Cover for a boat docked in a slip?

ric · **Posted:** Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:18 pm

My snap in covers are maybe a 6/10 shape. They work and keep the sun off, but wow you gotta dedicate a gymnastic act and 15 minutes to install...

Is there a better solution out there for a boat that's tied up to the dock?

EvilZ · **Posted:** Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:57 pm

You can buy mooring covers, which is what I wish I had had a couple of years back when I slipped my boat....Essentially, they cover the boat, but don't come down as far as trailering covers on the sides.

Graham R · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:49 am

I often wondered about mooring covers; how do you attach dock lines, fenders etc as the cleats and raiils are covered? Are there cutouts/ zipped sections for the cleats? ; but wouldn't that mean you have do undo each dock line and fender from the cleats before removiing the cover, than to tie them all up again when you get on board/ ready to go out?

Graham

EvilZ · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:28 am

Usually cutouts for the cleats. Nicer ones have velcro, so that you don't have to untie/retie lines.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:41 am

Any examples of a "custom" mooring cover with the cleats cut out or whatever that I can browse for on the web? I love the cover my buddies boat has. It's a Malibu and the cover has a giant rope going around the edge and these two tension clips that secure (tighten the rope). Takes 1 minute to install.

Graham R · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:07 pm

EvilZ wrote:

Usually cutouts for the cleats. Nicer ones have velcro, so that you don't have to untie/retie lines.

thanks, makes sense to me now.

Graham

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:13 pm

The cover on our 348 has 'sleeves' sewed into it for the lines. This way the lines don't rub on anything other than the less-costly-to-replace sleeve canvas, instead of the main cover itself. Works great.

The trouble with using a mooring cover is getting it tight down around the waterline. The one on our 348 has a single cord that runs back around the stern to a lace-up pattern of eyelets in the front. You really have to give it a good pull to get that line snug. But once it's done there's no way that cover is going to move or flap around. Covers with snaps also accomplish that. You do not want to have a cover just held by elastic. Because eventually that elastic will fail or winds will be just strong enough to get under it. A flapping canvas cover can wreck a gelcoat surface REALLY fast.

I would never consider using our 348's cover for any kind of regular use. For one it weighs nearly 200 pounds! That and it requires a frame along the bow to hold it. For a smaller boat this would, of course, be a lot less of a problem.

Graham R · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:23 pm

Bill,

Where do dou get a cover like that? My Sundowner could really do with one; the stern faces southwest for 6 months and I only have a cockpit coveer; with red gelcoat, it really suffers ( even though the temperature is low here due to windchill, the UV is still as powerful !)

Graham

ric · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:28 pm

I live in Florida, snap in covers don't do the job. A $300 cover is A LOT cheaper then me spending hours with the buffer. Is there any websites that have these mooring covers with hole for the 180 LS?

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:29 pm

I purchased the cover from Fisher Canvas. http://www.fishercanvas.com/

They're located in New Jersey, here in the US. The covers are really heavyweight canvas, I have no idea what shipping would be to the UK.

www.iFourWinns.com

Cover for a boat docked in a slip?

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