out and deter critters (both human and sea lion wise), but also allow some airflow because we are so humid, lots of condensation. Also not worried much about the wind in the summer.

I know I'm not using the right terms, but the awning rail would be up under the cabin overhang. Then on each side we might need a snap (I'd prefer a grommet and hook type attachment) carrying the fabric about 6 inches toward the bow up under the cabin, before it hangs down to the side and attaches to the forward cleat. There would be no attachments along the sides. In the back, it would attach to those rear cleats, but there would be some overhang into the splashwell to keep any unexpected rain out.

Probably my only concern would be the fabric always touching and therefore potentially rubbing against the gelcoat on the sides, but I'm of a mind to tolerate that to avoid snaps You can kind of see that we currently have a similar setup that's served us very well during the winter - it's actually half of a full cover that I cut in two. I like the fact that it overhangs the rear and we can attach it back there, but when we're in a slip, I want to think of ease of putting it on from inside the boat/dock when we leave, and not fall off the back of the boat in doing so

Thanks for your comments!

[thataway]

I have never seen an awning railing used on the vertical of the lip of the aft cabin roof. They are all on the top of the cabin on a horizontal surface.

You will want shock cord or something similar to be sure that the cover is tight, and water will flow off easily. The geometry is fairly complex to keep the slant back--back tight and also keep the sides tight. You can buy vents to glue in place to keep the boat reasonable water tight, and allow ventilation.

I would basically build the loose cover, and then use clamps to see where the best angle is achieved to keep the canvas tight both horizontally and vertically across the back of the boat.

[zuunami]

The flex-a-rail would be horizontal, but under the lip of the roof, rather than on top. Then the fabric would wrap around the sides, be secured in some way near the top under the roof lip on the sides, then hang down and be secured to the forward cleats. Well, I'm working on it I'll post some pics when I'm done Thanks!

[thataway]

With the awning railing under the lip, there will be a wear point on the bottom of the lip. If you want to put it on the lip, better on the outside--rather than inside of the lip--again the conventional place is on top for a number of reasons.

[Marco Flamingo]

Zuu,

I did basically the reverse of your project for a bow cover on the Limpet. I didn't want to put in too many new attachment fittings and tried to use just existing tie-down points. The only new attachment points were twist fasteners on the brow of the cabin roof. It is in my photo album under "Aerodynamic Bug Screen" in the Canvas Project section. It is glued vinyl-coated polyester (VCP). No sewing. Brass grommets around the edges have some light line (using a trucker's hitch) and some webbing and clip fasteners. All attach to existing cleats and hand rails so that the cover can be cinched on tight.

I was also concerned about rub points because the cover is on when being towed (i.e., hours and hours of 50 knot winds). There was really only the side contact points that concerned me and those I addressed by having net float "stand offs" to prevent abrasion. It's now gone a couple thousand miles with no issues.

I was pleased enough with VCP that I used it to fabricate side cockpit window/covers for my larger boat Chiton. For that use there is a small disadvantage that I hadn't noticed on the Limpet. In cold weather VCP, even the thin stuff, gets quite stiff and hard to roll up. Something the size of your cover would be difficult to store aboard if necessary. If the cover is intended only for outside storage and left at home, VCP seems to last indefinitely in the elements. I've seen Sunbrella that didn't make it 10 years.

Mark

[zuunami]

here's another (third grade) mock-up of my intent.

Because the 16' is so short, I think the rail on top of the roof lip would cause the cover to rub against the front of the "roof". The rail would be facing up, and therefore the fabric would be laying at a -45 degree angle against that? I don't get the railing until tomorrow, maybe it would fasten with the channel facing aft, but I don't think so. I really don't like messing with the outside of that roof lip, I think it's one of the very distinctive features of the C-Dory? A video I saw on sailrite had the channel on the back of a cabin (not on top), although there was no lip to deal with.

Marco, great looking bow cover! I talked to Angola about a month ago, and they didn't recommend their vinyl covered poly (Aqualon) in certain areas, like Texas and California, because it doesn't have any UV resistance, and lasts only a few years. I would want to do Sunbrella anyway.

At this point, I'm thinking of just modifying the existing aft cover that we cut from the full body cover, and play as we go

thanks guys for all of your suggestions, I know the key is to make it so water runs off effectively, that's the challenge ... Karen

[johnr]

I think I found someone to make a slant-back canvas for me. One question for the group. They brought up the idea of adding a zipper for ease of ingress and egress. If past history is any indication, I DO tend to go in and out of my boat a lot with the slant back on and the idea of a zipper is appealing. However, I'm also aware that at zipper can be an early fail point. Any thoughts on the matter?

[bridma]

For a slant-back I would forget the zipper. Just keep the fasteners lubricated with a smear of silicon or something similar so they don't seize up and they will be fine as you enter and exit. Worked well on mine.

Martin.

[thataway]

I have had zippers on most of my slant backs and Bimini--but more so that I used the same awning rail piece for both. There as always velcro and Sunbrella over the Zipper (on top) to make it water tight. Generally I didn't need the zipper to get into the cockpit.

[chieftele]

I just got a custom made bimini, drop curtain, and slantback mooring cover for my 16, all for $1050. By Dave Blodget of Sierra Canvas Works in Redding. Highly recommend. See the photos of Rosebud 😁