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I have tried both methods, and IMHO you either need to devote too much money or lots of labor/time to get a tarp/frame that is better than shrink wrap. As noted elsewhere in this thread, a custom canvas tarp is going to cost thousands; even more if you want them to build you a reusable frame too. Of course you don't need to pay this kind of money. You can build a nice frame yourself and cover it with cheaper tarps that will last a season or three.
I copied an idea I saw somewhere on the web on building a PVC pipe frame for my boat. Covered it with a hardware store tarp myself. Total time spent: about 8 hours. Total cost for materials: about $75. It lasted about a week before the PVC frame broke. I spent another few hours fixing that first break with wood and duct tape. It broke again and again. I finally gave up trying to fix it. The mangled mess still kept most of the snow off her. I realized that I would need a much stronger frame. I designed one, only to realize that I really didn't have the time to make it. It would have taken me probably two whole days (most likely a skilled carpenter could have knocked it off in a few hours). I just don't have that kind of time to devote to the boat. So, every year now I pony up a few hundred bucks to have my boat shrinkwrapped. I don't have the moisture/condensation problems that others here have described. Vents and well-placed openings around the stern pulpit keep air moving. I don't like the expense, but my alternatives are to buy a cover that cost more than the boat, or devote time that I don't have. Not much of a choice.
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