Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

[anyfishlldo]

I'm just wondering who travels with either a mooring or a cockpit cover on the boat and who travels with the bimini on the boat at all.<br /><br />Also, what is the max speed you travel with boat in tow? My truck has no problem doing 75 anywhere, but I worry about the trailer and the boat.<br /><br />I see folks with the mooring cover on at 75 MPH, and sometimes with the bimini either booted and laid down or even up with the boot on going down I-70 @ full speed.<br /><br />I'd like some opinions on this if possible.

 

[tommays]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

I like to keep it around 65 MAX IF you get and OS going that fast you will be lucky to live to tell about it<br /><br />A cover is allways best IF you have one that wont beat it self OR the boat at speed <br /><br />Many covers will flog the boat pretty bad <br /><br />tommays

 

[JB]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

A tight towing cover reduces the drag a lot on most boats, but it must be as Tom says. . . non flapping and non-flogging.<br /><br />I usually tow at the posted limit +5, which in some places is 80, but my truck is rated for about 4 times the trailer weight. <br /><br />I towed BETITO home about 400 miles with no cover and got about 13mpg. Now converted to RED SKY with a nice tight fitting cover from iboats I can get 15-16mpg. On a 3000 mile trip, burning 93octane, that makes a big difference. With no trailer I get 18-20mpg.

 

[anyfishlldo]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

So traveling with the custom fitted mooring cover should be OK? (The cockpit cover is just snapped down around the gunwhales, windshield and swim platform, so I don't trust that thing.)<br /><br />How about the bimini?

 

[John_S]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

I trailered with my top in the boot, on Saturday. Around 2 of the 3 hours was interstate highway, with speeds 65-70mph. It held up fine, but I had recently checked all the set-screws, etc. The boot did collect its fair share of dead bugs. I didn't consider the possibility of a gas mileage hit. My gas milage was slightly worse than a couple of months ago (about a mile per gallon), when it was trailered to the house. I attributed the difference to an additional person, additional gear, and air conditioning running. Mine is not a big deal to take down or up, just four push pins. In the future, I will take it down. <br /><br />I have not trailered with the bow cover on, and do not have just a cockpit cover. (see pic under name) I was always concerned about a snap popping off at speed, and doing damage to gelcoat before I notice it. JB makes a very good arguement with the gas milage savings, though. In fact, his milage numbers for no cover and no trailer are very close to what I have. But, it does sound like he has a bigger truck and possibly larger boat. Just means my gas milage is bad all around!

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

Around here, towing speed is 55 mph. I rarely go over 60 since I hate tickets.<br /><br />I make sure my Bim is folded down and is sitting down in the rear position.<br /><br />I have a trailerable cover and it seems to do well at 60 mph.

 

[jeff_nicholas]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

'Wouldn't even think about towing with any canvas up, booted or not, and never w/ a cover...

 

[JB]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

No, anyfish. A TOWING cover. A mooring cover is not designed to take 60-80mph winds.<br /><br />Be sure any cover you use is designed as a trailering or towing cover, not merely a mooring cover.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

75 mph, 1000's of miles a year, with custom fit trailering canvas secured tightly in place. I've towed 3 boats this way, and only bought 3 covers so far (one for each boat). If secured properly with NO FLAPPING allowed they will last just about forever, except for the occasional patch job...you gotta keep after even the most insignificant hole or frayed seam or it'll rip open faster than a prom dress...<br /><br />23 years and counting so far, no problem. For extended high speed towing, I recommend you do NOT waste time or money on a "near custom" fit trailering cover ordered from ANY source. You simply need to take YOUR boat with all accessories to a local boat cover maker and leave it with him while he makes the cover custom molded to only YOUR boat. The pricing is more competitive than you think, and they'll custom mold the cover with appropriate padding and reinforcement right around all your accessories...lights, fish finders, rod holders, trolling motors, bimini mounts, windshield corners, cleats, etc. That's the only way to have a perfect and completely tight fit that will put up with extended abuse. Or you can waste money buying a new "custom" cover via mail order every 2 or 3 years like most people do when they get those and try to high-speed trailer with them. Shred city, no matter how good the material is.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

Here is my "home made" boat cover. There are only two straps that secure the nose bra. This cover is two years old, has seen thousands of miles of freeway speeds. It actually sucks down rather than billowing outward at speed. I made the cover for my previous boat that is now 10 years old and still in use by my son-in-law. Flapping of any kind will destroy even the best made cover.<br />

 

[anyfishlldo]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

Maybe I am mistaken on the verbage here, the cover I have looks like this:<br /><br /> cover <br /><br /><br />It does appear to be custom (came with the boat), because it has reinforcement for all cleats, bimini mounts, the tow ring, the anchor roller etc.<br /><br />Is this in fact a towing cover???<br /><br /><br />The only reason I am concerned is for longer tows, specifically to Powell. I am convinced that my CD player no longer works because I drove all the way there through the desert dust with no cover.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

That cover is indeed towable. Straps that fasten to the trailer are usually the indicator of a trailerable cover. Covers with a rope in the hem and that is simply drawn tight are mooring covers. The problem I see with all the straps is that wind buffets them and if they touch the boat at any point, will scuff paint/gel coat. How towable a cover is depends on the quality of the material used and how wind is prevented from getting under it. Even the best material will fail if the cover is allowed to billow and flap. That's why I learned to sew (thanks to my wife) and make my own.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

I make my own too!<br /><br />As long as the cover has straps and has reinforcements over the windshield edge and all other sharp points...no problem.<br /><br />Here is a cover I prefer for towing only because it is easier to stow and I can use when my boat is at my Tahoe dock. I just made it recently:<br /><br />

<br />

 

[anyfishlldo]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

bruce: that's exactly what my "cockpit cover" looks like but the dealer told me not to tow with it as the snaps can come off easily. I take it from your post that has not been a problem for you.

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

If wind gets under those snaps, what's going to hold it from flying off?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

I put the snaps very close together at the front of the windshield.<br /><br />When I made this cover, I was very careful to make it as tight as possible along the windshield edge. The edge uses webbing and binding so it should have very little stretch.<br /><br />I will be doing my first long distance tow with this particular cover...500 miles. I will report back if it's still there when I arrive this coming weekend

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

here's mine. I had it custom made when i bought the boat and made sure it was for trailerable use. So far its be OK at best. It looks great but If you do anything over 65-70, the front 3 snaps on each side along the windshield start peeling off and it is VERY annoying. I was thinking of having the lady who made the cover add more snaps in the front...I dont know what im going to do yet... <br />

<br />

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

The problem with most cover makers is that they use "standard" snaps. Heavy duty snaps are available that it takes two fingers to undo. The snaps on my cover are seven inches apart and none has ever unsnapped. Fastsnap Corp has all of this stuff.

 

[anyfishlldo]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

Thanks for all the replies folks!<br /><br />I may have to try the snap cover for a short trip and just watch it like a hawk and see what happens, it sure would be a lot easier than the full cover to get on and off.<br /><br />Still don't know what to do about the bimini though, maybe I'd feel more secure leaving it booted and laid down if I replaced all the plastic mounts with stainless. It's just a huge PITA to take it out of the truck bed, get it up there, attach it and then do it all over in reverse when I leave the lake. I'll have to see if the snap cover fits with the bimini laid down back there, that could help too.

 

[am_dew]

Re: Traveling with or without canvas and max speed.

I bought a generic Gulfstream trailerable cover from Costco for about $85 5-6 years ago for my 17' runabout. It has hundreds of trailer miles on it and except for a few spots where the windshield or rear cleat has punctured a small hole (my fault; I should have padded those areas), it's still in fine shape. It also covers the boat outdoors year round. I live in California where the speed limit for trailers is 55, so 60 is about my max speed and it does fine with no damage to itself or the boat as long as the straps are kept fairly tight.