Boat Cover

[tazz3069]

Well the time has come. We are moving to a new house and I will not have room to put the boat in the garage. It has always been in the garage since I brought it home in 07'. I now have to park it outside. Can anyone suggest a really good boat cover that can protect the boat that I have been babying since 07'. I also need to get two pairs of speakers socks for the tower speakers. I really need something that will protect the boat from the extreme heat in Vegas and of course the rains, when it rains. Thanx in advance.

[pmoomba]

Evolution covers are great, but perhaps a little pricey depending on what you're looking to spend. They don't require extra poles to prevent water from pooling, are made from sunbrella, are easy to put on/take off, and can also be towed with. They come treated with a water repellent and bead the water really well, but you'll need to reapply from time to time. They only go to the rubrail though; I kept mine protected with wax or babe's boat bright and didn't seem to have any fading/oxidation issues. I did sometimes get water spots from rain,etc, but they clean up without any trouble. With my next boat though, I'm also going to get a detachable skirt for more protection from the sun/elements to cover more of the sides/transom/platform.

I also keep damp-rid under the cover. I didn't do that initially and never seemed to notice any moisture/mildew issues, but once I started doing it I found it catch enough moisture that I'll continue to do so just to keep things dry.

Sunbrella shouldn't really require additional vents in the cover, but if you go with something else as the fabric you might want to look into adding some vents. Whoever makes it might be able to put them in, or you can find them aftermarket too.

Another place people recommend is www.skiboatcovers.com. If you're just looking for something for 'mooring' in the driveway, you could probably get a nice waterline fit cover from there, or they have a full length sun cover too.

[tazz3069]

Thanx. I will give them a call today. They want $800.00 for the sunbrella cover. I guess that's the price to keep te boat looking good. She still looks like i just bought it.

[pmoomba]

Yeah a lot of the price of Evolution covers is just the fabric. There's a bit of a premium to them but it's really not all that much when you compare it to other Sunbrella covers. Personally I think it's worth it since I keep my boat outside too. If I could get it in the garage I'd get something a lot cheaper.

[tazz3069]

I have the standard snap on cover, that came with the boat. I do not think that it will protect the boat. As much as I do not like the $800 price tag, I think it will be worth it in the long run.

[mmandley]

Tazz id be carefull about using an Evolution cover as an outside storage cover,

Im getting a 1 off custom cover made by Evolution now, they are excellet at being used as a Towing cover.

Erick <Stretch> has an Evolution cover and he told me several time this year <2nd year> that the cover is not holding up so well being used as an outdoor storage cover, Hes getting mildew and the cover is leaking.

For an outside storage cover i would look into something even heavier, or plan on using a tarp over it. Just what i have herd so fare.

[bbuhtz]

I just picked up my evolution cover, bimini and bimini boot from Cory this last weekend. Boats in the garage now so I won't be putting it on until may/june so no pictures but the cover looks to be of very high quality. Customer service is outstanding and definitely worth the extra money alone. Plus the warranty!

With you being located in Vegas I doubt you'd have a problem with mold and rain like us folks get up north, but then again never lived down there so I really don't know. But like mandley said, you could always tarp it.

[newty]

I'd look at a transheild in addition to the evo cover. It is all white and will really reflect the heat. It is also an over the tower and swimstep cover so it will protect the whole boat. It has a zipper entry on the side so you can access the boat with out removing the cover. They are about $200 and will last 3-5 years. It will also extend teh life of your evo cover too. Pretty cheap insurance if you ask me. I can get a quote to have one shipped to you if your interested.

There is a thread on here some where with details about the cover. I'll try to find it.

[Razzman]

Tazz, let me throw some tips in here for you. Mine has sat outside since March '08 and still looks like new as well. As you know the Cali Central Valley gets hot too, real hot. Winters are cold and wet generally so i've learned what works and what doesn't. Here's what I can think of off the top of my head, probably more. If you want pics of my setup let me know and i'll post them up.

Do you have side access? Room to setup a metal carport cover or one of those portable garages? If so that's the only way to go to really keep the sun (UV) and weather from killing it, the trailer and the tires.

Don't use a poly tarp over the boat unless you can insure a couple of things; airflow between the boat cover and the tarp and it has to be very taute or the thing will flap beat on the boat and trailer.

The sun (UV) will eat a poly tarp / portable garage cover in as little as two years! I have a 10x20' portable garage from Costco with full sides and doors that I added 5' to and covered the whole top with a heavy duty 12x27' canvas tarp. Yes it gets hot under there but no sun gets to the boat or trailer at all. In the summer I remove the no-sun side curtain for ventilation.

Cats and small wildlife love to hide under tarps overnight, they will find the smallest gap in the tarp. Nuff said on that.

DampRid is great for sucking up moisture but it DOES NOT prevent moisture from building up on surfaces, especially metal surfaces like amps! Also kills head units! I had enough in the boat to suck up the local lake and it still happened a few years ago ;/

Dirt, dust and sand will get into the boat through any space in your cover so plan accordingly. I know Vegas has wind and sand storms, not good.

When winter stored outside you HAVE to coat every single surface with a very heavy coat of wax! Especially ANY metal surface and leave the wax on, don't wipe it off! This keeps the metal, mostly the aluminum tower from oxidizing.

Remove everything from and on the boat; bimini, tower mirror, gear, etc.

Use a mildew preventative spray on the vinyl before storing for winter, got mine at Home Depot.

Install dehumidifier devices inside for storage, I use GoldenRods.

It will get FILTHY sitting outside! Can't do a thing about so don't freak out lol! I've learned to not worry about it as; 1) it'll just be dirty again in a fews days if you wash it, 2) you won't be able to keep up and 3) it doesn't hurt it and when you do wash it'll look this new again!

Make sure to cover your platform with something heavy. I use an old vinyl BBQ cover that just happens to snugly cover the entire platform. Cats love to get up on Seadek and test out their claws!

[sandm]

I'd look at a storage unit if it was me. the $100/month might be money well spent... or find a friend that doesn't mind renting out the 3rd stall(although I know they are hard to find with any depth in vegas)..

where ya moving to? anywhere near macdonald ranch?