Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

[Newbateau]

Hi, I probably will need to tow a bowrider for a very long distance (a few thousands KM). My concern is if I should let the boat towed with the tow cover on or without the cover? Cause I heard sometimes if to tow the boat with the covers, the covers could be blowned away by the wind. But if to tow it without cover, the boat could get very dirty... I'm also thinking to tow it with shrink wrap on, and the boat will be ready for the winter anyway. Is that a good ideal? Thanks for your reply.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

Hi, I probably will need to tow a bowrider for a very long distance (a few thousands KM). My concern is if I should let the boat towed with the tow cover on or without the cover? Cause I heard sometimes if to tow the boat with the covers, the covers could be blowned away by the wind. But if to tow it without cover, the boat could get very dirty... I'm also thinking to tow it with shrink wrap on, and the boat will be ready for the winter anyway. Is that a good ideal? Thanks for your reply.

There are different class boat covers. Some that can handle wind speeds while towing,some that can't. They do tow new boats with shrink wrap on them, so I see no problem there, but I would tell the shrink wrap company that you plan on towing it with the shrink wrap on.

 

[duped]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

Get a decent trailerable cover. Secure it well. Of course there is always a chance it will rip, but this is why you save receipts. If you put it on properly it wont ever blow away.

 

[Newbateau]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

There are different class boat covers. Some that can handle wind speeds while towing,some that can't. They do tow new boats with shrink wrap on them, so I see no problem there, but I would tell the shrink wrap company that you plan on towing it with the shrink wrap on.

Thank you very much for your reply!

 

[Newbateau]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

Get a decent trailerable cover. Secure it well. Of course there is always a chance it will rip, but this is why you save receipts. If you put it on properly it wont ever blow away.

When you said trailerable cover, do you mean the bow cover and the cockpit cover? Thanks.

 

[gtochris]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

When you said trailerable cover, do you mean the bow cover and the cockpit cover? Thanks.

No one that I know of makes a trailerable bow/ cockpit cover, they are all called "Trailering covers" as they go below the rub rail and secure with rope.
Even with my cheepo trailering cover tied with all loops I still dont feel confident towing long distance with it. I would have the boat shrink wrapped with minimal supports to maintain a low profile.

 

[NewfieDan]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

Like "duped" said. Agood trailerable cover will work greta for you. I had a bow rider for 10years. I used to tow it over 400km every spring and fall.

The cover I had fit over the entire boat. It wasn't a snap down cover over the bow and cockpit. It extended below the rub rails and was tied to the trailer frame. It also had a drawstring to tighten up on each side at the stern under the outboard motor when installed properly it protected the boat great when trailering. When I sold that boat last year it was still like new. The trailer cover was what I used when I wasn't actually in the boat. It kept everything from fading and discolouring.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

Trouble I have with any cover is wind abrasion on the boat and especially the cowling of the engine. BTDT

Shrink wrap might work just fine as it fits tight and is smooth....additionally OEM's wrap their new boats in it for shipment to the dealers and surely they don't want them spoiled when they get there.

My 2c,

Mark

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

My boss just trailer his boat from Northern Montana to Southern New Mexico, and was advised to do it without a boat cover on it, he had also contacted several commercial boat moving companies and all of them said they would not transport the boat with the cover on. He told me that it worked out just fine with no major dirt in the boat.

 

[jkust]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

I've towed my sig boat thousands and thousands of miles behind three different tow vehicles. Every single mile it has had the two piece, snap on, mooring cover on it. Unless, I'm driving a lot of dirt roads or if it rains, dirt isn't my biggest concern. My huge issue is rocks hitting the front of the hull and chipping the gel that come off my vehicle. All three vehicles did it to some extent regardless of having 4 mud flaps and ensuring the flaps are wider than the tires. The boat is wider than the suv and so only the part of the boat that is narrower than the suv got dinged meaning it was my vehicles doing it. I finally got a "rock tamer" which connects to the trailer hitch and almost touches the road. If I were to get a trailerable cover that strapped on, gel coat abrasion from even a near perfect fit cover would be my concern. In Minnesota there are literally hundreds of thousands of boats and I see mostly ill fitting covers. I see a lot of people trailering coverless too.

 

[Newbateau]

Re: Tow a boat with/without tow covers or with shrink wrap?

Thanks a lot for the input of all you guys. I've taken notes all of them.