Winter Cover

[DavidPJ]

I'm starting to think about a winter cover for our GS-201. We live in NC and the boat is on a lift and that's where it will be over winter. We get snowfall here abut 3-4 times a winter and it's usually heavy and wet or ice. The original Sunbrella cover is in great shape so I don't want to have it damaged over winter. The dock does not have a cover.

What would you suggest for a breathable but strong winter cover? I'm going to look at the boat covers on this site as well as those sold at West Marine. I'm not considering a custom cover because of its cost. Since the boat is on a lift, how to you tie down a generic boat cover with no snaps? Should I run a rope under the boat and tie the cover ends or can I secure it to the pylons and lift?

Does anyone use their original boat cover over winter in a similar climate? Do you reinforce it?

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Winter Cover

I got an Endura cover from IBoats. They had one that was custom fit for my boat. It's light weight, but protects the boat very well. I've used it for two seasons now. My boat is stored in an open top building in rack storage. It's partially exposed to the weather, but the boat looks as good coming out of storage as it does going in. My only complaint is that I wish that the cover extended down further on the sides of the boat. I don't think this is an option except on custom made covers, which are 2x as expensive.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Winter Cover

Perhaps a cover such as this will meet your needs. I've seen them a few places and installed. May meet your needs.

http://www.navigloo.com/

 

[DavidPJ]

Re: Winter Cover

I got an Endura cover from IBoats. They had one that was custom fit for my boat. It's light weight, but protects the boat very well. I've used it for two seasons now. My boat is stored in an open top building in rack storage. It's partially exposed to the weather, but the boat looks as good coming out of storage as it does going in. My only complaint is that I wish that the cover extended down further on the sides of the boat. I don't think this is an option except on custom made covers, which are 2x as expensive.

Thanks Ernest T. Which material did you go with? I've been looking at the Aquashield and it looks pretty good.

I've talked with a local custom boat cover guy and he thinks I should just use the original Sunbrella cover and have it repaired if and when it needs it. He thinks it would be a waste of money for a second cover just for the winter. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I still like the idea of a reasonably priced winter cover to preserve the life of my factory cover. Plus, the Endura cover looks pretty simple so I can still remove it occasionally and use the boat on nice days. I don't expect this would be more than once or twice per month.

 

[DavidPJ]

Re: Winter Cover

Perhaps a cover such as this will meet your needs. I've seen them a few places and installed. May meet your needs.

http://www.navigloo.com/

Thanks for the suggestion NelsonQ. This looks pretty good especially for the northern climates. I don't think I need anything this elaborate for our weather. I also would like to easily remove the cover since we can still boat in the winter here.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Winter Cover

On my boat the covers that came with it are 2 piece snap on covers, one for the bow and one that covers the helm and rear of the boat. The problem is that they don't completely cover the boat and leave the gunwale, the bow, the outboard and the rear of the boat uncovered. When I put the boat away for the winter I put these covers on and then the Endura cover over that, or remove the other covers and just use the Endura cover. I've done it both ways, and even with the boat double covered it seems that the covers are breathable enough that I've not had any problems with mold.

We have a very serious problem with birds at my marina. Without the Endura cover exposed areas of my boat are totally covered in bird crap at the start of the season, unless I use the full cover. The Endura cover even has a section that covers my outboard motor, and its pretty easy to clean.

My Endura cover is made from Outdura. I think Sunbrella is considered the "gold standard" for covering material, but I've been very happy with the Outdura material. It is very light weight and completely waterproof as far as I can tell. It is also breathable. I've been very happy with the cover we got for our boat. I think I paid something around $450, but I can't remember for sure.

One thing to consider is with the Endura cover, you have to remove the bimini top from where it attaches to the boat for the cover to work. On my boat, I'm able to lay the bimini top and its poles down inside the boat with the top across the helm area and the poles running back towards the stern of the boat. Then the cover fits over top of everything. This might be a consideration, since it makes the cover a little more work to pull on and off, since you have to set up the bimini each time if you want to use it, and on my boat that is a 2 man job.

The other thing to consider is that my cover didn't take into consideration the ski pole, since this was an option. I had to have the cover modified, to fit the ski pole by a local gal that does custom covers. If your boat has one of the collapsible poles that may not be a consideration.

 

[DavidPJ]

Re: Winter Cover

Thanks ErnestT for the detailed info. I didn't think about the bimini and ski pole which I just took for granted with the original cover. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do but I'm also considering using the original cover and supporting it inside the best I can.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Winter Cover

I also would like to easily remove the cover since we can still boat in the winter here.

David, that's just not fair..... Mine's going in storage this week for a long nap until April I'd use mine in the winter too if I could just manage to handle the -30 weather and figure out a way to cut through 8-10" ice on the lake