Shrink wrap vs. Tarp

[christyleigh]

Originally Posted by labatt

We'll put the solar vents on the angles, so they should remain uncovered most of the time. I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experience with them too. Also, we plan on getting a "door" for the shrink wrap too.

I wouldn't bother with trying to rig solar vents. To me that's getting a bit paranoid about the falacy that shink wrap = dampness. The plastic Clam Shell Vents purchased from the same companies that sell the shrink wrap is all you need. YOU control the ventilation of your wrap if you are doing it, and if you don't, simply tell the wrappers how many vents you want and where. Of course if you do a swiss cheese version of a patchwork quilt as I did last year you don't have to add any vents at all You can also purchase zippered doors from the shrink wrap catalogs that can be cut out and used for a few years. I added frame stand-offs to keep my frame a couple inches outside the teak hand rails at the top of the stanchions so I can do the annual light sand and re-coat under wraps in the spring - which also aids in ventilation because the bottom of the wrap will be wrapped around a line inches from the hull - unlike the paid wrappers who usually have that line touching the hull which may be a problem in itself. Some people at my marina who pay to have it done add a stand-off around the gunwale area to keep that from happening.

[TrueBlue]

I fully agree with Stan that there's too much false information and hysteria regarding shrinkwrapping. It is the best way to keep moisture off your boat . . . IF proper ventilation and standoffs are used.

In addition to a reusable zippered access panel (3 years with the same panel now), I have had at least 6 of those clamshell vents installed in my shrinkwrap jobs - very effective. To assist in controlling excess moisture, I fill three shoebox size containers with a 50/50 mix of calcium chloride and cat litter and distribute them in the cabins below. Never had a mildew problem with this boat.

My frames are also held outside of the rails, by standoffs clamped to the stanchions - as shown in this pic:

[christyleigh]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

My frames are also held outside of the rails, by standoffs clamped to the stanchions - as shown in this pic:

That's the way I connected my frames last year. This year I doubled the 'stand-off' with a second parallel connector connected to a 4" piece of framing, then the frame connects to that. That way I can freely work on the hand/stanchion rail and gunwales without the frame or the wrap interfering.

[TrueBlue]

Good idea Stan! I considered that as well, but accepted the maximum offset allowed by the standard clamp dimension. It does clear the top rail in most areas, although not enough to allow for teak refinishing with the cover in place, especially the toerail.

How did you solve the bow pulpit standoff issue?

[christyleigh]

I don't have vertical frame attached to my pulpit on the side - only the backbone doing a curved 90 degree turn at the forestay and attached to the pulpit seat frame with a T as you show. Since my only concern is to keep the wrap away from the teak I'll probably just add a little horizontal stand off along the rail where you connect that vertical frame member just to ease the transition from my last vertical.

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by TradewindSailing

Best feature are the "Griff clips" which hold the tarp without holes or grommets.

I just received a bag of these. (Due to time contraints, this year, at least, we're using multiple smaller tarps from Home Depot or Lowe's). I've got to say: Just experimenting on the tarp material in which the Griff Clips are packaged, I'm impressed with them, so far.

Here's the manufacturer's product page: Reef Industries, Inc. - Griff Clip IV.

Jim

[killarney_sailor]

I have a friend with a Bayfield 40 who has had great success with old, el cheapo tarps. He gets most of them from the dumpster after people have torn out grommets in them. His secret is to use the grommets only to hold the tarp in place while he ties the tarp down with many light ropes over the top of the tarp from one side of the cradle to the other. He uses whatever old hunks of line he has (often from the dumpster) and uses many lines going in different directions. Seems to work really well and close to free.