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Winter Covers?

15K views 89 replies 29 participants last post by  Bene505 
#1 ·
Hi all!

I've been busy working and trying to get out sailing before the season comes to an end, so I haven't been able to troll too much.

Anyway, as we're getting into Fall, I'm thinking about winter covers, sadly enough. On our old boat we had a Fairclough cover, and it was great. Now, with the new boat, it's time to figure out what we're going to do.

It's about $1500 to shrink wrap and remove each year.

Fairclough wants $6500 to build a new cover for us, and they charge about $1300 to install, remove and store each year. So, notwithstanding the thought that paying upfront for a cloth cover saves you money in the long run, that's not really right, at least not with the Fairclough setup (you could theoretically install, remove and store the cover yourself, but that's not really practical for us, and frankly, few people do that).

The Canvas Store in Huntington, NY will build a boom-tent type cover for $4400. That one actually would be less expensive over the long run because I would deploy, remove and store it myself. But, it doesn't provide as much coverage and there is no standing on the deck when it's deployed.

Nothing's easy and there always are trade offs.

Anyone know of a good winter cover that doesn't cost nearly $7,000 to build? And if anyone has any good ideas, don't be shy.

DG
 
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#45 · (Edited)
Not certain of what you mean. If you mean using the super-ball method: You make up short pieces of line with loops at each end. One end gathers tarp under the super-ball and the other end you use to hook the bungee. (I'm thinking maybe a buntline hitch for under the ball and a bowline for the bungee end?) The bungee hooks to opposing lines on each side of the boat. I'd make the lines long enough so the hooks were below the water-line, so you wouldn't have to worry about the bungee hooks marring your hull. Use the good-quality adjustable bungees from Home Depot or Lowe's. We used inexpensive bungee cords from Harbor Freight last year and they'd lost all their elasticity by mid-winter.

My fellow club-member that does this uses about a half-dozen of these per side on his J36 and he claims that it keeps everything tight.

Jim
 
#46 ·
Here in Northern NH,

I made a frame out of 1.5 inch PVC. I didn't glue anything, just used twine to lace it all together. Side walls were 45 degrees, plenty of room to move around underneath and survived marvelously through a big snow year.

I can't yet post images or urls, but you should know what to do...

See:


picasaweb.google.com/fongemie/UnderCover



Preserved
Alberg 30
 
#47 ·
Welcome to the asylum PK...

These are the photos PK wanted to post. :) Looks good, but I don't see the twine.





 
#48 ·
Thanks SailingDog!

If you look carefully, you can see the twine here
picasaweb.google.com/fongemie/StrippingToeRails#

We got so much snow last winter, and this cover turned out bombproof!

One small change I made mid winter, was to eliminate the 5 inch wide flat spot at the ridge by loosening up the tarp, and slipping a length of 2 inch pvc the length of the ridge, over the frame and under the tarp. That gave it a real peak and it sloughed snow just great.
 
#49 ·
So, are those PVC pipes cemented together or just held in place by twine???
 
#52 ·
Nice work, PreservedKillick! I see you are one of those lucky sailors with two boats!? (I see another under the shed, don't I?)

Also, I like your call sign -- Killick certainly is a memorable character!:)

Carry on.
 
#53 ·
Thanks Guys.

No cement was used. I got a big spool of twine and just lashed it all together. I had 2 or three vertical columns in along the center, and I did stick a screw through the joint to hold the column in.

I do admit that it is tall. I wanted to be able to move underneath. We started working on it through the winter. Lucky the boat sits in a protected spot with little high wind exposure.

JohnRPollard the other boat in the shed is a Catalina 22. Having two boats sometimes is a blessing, and other times a curse. We had the 22 in the water this year while we worked on the Alberg. Next season the 22 will probably stay in the shed since I damn well get the Alberg in the water. I also have a Hobie 16 that calls out when the water warms up!
 
#54 ·
We are also thinking of using a PVC frame and tarps to cover our boat this winter. Last year was our first year with the boat (Newport 28, kept in north Chicago suburbs) and the previous owner said he had never covered it; however we did get snow in the cabin after a late blizzard, so this year we definitely want some sort of cover. We were thinking of building a frame with the ridgeline over the boom, attaching the base to the toe rail and using line or bungees running under the hull or attached to the cradle to hold the tarps down. I've seen the tarp clips that have been referred to, but what is the superball? Any advice is appreciated as we're new at this (our other boat was a trailer sailer that we kept in a garage over the winter). thanks
 
#56 ·
slokaj-

These are superballs.

 
#59 ·
Shrinkwrapping costs are highly location specific. :)
 
#62 · (Edited)
1500 dollar shrink wrap :D

I see yard people building many frames to support the shrink wrap this has to be a huge cost compared to giving them a boat ready to warp
Not much cost really. Use the boom across the center of the boat, run a line down from the gooseneck to the bow pulpit as a ridge line and run a line down from the end of the boom to the stern as another ridgeline. No need for a big frame. If the boat is big, sometimes a vertical pole or two is used up at the bow for supporting the forward ridgeline. More line is ran from the ridgeline to the rails. All this line is cheap non stretch.
For me, I ran my whisker pole from the mast to the bow pulpit so I have a pole over 3/4 of the boat.

Frames are needed for tarps that weigh much more than shrinkwrap. As long as the slope is good, snow will not build up, weighing down the cover. Shrinkwrap is more slick than tarps and sheds the snow easier.
 
#61 ·
PK, Great frame!!

For the horizontal pipes that are about 3 feet above the deck, did you have to do anything special to have them follow the curve of the rail? (Or did they have enough flexibility that you could curve them easily?)

Also, maybe I missed it, what did you cover it with? Was it somehting home grown or did you have a professional build you a tarp?
 
#69 ·
PK, Great frame!!

For the horizontal pipes that are about 3 feet above the deck, did you have to do anything special to have them follow the curve of the rail? (Or did they have enough flexibility that you could curve them easily?)

Also, maybe I missed it, what did you cover it with? Was it something home grown or did you have a professional build you a tarp?
Hi Bene505,

Nothing special, they just bent with the curve of the boat. They don't even need to be so high off of the deck, I purposefully made the vertical legs fairly tall since I planned on working underneath and wanted the room. The vertical legs are capped with a "t" fitting that rests on the deck and can be seen here:




For the tarp, I just bought the cheapest 20x40 foot tarp I could find. Since boat is in my yard I figured I'd keep an eye on it for replacement if needed. It did fine.

When we painted the boat this spring, I added legs to each "bent" to get it off the deck, and covered the whole thing with translucent plastic. It's wobbly as heck, every other leg is tied back to trees with twine. I was hoping it would just get us through the painting, but it's still gong strong 7 months later. It sways a little with the wind, but has never failed.


Soon I'll take the legs off so each bent rests on the deck again for the winter cover.

I didn't glue anything since I wanted to be able to take it all apart for easy summer storage, and also was able to check on it as I worked throughout the winter. I once had a vertical center post fall down, but never anything catastrophic. If I were to leave it for a long time, I might clue some of the fittings, but leave some dry to make disassembly easy.
 
#63 ·
Dan-
I purchased a Fairclough cover last year and Fairclough installed it the first time. Because of the cost of having them put it up and take it down I opted to do it myself with the help of a friend. I'll be putting it back on next week. As you know having had one, the frame is a piece of cake to put up. But the cover on a 49 foot boat is unbelievably heavy even in two parts and I'm not getting any younger. I think next year I'll pay Fairclough.
I do have a different take on the cover. I believe that it really takes care of the investment in the boat. When I go to sell the boat, the buyers will appreciate that investment and that I cared for the boat properly. Plus they get a really nice cover with the boat. I have no illusions about getting my 6,500.00 back when I sell but I believe that the cover is a definite a check in the plus column when a buyer compares it to another prospective boat.
 
#66 ·
wrap the tarp around the superball...then tie the rope or bungie cord around the tarp, trapping the superball in the tarp. This allows you to create tie off point anywhere along the tarp that will spread the load out fairly evenly and have a low likelihood of tearing out, unlike the POS grommets they normally come with.
 
#67 ·
Last winter I was quoted $1500 for shrinking. Ended up building one with electrical conduit and HD white tarps. 20x30 over the bow and wrapped around the mast, 20x40 over the (supported) boom/bimini structure. meeting edges were rolled and stiched with 4in cable ties and reinforced with Tyvec tape. Foam pipe insulation was used over all hard points and along the bottom of the tarp to keep the grommets away. Blue plastic tarp repair grommets were found to be very useful as they do not pull out. The Tyvec tape was the only thing that stayed stuck below -20C. My one regret was not enough pitch and had to clear off the snow a few times. Both tarps and all seams survived the winter, was well ventilated and cost about $400.
New location has me shrink wrapped at $850 disposal/recycling incl. and no maintenance, easy choice.
 
#71 ·
Hi,

I think I may have mentioned that the previous owner had the cover made, but it was brand new/never used when we bought the boat from him.

My recollection was that it came from Canvas Creations in Annapolis, but I recently checked their website and did not see any mention that they do winter covers.:confused: It was definitely an Annapolis outfit -- but there are no labels on the cover itself to I.D. it.

I saw the receipt when we bought the boat -- it wasn't cheap either (in the neighborhood of $4K).
 
#72 ·
Thanks for checking anyway:) I think I know Canvas Creations in Annapolis. Heard lots of good things about it when I spent 4 months in Annapolis this spring. But pricey.
In that case I think I'll just go with shrinkwrapping, although I hate the waste of plastic and have heard that it can cause small blisters where it touches the gelcoat. Do you know if this is true?
 
#74 ·
Unless you're really strapped for time, there's no reason to pay the pros $1500 for shrink wrap every year. I've had good luck doing it myself. Three years ago I bought the heat gun, gloves and tape tightening tool, etc -- with the cover, tape and other consumables for that year it all came to about $750 or so. This year I bought the plastic and tape I needed for about $300. (Boat - 47 ft x 15 ft.) I use Dr. Shrink (Dr-Shrink.com - International Shrinkwrap Supplier , Wrap Anything! ).

I will admit that it takes a bit of practice to get it right, but if you're careful and follow instructions well you can probably manage it. It's easier if you have one or two people to help and small boats are easier than big ones. I'd be happy to share lessons learned -- send me a PM.
 
#75 ·
thanks for the advice billyruffn. I don't know if I dare do the shrink wrapping myself this year. I've heard from a few people that building a framework with Home Depot PVC pipes is quite simple, and then you can either have the homemade frame shrinkwrapped (making it considerably cheaper) or else cover the structure yourself with tarps or Home Depot 6 mil construction sheeting.
Unless anybody has any warnings about this plan (then please tell me), this one seems to make most sense to me so far.
 
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