Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

[BoatingBob55]

I have a 20' pontoon boat. G3 Suncatcher. It has a sun shade for the back, HOWEVER... I need something to keep the sun and rain off it. I bought a beautiful hurricane cover for it, put up 2 PVC poles you can buy at walmart. Between wind and rain, that didn't last 5 mins. What can I do to cover this pontoon so I don't ruin my investment?? It's my baby....

 

[junkman41]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

iboats sells covers for pontoons

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

A lot of people have custom covers made to fit just for those reasons.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

I have a 20' pontoon boat. G3 Suncatcher. It has a sun shade for the back, HOWEVER... I need something to keep the sun and rain off it. I bought a beautiful hurricane cover for it, put up 2 PVC poles you can buy at walmart. Between wind and rain, that didn't last 5 mins. What can I do to cover this pontoon so I don't ruin my investment?? It's my baby....

I'll bet if you can find the SOB that stole our new cover just before Christmas he would give you a good price.

 

[Lurch77]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

If you want a cover that will fit tight, look good, and hold up well to weather, find a local canvas shop with boat cover experience. It won't be cheap, but then again, was your baby cheap to begin with? Spend some money to protect that baby. It's on my list. I have a cheap cover for now, and I hate it.

 

[Uncle Dave]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

I have a 20' pontoon boat. G3 Suncatcher. It has a sun shade for the back, HOWEVER... I need something to keep the sun and rain off it. I bought a beautiful hurricane cover for it, put up 2 PVC poles you can buy at walmart. Between wind and rain, that didn't last 5 mins. What can I do to cover this pontoon so I don't ruin my investment?? It's my baby....

The best shelter to protect your boat is a fixed one. The carport metal ones are less than 1,000 installed. Less than a set of new seats.
Uncle Dave

 

[BoatingBob55]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

Looking for a cover I can use while mooring the boat, not on the trailer.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

You need a snap on custom cover with push poles. That's the only thing that will accomplish what you want to accomplish. It will be a significant initial outlay, but it will outlast enough off the shelf covers that you'll recoup your investment, not to mention how much better it will protect your boat.

 

[The Woo Woo Kid]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

I too am a new pontoon owner. Not sure if you're looking for a cover while it's docked or on land but here's what I did. I took 1.5 inch pvc pipe and made three " stands ", square base(pipe/4 elbows) with 3 " t's " two for shorter 4 ft ish pipes opposed by one 6 ft or so pipe. the shorter pipes hold up the longer pipe(bolted through) and the longer pipe to hold up the ridge pole which is connected to the stands by a tee. Then a quality tarp over it all that covers my boat stem to stern, lifting strake to lifting strake. It's very nice, very effective and I can even stand up underneath it. This makes the tarp angle steep and the water runs right off. I can enter the boat very easily between the gap created by the motor. I can clean, work on boat or access anything on it without removing the cover. I plan on putting a plastic backed " runner " rug the length of the boat's floor. Then I'll hang any wet stuff from a day's boating from the ridge pole where it will dry. Also, I place small pieces of pool noodles between the tarp and boat seats to keep the tarp off the cushion's tops so the sun doesn't bake the cushion tops through the cover. If you've ever felt this area of the cushions on a sunny day they are very hot even tho a standard cover is atop them. Very hot! So with my set up, several inches of air are between cushion top and tarp and the cushions stay cool. Hot sunny days, I open the bow end a tad and the air flows through keep the interior temps way down. My ridge pole is two pieces secured with a pin. I have maybe $250 in the set up. It takes down quick and goes back up quick. It has easily withstood strong winds.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

Looking for a cover I can use while mooring the boat, not on the trailer.

You're going to need one with poles to keep pooling from happening.
We just leave the camper on, when we're moored.

 

[mjc3834merc]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

You don't have a location listed so I don't know where you are but up here in Minnesota there are quite a few places that will make you a custom cover. We had this one made over the winter. Cost us $750.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

There are awning shops in every medium size and larger city that can make you a cover. You can also Google boat mooring covers. There is a good one in SW Ohio that makes a great top.

I have a new Bennington, and mooring covers come standard. But if you have to replace it, look to spend $1,500. And then you have to pay someone to install the snaps to correspond with the snaps already installed on the boat.

But if you cannot keep the boat out of the weather and dry, your seats won't last long. That makes a mooring cover virtually mandatory on all pontoons.

 

[newcomlr]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

@BoatingBob,

Ditto what others have said. See if you can find one "off the shelf" here on iBoats that is made specifically for your boat. Not a universal or semi-custom. If you find one, consider yourself fortunate. Choose fabrics well...if possible get samples before you order. There are big differences in weights (bulkiness) and water resistance. I opted for waterProof lightweight with vents.

If that doesn't work, find local boat cover shop that has mucho experience making full playpen/mooring covers for pontoons and sells the supports, vents, etc. Others in this thread mentioned this could be in the $700-$800 range. If that pricing works out for you, consider yourself fortunate. For my 25' toon, I was quoted $1200 to $1400 from local reputable shops.

If that doesn't pan out, you'll need to find a company in the US that can make to order a cover for your boat and ship it to you. That's what I had to do (PM me for company name and URL). Got it this week for my 1997 Sun Tracker, and it is as advertised, and exact fit. Cost me over $800. But I was SO tired of using a storage boat cover and my homemade support system.

 

[tsennett]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

When my cover on my old pontoon finally gave out, I tried several non-custom solutions - none were satisfactory. The biggest worry you have in protecting your pontoon is keeping the sun off the vinyl. The carpet can take a lot of sun and water before it wears out, but the vinyl will go after only a few seasons if the sun beats on it all day. My current toon has seat covers only, instead of a full play pen cover, and I really like them. They are much easier to handle than a full cover. The reason I bring this up is that it is a lot easier to find seat covers (not custom, but already manufactured) that will actually adapt to your pontoon than it is to try to adapt a non-custom full play pen cover, especially if you are keeping your pontoon on a mooring or a hoist.
The best solution is a custom cover, but that is expensive, and for me I was reluctant to spend that much when my old pontoon wasn't worth that much by itself. Good luck.

 

[newcomlr]

Re: Need a GOOD pontoon Cover.. Wind and Rain proof.

+1 on protecting the vinyl. The boat that docks next to me is (soon to be was) a beautiful white Bennington and they leave it uncovered all summer. I don't think they even treat the vinyl and they don't seem to use the boat very much. So it sits there and just cooks in the sun, gets dumped on in the rain, and they leave the Bimini up and open to ruin it too. The carpet is turning black in places.

Just my opinion, but if I had a wood deck boat with carpet, I'd still want a full playpen cover. My boat has aluminum deck but I want to protect the carpet. Plus it adds some perceived security.

The guy that had my boat previously let his playpen cover blow into the lake, then he left the boat uncovered. Soon as i get the cash, its getting all new vinyl. But it's got a playpen cover on it now.

I got one made out of lighter weight Aqualon. Completely water proof. Hopefully it's durable enough because the lighter fabric allows it to fold up into a smaller, light package. I could but it under a seat. So far...love it.