Hey folks. Just bought an 08 1952. I was wondering what you guys do to protect you boat from the elements, or do you just leave it out in the open all the time.
Currently mine is in a freshwater slip and in the winter I will be parking it in the back yard. What do you folks do to keep it looking nice.
anyone have suggestions? Do you have a custom cover...do you just cover it with a tarp....do you just let it collect leaves in the fall? No right answers here, just trying to figure out what my options are.
With my old boat I tried parking it in one of those white temporary tents/sheds but the wind is so strong where I live in the winter it shredded the tarp side material and actually bent the metal frame. So I am looking for a better alternative this winter.
I have a 2002. I use the 10x20 heavy duty tarp bought at Walmart. I would have the soft top rolled up and booted, then either have it stand up (to provide a higher prop for the water to roll off the tarp) or have it rested on the windshield (to provide a softer prop (than the windshield) for the tarp) . The back of the tarp would go about 4 inches past the transom, tie to the tilt up outboard, and both ends down the side. The front of the tarp would go half way out to the front, over the railing, and either go down to the sides or fold back over the railing and tied together. I saw another owner covered his Trophy this way and I thought that's a cheap and effective way to cover his Trophy. Actually because his boat is on the wet, his tarp was smaller and would cover only half of the cockpit. But still, it would be enough to protect the electronics, the seatings and the soft top, and it's easy to set up, take down, and put away.
I have an inquiry into Letas Top Shop to see if they make an original boat cover for the 2002 WA FF. If they do, then this is what I will be using, as they have the original Bayliner patterns.
I found a old pool 20x40' rectangular pool cover - made a tent post from a 2X4 that ran down the inside of the winch post I also made a second one for inside the cockpit that sits nested in a plywood 2x2 base then of the back a opened my 12 ft A frame ladder spliced 2 16 ft 2x4s together to run atop of the posts & ladder. then draped the cover over the top and down the sides of the boat I secured all the side either with bungee or tied on old gallon jugs. Nothing gets in, thus no water in the fish boxes, the pitch of it allows the snow to fall off mostly on its own or just with a light tap of the cover plus this tent set up allows me to climb up from the ladder and work freely about the boat while out of the elements its not pulled down so air does circulate I've even worked in the foulest winter weather and used my Coleman heater under there and it was toasty of course I used a drop light as there was no other source of illumination