Boat cover support?

[DarthVader]

Hello everyone,

I hope this is the correct place to ask this question..

With Winter not to far a way I would like to know if anyone here has ever made a boat cover support system for there boat cover?

I am in need of some help on how to go about making a support system for my boat cover..I have a 1989 Sea Nymph Fish & Ski SS175 does anyone know of any good video's that will show me how to make one for my boat,

I have seen a couple great videos but all the ones I have seen will not work on my boat as they only work with boats that have a side rail that are only about a 1.5 wide and do not have a windshield and my boat rails are much wider which I would say are at least 5 to 6 inches maybe a tad wider and I have a windshield...

If there is no video does anyone have any pictures,measurements and what materials I need to make a boat cover support system for my boat please let me know.?

Last winter I used a couple 2x4x10 but I still had problems with water pooling up then it would freeze and that is where the boat cover would sag,My boat is out in the open so it sees all sorts of weather,I try my best to always keep most of the snow,water or ice off the cover, but it can be really hard to keep it from pooling up so I need to make a better support system so at least the water will just slide of the cover..

Thanks for any help and advice you give me it will be greatly appreciated...

 

[fhhuber]

Not sure of your seat post positions..

With a bass boat typically having one centered forward and one centered aft seat post mounts, you can use the posts to support a ridge pole from seat post to seat post.

If it needs more then use broomsticks or similar from the ridge pole to the gunwales to lift the problem areas.

Then if needed add grommets for more tie down s from cover to trailer.

Sometimes blocks under the tongue jack to get the boat nose up higher helps.

Its just a matter of building the supports and getting the over so there are no places that sag enough to form a pool.

***********

Note: I have found its a good idea to allow for some air circulation into and out of the cover. Trapping moist air inside the cover is generally asking for mildew and rot.

 

[Scott Danforth]

could simply make a PVC frame work that is really steep. my recommendation is indoor storage if possible.

 

[poconojoe]

I've seen some people build an "A" frame (out of lumber) over the boat with a large tarp draped over it to create a sort of tent. The angle is steep so no snow or water will accumulate.
Get some 2x4 lumber and make two "A" side pieces with one long 2x4 joining them across the top. Attach a couple side supports to keep it sturdy.
Put your regular boat cover on, then drape the big tarp over the whole thing. Put some heavy rocks on the tarp along the ground to keep it from blowing open.

 

[poconojoe]

Or... you can buy one of those portable "garages". It's basically framework with a tarp type cover. Get the one that has the steep angle so snow and rain won't accumulate. My neighbor had one that calapsed from the snow, but his wasn't the steep angle type.

 

[wrvond]

When I was storing my boat outside I built a frame out of PVC pipe to support the cover. I learned that you need to use at least 2 inch PVC and you have to have lots of supports for the spine of your framework. No matter how steep you make it or how tight you pull the cover, snow is going to stick and the weight of that snow will cause enough sag in the cover to allow the melt to pool.
The most successful systems I've seen use some kind of secondary cover (preferably rigid) supported above the boat.
Good luck!

 

[kenk63]

on my 82 stingray with cuddy, I use a milk crate up front, and one sitting on the engine cover, give enough lift so snow and rain slides off

 

[Sprig]

Before I started storing my boat inside I had problems with the cover sagging when rain would puddle on it. I used pvc pipe to support it like a tent or more like in an old time covered wagon. . I used lengths of pvc small diameter. After I decided on the length I glued a T at each end. Then I glued 18" to 24" lengths of pipe into the T's. Then id place one end on the floor of the boat up against the side, bend it and put the other end against the other side of the boat. Kind of looked like a upside down U. Depending on length of boat I use 4 of these. They were easy to make, easy to set up each time I covered the boat and the materials were cheap.

 

[fhhuber]

PVC tends to bend... wood or metal tube.

 

[guy48065]

I made a large winter frame out of 2 inch PVC with several vertical posts to support the long ridge pipe. Lay rafter pipes out on the ground and mark the ends where they equal the width of your boat and use a 45-degree fitting & a short stub to hang over the gunwales. This lets the cover breathe and eliminates needing to attach the rafter ends to something.

Another tip I used was to not glue anything so it can be broken down for storage. Rafter pairs can just be brought together to collapse flat.

I used a length of 1/4" rope through each long section to draw it tight. Leave one end long so the pieces can be wiggled apart, yet remain together--like shock cords on a tent pole.

The vertical support posts sat in pvc toilet flanges bushed down to 2".

 

[DarthVader]

Thanks you all for your help,I am going to make some sort of support out of PVC pipe,I am going to need to get some measurements of the inside back and front of my boat to see how much piping and connectors I will need to buy..

I would like to store my boat inside but for what they charge in my area for a storage shed they are absolutely bloody crazy..

I had went to couple storage shed businesses close to me and being I need to have at least a minimum storage shed size of 10 x 20 it was $150.00 per month not counting taxes or other fees and you must also rent it for a minimum of 6 to 7 months at a time..So I would say to rent one for 7 months is going to cost me well over $1,100.00 not counting taxes or any other fees they do not tell you about and we all know there is always some sort of hidden fees you where not told about..

Now I might say I be ok with this if I had a brand new boat with all sorts of high dollar equipment,but being that my boat is a 1989 Sea Nymph SS175 with a 70hp Evinrude I can not justify spending that kind of money for a building that is only going to be used at the most 4 possibly 5 months out of year..

So I am going to go the route of ether using PVC Piping or maybe even wood but I leaning towards using PVC myself as it be lighter,stronger and will be easier to take off and on the boat and plus store away for the summer months..

Again Thanks for all your help and info..

 

[robert graham]

A couple of large inflated inner tubes placed in the boat will support the cover with no problem....

 

[Silvertip]

Everyone seems to lean toward a longitudinal solution that must be relatively boat-specific but there is a much simpler and cheaper method. Frizbies make excellent protective devices for boat covers so attach one to the top of a 1-1/2 inch wooden dowel or hand rail available at any home store. Cut the post to whatever height you need and fasten the other end to a square or circular piece of scrap lumber. Make as many of these as you need to support the cover at the bow, amidship and stern. Keep the cover tight using bungee cords around the bottom of the boat. If you are in a "heavy wet snow" area you will/should still sweep off the cover immediately but if the boat is in a position where it catches some sun, it may melt off. My dufus ex-son in law managed to trash a very nice custom cover due to inattention to this exact situation. I used the cover for eight years and it was like new when he bought the boat. Pooled water and ice not only trashed the cover but ruined the interior of what was a very nice boat. The boat not only had the devices I just explained, but it also had the side to side "bows" that raised the cover. He was just too lazy to be bothered.

 

[wrvond]

If the fabric is stretchy enough it's going to puddle. I leave for work at 0600 and get back home at 2100. An awful lot of weather can take place during that time. Snow fall, melt, then freeze will result in ice puddles shredding the cover. I've often thought that a cardboard tent under the cover would be a good solution; providing support to the fabric. However, my little boat is now stored under a roof, so no longer an issue.
@ DarthVader - have you considered shrink wrap? You can purchase a shrink wrap cover to fit your boat, put it on, hit it with a hairdryer, and voila! you have a reusable foul weather cover (most incorporate a zipper for access, removal, and reuse).

 

[guy48065]

Unfortunately the best solution to snow & water accumulation is the same as for homes: A steep roof. The unfortunate parts are how awkward they are to install and how silly it looks.

 

[garbageguy]

We did a low-budget option with a 17 ft last winter - turned out fine. Not intended as a long term solution, but it got us through a winter that we weren't planning on storing this one. Basically, a tarp suspended over a line tied high up between 2 trees

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...engine-topics/10096931-tarp-frame-suggestions

 

[roscoe]

We did a low-budget option with a 17 ft last winter - turned out fine. Not intended as a long term solution, but it got us through a winter that we weren't planning on storing this one. Basically, a tarp suspended over a line tied high up between 2 trees

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...engine-topics/10096931-tarp-frame-suggestions

This. ^^^^^^^

If not possible, then 3 30 gallon plastic garbage cans, turned upside down and placed strategically in your boat.
Then, a heavy duty plastic tarp securely fastened.

If it will fit, put your boat cover over the garbage cans, then the tarp on top.


Easy, fast, sturdy, and you have 3 nice storage containers for use during the boating season.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

What do you use as a cover? I strongly believe if storing a boat outdoors the best solution is to shrink wrap it. It is the best bang for my buck at around $225.00 CDN for my 19 foot StarCraft. Snow will not accumulate. It is the best outdoor solution. We have snow here, at times way too much. It slides off the plastic like butter in a non stick pan.

I have seen all manners of home made solutions, here on this forum in fact, and they all have inherent problems. If you have a canvas mooring or travel cover water and snow will pool, unless it is as slippery as mine. I cleaned my Sunbrella mooring cover this year and treated it with 303 sealant, water runs off and beads like a newly waxed car now. Snow would be a problem though unless it is as vertical as possible. With that slippery cover now I would try for 1 winter because my cover was custom made and has a good pitch. I made bases for the tent poles by taking toilet closet flanges and adding a reducing coupling to get to 1" diameter and set the poles in it. The wind here on Erie doesn't blow them over because my cover is tight not only it's perimeter but down tight too. I fill 6 plastic 1 gallon bleach bottles with water. 8 would make it tighter. Tie "S" hooks to them and put the S hooks into the side grommets. It's tight. In winter you can fill them with sand. If you build a frame that is good and just cover it in plastic tarps you are not doing the boat justice. I know a guy that had to repaint his glass cuddy as the wind slapping the plastic against the boat wore the paint to the fibreglass. Another had paint worn off his tarped sports car from the tarp slapping against it. As\ I said there is a thread about what you want to do that has been discussed here at length recently.

A good friend has a 21 foot centre council StarCraft with a custom Sunbrella cover that covers his windshield and the boat. He has cut sections of PT plywood that he sets on the edges of the gunnels, goes back to the splash well and covers the bow. He just covers the plywood and it will withstand the weight of a few feet of snow and pooling water, he doesn't bother to ever sweep it off. 25 years and counting no problems other than new plywood a few years ago, and it is the original cover. He was patching the cover where it meets the windshield corners until I had him sew up a pad for around the wind screen like I did for. I wouldn't believe it would hold up as it's basically flat unless I saw it with my own eyes. Plywood stores easily too.

I ask again, what do you cover it with?

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Thanks you all for your help,I am going to make some sort of support out of PVC pipe,I am going to need to get some measurements of the inside back and front of my boat to see how much piping and connectors I will need to buy..

I would like to store my boat inside but for what they charge in my area for a storage shed they are absolutely bloody crazy..

I had went to couple storage shed businesses close to me and being I need to have at least a minimum storage shed size of 10 x 20 it was $150.00 per month not counting taxes or other fees and you must also rent it for a minimum of 6 to 7 months at a time..So I would say to rent one for 7 months is going to cost me well over $1,100.00 not counting taxes or any other fees they do not tell you about and we all know there is always some sort of hidden fees you where not told about..

Now I might say I be ok with this if I had a brand new boat with all sorts of high dollar equipment,but being that my boat is a 1989 Sea Nymph SS175 with a 70hp Evinrude I can not justify spending that kind of money for a building that is only going to be used at the most 4 possibly 5 months out of year..

So I am going to go the route of ether using PVC Piping or maybe even wood but I leaning towards using PVC myself as it be lighter,stronger and will be easier to take off and on the boat and plus store away for the summer months..

Again Thanks for all your help and info..

If you go the frame route instead of the more expensive PVC pipe I would suggest using thick wall black water line in 2" diameter. The same used for rural water cisterns and wells. It is flexible when warm and stiffens like PVC when cold. Do what Sprig suggested on page 1. To bend them use a hair blower or propane torch, carefully. No expensive ABS or PVC and fittings to buy. We pay around 75 bucks for 200 feet and you won't need anywhere close to that. It is cheap enough you could double the lines together to stiffen them more and duct tape them together, we love duct tape in Canada, Red Green is an old neighbour and Canadian eh?. Buy the cutter specific to black water line. It will cut the stuff like a knife through butter, 12 bucks here for the tool.