Boat Covers

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Donald Tyson

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I suspect that all of you C-Dory owners have it all together, not a detail missed, and as soon as you return from a trip with your boats in tow, they have a perfectly fitted cover pulled over them.
I lost my cover, left it on a the dock, while at Hontoon last year. A new cover is not in the budget unless I give up a trip or two.
I never had a cover for any of my previous boats and the boats faired well.
So am I missing something....do I need a cover...is there something I'm missing? Is a tarp good enough. I could have it shrink wrapped for 3-400 but then If I want to use it for one or two trips over the winter I'd have ruined the wrapper.
Winter is coming. You wouldn't know that by looking outside. Water temps still in the 70's. We've been having the nicest September weather in my lifetime. I hope to go to to New England one more time this fall, maybe in Lt Oct. Then Hontoon or a similar location in January or February and wonder If I need to worry about a cover for November, December and January.
How should I be looking at this? What are members doing for their boats?
 
I have a 16x25' 11mil, heavy-duty tarp that fits over our C-Dory 22 when we are not using it. I attach it to the trailer with bungies all the way around and it fits very snug and keeps the weather out.
 
The tarp above should be fine. I use a Kotep 15 x 25 8 mil tarp for our CD22. You need the 24 ft length to cover the bow all the way back over the motor, and the 15 ft width attaches to the frame with bungies over the cabin, and I put blocks to hold it on the ground past toward the back. Initially, I propped a 2x4 between the top of the cabin and the motor to allow the rain to run off and not have a puddle accumulate in the cockpit. After attaching a canopy, this is no longer a problem.
 
A simple 2 x 4 frame and a tarp as above works OK-you do want to keep snow and frozen rain off the boat. So minimum of a tarp. Many of us buy the fitted cover from Angola Canvas. Angola has patterns for all of the C Dorys. Then accomidate radar arches and similar accessories. Good value and you choose the material.
 
I have found breathable boat covers for T-top boats on Amazon that work well for my 22' cruiser. The link below is for one that costs only $130 and covers the boat well. I attach the back end of the cover to a pool cover roller so I can easily pull the cover off and put it on. I have to keep my boat covered all the time when on its trailer because the spot I have in our community RV storage lot is under a large Doug Fir that constantly drips sap and needles.

pool cover roller
 
c-zast said:
I have a 16x25' 11mil, heavy-duty tarp that fits over our C-Dory 22 when we are not using it. I attach it to the trailer with bungies all the way around and it fits very snug and keeps the weather out.
Click to expand...
Sounds easy and is what I do for the old plywood Driftboat I have.
 
Tom Hruby said:
I have found breathable boat covers for T-top boats on Amazon that work well for my 22' cruiser. The link below is for one that costs only $130 and covers the boat well. I attach the back end of the cover to a pool cover roller so I can easily pull the cover off and put it on. I have to keep my boat covered all the time when on its trailer because the spot I have in our community RV storage lot is under a large Doug Fir that constantly drips sap and needles.

pool cover roller
Click to expand...
Sticky and Yucky....only White for is worse.
 
It may be sticky and yucky, but I only pay our retirement community $50/year for the storage, and it has power so I can keep the interior heated and dehumidified in the winter. I am willing to deal with the yuck.
 
Hello everyone,

I’m looking for a good cover that will shed snow well since I’m up in northern New Hampshire. Does anyone have experience with the covers from King Marine vs. Angola? In the past I’ve used tarps over 2x4 framing, but they just don’t hold up very well.

Thanks in advance,
Joe
 
I have a Sunbrella cover from Angola for my CD22. I live in SW Mi by the lake. The cover works well, but it is not totally waterproof. It does not let liquid water through, but there is some vaper penetration. I have had the cover for a number of years and it has held up well. Angola Canvas will customize the cover for your boat (if you want) for a reasonable cost (e.g. modification for a radar dome). I had the sides of my cover extended by 3 feet to cover the sides of the boat (the base design stops at the rub rail). Sometimes it can be difficult to get a hold of the person who actually makes the C-Dory cover if you want to talk about mods though. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with the cover from Angola Canvas.

The price of this cover will buy you a lot of HD tarps though. There is something to be said for replacing tarps regularly compared to cleaning and maintaining a Sunbrella cover.
 
The covers I have pruchased from Angola are better finished than those from King that I have owned. I have aso seen some good covers from King. It depends on the Seamster/tress. If you have basic canvas working skils it can help in the design and effectiveness of the cover.

There is another and better way to go. That is make it yourself. No sewing required. I have used Shelter-Rite® vinyl material from Sailrite. It is $24 a running yard in 61" width. I use the width fore and aft. I like the gray. color. You have to put vents in, if you want ventillation. This is a dacron scrim about the same weight as many inflatable boats are made of. You can glue it with HH66 vinly cement. I use DOT® Twist-Lock Fasteners to close the places where you have access or separate panels. Be sure you have good shears, and a long straight edge for the cutting. You can buy the punchs for the DOT® Twist-Lock Fastener from Sailrite. ($57 & --good for life). Also the cutting block for this and a few other simple tools for about $30. This is also known as the Common Sense fastener: common sense illustrations:


For. boat cover, I would just drape it and cut. No pattern needed, except around or over radars etc. This material will last years and it totall waterproof. It costs a bit more than a "Blue Tarp" but is a better solution. Caution, the sections of the cover will be heavier than the Sunbrella fabric.

If you decide to go this way, I can help you with questions and instructions.
 
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