To cover or not to cover?

[jpw2006]

We just bought a brand new pontoon a week ago so all of this is very new to us. Right now we are docking it in a wet slip at a local marina until a dry dock space opens up. My question is do you recommend putting on the mooring cover every Sunday before we leave to head home or not? We live an hour away so weekends are the only time we will be using the boat. What about when it is in dry storage? We would definitely use the full cover once we stop using when it gets cooler. The cover wasn't too terribly hard to put on, but it wasn't exactly fun in 98 degree heat!

 

[littlerayray]

Put it on it helps keep it clean as well as keep water out also blocks the uv rays from prematurely aging the vinyl

 

[Scott Danforth]

the cover keeps the bird pooh from reaching the seats

 

[BigDfromTN]

I trailer my toon and keep it under a metal cover. I still cover it. Its quicker and easier now that I don't have to worry about pocketing water. Before the shed I had a PVC ridge pole system to keep rain water drained off.
I vote Cover it. The extra years your vinyl and flooring last and look good will be well worth it.

 

[lmuss53]

Sun is the ultimate killer of your interior, if you plan on keeping the boat more than a few years cover it every time you leave. My boat is 10 years old now and because I don't cover it after every trip I will have to get the seats reupholstered next year. The 10 minutes it takes to cover it is a good investment in the boat and the cover will get easier and easier to put on the more you do it.

 

[jpw2006]

Thanks for your advice. We will continue to cover it every Sunday evening before we head back home.

 

[wingsfan2]

cover it. anything you do to keep the elements off it will only help it look and last longer.

 

[JGator]

Park mine under a covered shelter, with the humidity here in Florida we find keeping it covered helps trap the moisture under the cover... We've tried both covered and open but under the shelter in both cases.

 

[Government cheese]

My dad was a fanatic about putting the cover on every night, even itlf it was going to come back off the next day. I am a fan of leaving the cover off for the whole weekend we are using it, so it can air out. I also live an hour away from my boat and don't always know when or how much it rains while I am gone. Some of that moisture seeps in.

 

[Illinoid]

I cover mine and put it in the barn as soon as I get home. If the carpet is wet I open the front and back of the cover and run a fan under the canvas til it is dry. I prop the seats open if there is a chance it is wet inside there. It takes a lot of work to get black mold off of the vinyl that grows under the cover if there is too much moisture.

 

[1canvas]

The ideal set up for the best protection is to have the boat covered with a breathable canvas. That way the boat is protected from the sun yet able to constantly be drying the inside upholstery, carpet, and the top of the floor. All of the seats should be open while the cover is on. Keep in mind the bottom side of the wood deck is always exposed to moisture. Two of the worse things you can do is use a non breathable canvas or have a cover on under a shelter. Often time mold will form on the underside of covers that are stored under shelters. Keep in mind, you want a drying process happening while the cover is on to keep any moisture build up in the boat in check and a quality breathable canvas in the sun will do that.