Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

Every time I bring the boat back home now covering it is quickly becoming my least favorite task as a boat owner. It takes a good hr, several mosquito bites and plenty of tugging and adjusting to get it covered. On top of that, all the debris that was previously blocked by the cover tends to fall in as I put the cover back on, not to mention the cover is mediocre at best, plenty of crevices that pollen and leaves seem to get through.

A carport is looking better and better but they aren't as cheap as I thought, mainly because I need to get one 15' high and 31' long to fit the boat.

The final dimensions for my carport will need to be 18W x 31L x 15H. The part I'm still not sure about is if I need sides and a back on the carport. Any owners out there that just has the top and is it sufficient? I park under very heavy tree cover with plenty of leaves and pollen. The sides add another $1,000 to the price and the back adds another $800.

But I would rather spend the money up front then try to save a little (or rather a lot) and end up with debris landing on the boat anyway. This looks like one of those investments I will thank myself for every time I get home.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

My boat is only a 21 footer but I still park it in one of those Costco tents/carports. It is awesome and keeps the boat looking new for around 200 bucks. Well worth the money.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

I wish I could get away with one that cheap. But I need a steel carport rated for hurricane winds and certified to FL building codes for a carport large enough to fit my boat. Does your carport have sides?

Right now it looks like its going to run me $3500 to get one with sides and a back. No sides and no back is about $1700.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

Mike is fully enclosed and well worth the money. I would recommend getting the sides and back, it will save your tires, gel coat and everything else that is going to bake in the direct sun.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

Was afraid you'd say that, I guess I'm hoping someone talks me out of the more expensive one but to do it right it sounds like its too late to take shortcuts.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

Kind of off topic...A few years ago when I had my 20 foot boat I was thinking about getting a custom cover made. Not one piece, but many that all snap into place that cover the whole boat.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

I currently have a custom cover 2 piece that the previous owner had made. The problem is I also have a hard top, so the cover for some strange reason wasn't made to cover the hard top, it goes around all of the supports, and under the hard top leaving plenty of room for leaves and debris to fall in.

I could spend $1,000 and get a semi custom cover that will cover the hardtop as well and eliminate that problem, but then my current hr of work would end up being closer to 2hrs. Or I could get a custom cover with snaps but for a boat this size its close to $2,500 which is starting to sound aweful close to the price of the fully enclosed steel carport.

I'm not even going to mention how many tent poles I have to set up to keep the rain from pooling in the middle of the cover.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

Check the height on the car ports! Some are way too low for a boat sitting on a trailer.

My boat sits inside, but the previous owner had a car port that was arched, like a greenhouse and was completely covered on all side. Hull looks like new, thanks to that! I believe it was 2500 bucks.

Re: Any of you boat owners using a carport to cover the boat?

Philster said:

Check the height on the car ports! Some are way too low for a boat sitting on a trailer.

My boat sits inside, but the previous owner had a car port that was arched, like a greenhouse and was completely covered on all side. Hull looks like new, thanks to that! I believe it was 2500 bucks.

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The boat is 13' from ground to hard top, I made sure that all the carports I looked at had the 12' legs and was 15' in the middle. I think a more accurate term is RV or boat port, since its way bigger than a standard carport. But yea, getting a standard 6' or 8' carport would be very bad.