camper back questions

F

ferret30

New member
We picked up the boat from King Marine today -- it just got a full camper back. I have a few questions for people that have these already.

1) What is your technique for putting in the side curtains? I had an extremely hard time getting some of the snaps to reach, even when I was working from outside the boat. Is the key to do the snaps first, then do the zippers? Even getting the roof stretched across to get the 2 snaps above the grab bars on the bulkhead is very difficult.

2) It appears that our top is designed to stow folded aft, but I'd prefer to stow it folded forward against the radar arch. That requires pulling the quick release pins, but there's no way (without a bungee or something) to secure it forward. What do you guys do?
 
Mine was the same way. What I did was grab an allen wrench and losen up the set screws on the bows and dropped them down a wee bit to give me some slack to play with. I think that King fits the tops in a heated building and not out in the cool air.
 
Another thing that helps is to get a snap fastener tool. Most marine stores carry them, as do most of the canvas makers. They have slots that slip over the female fastener and allow you to put a lot more leverage into the effort. Less than $20.

255648.jpg


Here's the URL for West Marine...

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... &langId=-1
 
Our technique: start each of the zippers, but don't close 'em up all the way. Do the snaps on the side of the cabin, then work towards the back. Finish zipping the zippers.

Our bimini also folds back. With it folded and the cover on it, it is out of the way for coming and going. For road travel mode, we pull the two quick release pins and bungee the top through the hand holds on the side of the cabin. I also put ball bungees around each end of the cover to prevent air from getting up and "ballooning" that while traveling.

It all sounds more complicated than the reality. The first time we put it all together took me an hour of head scratching, grunting and swearing. Now the whole thing from totally strapped for travel to camperback all up is about 10 minutes.

Joan made a Sunbrella bag to hold the rolled up side panels. When cruising, we strap that onto the radar arch - out of the way, but accessible if it looks like rain.

You will really enjoy that camperback - it's a "bonus room"! :D

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
It's (a lot) easier when it is hot, than when it is cold.

The first time is always the hardest...getting the material stretched. After it has been stretched a few times, it gets easier.
 
Ferret30;

Another inexpensive addition to your Camper Back Care Kit would be a tube of 'ChapStick'. It is the correct size to go onto the male part of the mounting snaps. I have also used it on the female fittings and other top connections with success. It is a lot cheaper than the marine store lube and a little easier to store(minor item).

Art
 
Sea Angel":1vuyoz88 said:
Ferret30;

Another inexpensive addition to your Camper Back Care Kit would be a tube of 'ChapStick'. It is the correct size to go onto the male part of the mounting snaps. I have also used it on the female fittings and other top connections with success. It is a lot cheaper than the marine store lube and a little easier to store(minor item).

Art
Click to expand...

The Chapstick is also a good lubricator for the plastic YKK Zippers where the panels join. Makes them "zip" easier, and last longer…!

Hope I got it right this time. Last time I said KKK Zippers! = Politically Incorrect! :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Hi Ferret,
I towed NoddyBleu about 4000 km with the top secured forward, held in place with bungies and the cover tightly wrapped around itself to eliminate any flapping. I thought this was better sheltered than the stern position. Hah!
Worked exactly as planned (NOT!). When I removed the cover, it was fine -- but there were 5-6 HOLES rubbed through the top itself. I suppose the heavier Sunbrella of the cover survived rubbing, but transmitted it to the lighter-weight cover. Whodathunk it? Not moi. :oops:
 
We tried to tow sailboats wrapped in custom fitted canvas top and bottom (hull) covers across the U.S. to National Championships and inevitably got rub-throughs on Sunbrella and canvas materials, even with very tight tying, special padding, taping, and other adjustments, especially to raised and sharp or pointed areas. 1500-3000 miles of even very slight flapping will put holes in most anything.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I found out some years ago (when I was doing some research on cloth) that Sunbrella is not particularly chafe-resistant (I remember because it surprised me). It is a good material, with many wonderful qualities (which is why it is still widely used), but chafe-resistance isn't its strong suit so it's something to be aware of when there is the potential for it. For example, Sunbrella Marine Fabric rates a 2 on a scale of 1-5 for abrasion (chafe), where 1 is "poor" and 5 is "excellent."

Incidentally, I think I originally read that in the Sailrite catalog. Not only are the folks at Sailrite good folks to do business with, but their catalog is one of those that is good reference material. Here is a link to a table and discussion of fabric properties (which I found on their website, but probably originally read in their paper catalog):

http://www.sailrite.com/PDF/Outdoor%20F ... 0Chart.pdf
 
When you first start working with your top, (camper back) :disgust ....do so in the sun. It makes the fabric and clear vinyl windows more flexable. You'll find it all comes together easier when you do. If it's cold, and dark you'll find it harder to work with just because it's stiff.
 
bshillam":30ptxsp1 said:
When you first start working with your top, (camper back) :disgust ....do so in the sun.
Click to expand...

Great thought, however that doesn't work well in the Pacific Northwest....we see rain, not sun..... :roll:
 
Oh - I grew up in the PNW and have spent the majority of my life here. Your so wrong,
There's at least two days of sun between the rain.... :smileo (Total rain free days during the summer) :teeth
I do miss the PNW and hope someday to return.
 
We spent a lot of money on ours having it done with all the custom features we wanted, but have only used it maybe 4 times. Can't see us really using it much in the future, either. I almost regret doing it. We're fishermen, not cruisers. We do use the bimini part all the time, though.

Anyway, we had ours made to stow aft on drop legs. We've towed over 3000 miles like this without any trouble. When we fish, we simply fold it forward and rest it on a folded hand towel against the aft section of the cabin. Works great.

The more you use it, especiaally in the sun, as folks mentioned, the easier it gets. You also have to figure out the best sequence to install the sides. That makes it easier.

Pics in our "Projects" album.


Rick
 
ferret30":33w462ep said:
We picked up the boat from King Marine today -- it just got a full camper back. I have a few questions for people that have these already.

1) What is your technique for putting in the side curtains? I had an extremely hard time getting some of the snaps to reach, even when I was working from outside the boat. Is the key to do the snaps first, then do the zippers? Even getting the roof stretched across to get the 2 snaps above the grab bars on the bulkhead is very difficult.

2) It appears that our top is designed to stow folded aft, but I'd prefer to stow it folded forward against the radar arch. That requires pulling the quick release pins, but there's no way (without a bungee or something) to secure it forward. What do you guys do?
Click to expand...

We mounted an extra set of quick release mounts on the back of our wheel house so when the camper back Isn't being used you can remove the top from the regular mounts and use the quick release mounts on the wheelhouse and it can be stored completely out of the way. We have straps with quick release nylon buckles on the top boot that hold the top forward and secure by wrapping them around the hand hold rails on top of the wheelhouse. There are pictures of our top stored in our album. I hope this helps, it sure has made life on the boat a lot easyer for us.
 
Thanks for the info. It's going to be nice today so I'll go try putting Chapstik on the snaps, and see if it's any easier to handle.

A question for people with camper backs who keep their boats in the water. Do you leave the top/sides on when moored, or roll it up? Having it closed up seems like it would keep rain out, but I probably won't do it if it'll drastically shorten the lifetime of the top.
 
Sea Angel is kept in a building on the bottom ground level tier when not in use. The biggest problem is when a boat above me has a lower unit oil leak and it drips either on the OBs or the rear of the camper back. The marina assumes the cleanup for this issue and have been on top of this issue, sometimes before I even visited the marina.

I do leave the top mounted and all the side glass and screens are stored in a storage bag. Each side item is individually wrapped and rolled in a cotton sheet so none of the surfaces rub against each other. All these curtains look and act new even after 7 years.

The top does show some color fade but the snaps and zippers work fine. It is flushed with fresh water after each outing and cleaned with boat soap at least twice a year. There isn't any contact wear that I have detected.

The minor corrosion do I see on the snaps is easily removed with a toothbrush and more chapstick applied. This is no surprise for the CD25 is housed at the mouth of the Lower Chesapeake Bay in the marina's non-climate controlled metal building.

Art
 
Not to be nasty but I suspect more input about your intended use might have helped the canvas supplier design something more to your liking. I mean anything overhead in a fishing boat can be a problem if you are casting or dealing with long rods. We ordered camper to to keep our cockpit dry while cruising or in a marina as our boat does not have a self draining floor and bilge pumps can fail. We like Jim would not think of cruising without a camper top. It gives us another room and things we keep there nice and dry. If I do any fishing while cruising I just deal with the camper top with my side curtains rolled up. For us the camperbacks features out weigh any draw backs to catching dinner.
D.D.
 
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