My winter cover solution

[gtochris]

Thought I'd share what I came up with for a winter cover here in NJ.
My previous 20' boat I would purchase a 16x24' tarp and it fit well for covering fully. This would last about 3 or 4 years before needing replacement. The new 22' is near 24' with the extended platform and the nearest size tarp I could find to cover this was 30' long.

I'm not a fan of 1x use shrink wrap, I thought about a canvas cover but was worried about leaking and the Fisher canvas I found was $1300! Not sure I'm keeping this boat 10+ years that wasn't an option.

Found on Amazon this Transhield universal shrinkable cover made for a wide bow 23-25' "deck boat" for only $178 so I decided to give it a try.

My wooden arch I previously used on the Wellcraft was the perfect height, tied off to all the cleats for stability and support I cushioned all sharp surfaces. The cover is made like shrink wrap, has a felt like rim for protection of the gelcoat and a heavy-duty drawstring rope. I cranked down on the drawstring rope and connected the belly straps under the keel. I did not shrink it at all. This fits PERFECTLY and I am quite impressed with the high quality for the money and convenience!

 

[ahicks]

Thought I'd share what I came up with for a winter cover here in NJ.
My previous 20' boat I would purchase a 16x24' tarp and it fit well for covering fully. This would last about 3 or 4 years before needing replacement. The new 22' is near 24' with the extended platform and the nearest size tarp I could find to cover this was 30' long.

I'm not a fan of 1x use shrink wrap, I thought about a canvas cover but was worried about leaking and the Fisher canvas I found was $1300! Not sure I'm keeping this boat 10+ years that wasn't an option.

Found on Amazon this Transhield universal shrinkable cover made for a wide bow 23-25' "deck boat" for only $178 so I decided to give it a try.

My wooden arch I previously used on the Wellcraft was the perfect height, tied off to all the cleats for stability and support I cushioned all sharp surfaces. The cover is made like shrink wrap, has a felt like rim for protection of the gelcoat and a heavy-duty drawstring rope. I cranked down on the drawstring rope and connected the belly straps under the keel. I did not shrink it at all. This fits PERFECTLY and I am quite impressed with the high quality for the money and convenience!

Not to take away from your find, but a decently done shrink wrap cover, that's carefully removed and stored, can be reused for 3-4 years. I'm on #3 cover this season for our 24' pontoon stored here in SE MI, not because of how tatered the #2 cover has become, but 'cuz I just don't trust it. It still appears fine! FWIW

 

[gtochris]

Not to take away from your find, but a decently done shrink wrap cover, that's carefully removed and stored, can be reused for 3-4 years. I'm on #3 cover this season for our 24' pontoon stored here in SE MI, not because of how tatered the #2 cover has become, but 'cuz I just don't trust it. It still appears fine! FWIW

I'm glad to hear you have been able to re-use yours so many times. I've yet to find anyone local who would keep that in mind when installing shrinkwrap. Maybe some day I'd try what you did.

 

[harringtondav]

Ventilation is important, especially if you store outdoors. I made a pair of PVC "J" pipes. These hung over the gunnels in the rear with the short leg inside the boat and the long leg reaching below the cover.

 

[airshot]

My winter cover is a pole barn...it never frays or stretches, has worked for over 15 years with no leaks. When I change boats, the same cover works, no need for a new one !! I can even use the same cover for more than one boat at a time. With the cost of custom covers, and that I have had 5 different boats in it, not sure, but the barn might be cheaper in the long run !!!

 

[ahicks]

My winter cover is a pole barn...it never frays or stretches, has worked for over 15 years with no leaks. When I change boats, the same cover works, no need for a new one !! I can even use the same cover for more than one boat at a time. With the cost of custom covers, and that I have had 5 different boats in it, not sure, but the barn might be cheaper in the long run !!!

So jealous. One of my boats is kept in a carport in Florida. Because of the huge layer of green pollen we get there every year, I keep it covered with a dust cover, and even with one end of the cover left open, mildew is a huge issue! No rest for the wicked....

 

[crazy charlie]

Not to take away from your find, but a decently done shrink wrap cover, that's carefully removed and stored, can be reused for 3-4 years. I'm on #3 cover this season for our 24' pontoon stored here in SE MI, not because of how tatered the #2 cover has become, but 'cuz I just don't trust it. It still appears fine! FWIW

Im using my shrinkwrap for the 4th season today.I explained my intentions to the wrapper and he used the thickest of what he had and purposely did not fully shrink the entire cover.Properly removed ,properly folded and properly stored,it is working perfectly.It is plenty tight just not perfectly tight.Took some pics today.Charlie

 

[Lou C]

I’ve been using this for 15+ years. Taylor custom cover & home made support system….

 

[poconojoe]

A friend of mine made a wooden "A" frame that sits over his boat and is covered with tarps. 3 or 4 "A" frames with a long piece of lumber across the top.
The tarps are draped over the "A" frame and the ends are held to the ground with rocks, concrete blocks, stakes or whatever you have.
Snow has no chance of sticking due to the sharp angle.
You still keep your boat covered with your regular cover so rodents don't get in while it's under the "A" frame.
It works real well for him.

 

[Chris1956]

I support my cover as Lou does, except I use light rope instead of fiberglass lath. However, there is usually a spot or two where the water pools.

This year in addition to the light rope support, I took some web strap and installed snaps on the ends and a buckle in the center. The snaps connect to the gunwales, and the straps go over the ridgepole. We will see if this works better. If so, the straps are real easy to make and install.

 

[Lou C]

I got the idea from looking at a West Marine catalog seeing the bows. That would hold up to rain but definitely not snow load we can get here. So I added ridge beams in the front bow area and cockpit area that are supported by 3 PVC poles. 1 pole in the bow & 2 in the cockpit area. The cockpit ridge beam is hinged so that I can upen up the cover & work on the engine if needed in the winter weather permitting. In fact when it needed a top engine overhaul in 2016-2017 we got warm weather in Feb 2017 for a week so I opened it up & took it all apart got new parts & put it together in the spring…

 

[Lou C]

was able to do this job, with the cover still on!
Just peeled the cover back, removed the last 2 bows, and folded the hinged ridge beam back.
brought the old cyl heads to our hot rod shop in Lindenhurst Long Island and they advised replacing them due to cracks and eroded cooling passages.
To me that's the advantage of a cover like this, vs shrink wrap. Of course wrap is better to shed snow but even in a bad winter (we can get true blizzards and Nor'easter storms here being 250 ft from water) it has never caved in from snow loads.