www.iFourWinns.com

It's raining its @ss off and we decided to head out to the lake anyway for the weekend. Don't really want to tow the boat with no cover and get all the road mist/sludge in the boat. I have the FW tops that are two piece - one for bow and other for cockpit area....the type that snap all around and have some support poles front and back.

Does anyone tow their boat with these on? If so, do you put the poles in for the ride? I don't want the mess in the boat, but also don't want to mess something up either.

Lake is about 80 miles away - have to drive at least 65 or will get run over and killed.

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08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

That's the only way I ever tow, and do it for hundreds of miles at a time, at 65-70mph.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I do tow with the covers on. My bow cover support started to rub almost to completely through. Four Winns located the extra material in the wrong position. I had it repaired and the repair shop told me towing with the covers is fine just remove the supports. I have had no problems since.

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Andrew
07 H180
2000 Buell X-1
Stouffville Ontario
Canada

Mike - thanks....do you use the support poles when trailering also or leave them out?

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08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

I use them. As long as you're careful about getting every snap fastened and raising the poles so they're moderately tight (not "tent tight" like a lot of boats I see going down the road) I don't think you'll have a problem. My bow pole gets pushed down lower by the end of a long tow, no matter how tight I get the thumbscrew. But it seems to get pushed down to a particular point and then it stops.

2 of the 3 last long tows we've done, were through torrential downpours. I never could find evidence of a single drop getting into the boat, and the covers dry out surprisingly fast once you get out of the rain and keep moving down the highway. Do be aware that they'll get covered with bug strikes, they'll look worn faster, and it's a good idea to keep a closer eye out for wear & tear. Keep them as clean as possible and reapply 303 once every year or two. But in my experience they do work well and I like arriving with a clean boat. I don't like the thought of having to replace the covers later on due to them wearing out faster, but I do believe in using them to protect the boat.

One other thought - before towing on the highway with them the first time, we did a "test tow" with my wife in the other car getting a good look at all sides to make sure nothing was flapping. It might have been more for my own peace of mind than anything else, but I didn't want to have to wonder if I was unknowingly destroying my boat. Something to consider.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I don't tow as far, but the snap on bow/cockpit covers on both of my FW boats have held up well and I always tow with them on... I sold my '95 in '07 and they didn't tear up, but I did have a few issues, some were my own fault because I cleaned it probably 3 times in the washing machine.... I no longer do this... but even with this type of abuse, the problems you will see are typically the stitching on the seams coming loose... a good local shop can fix this much cheaper than buying a new cover... Obviously, the waterproofing needs to be reapplied as well... The fabric itself on the old boat covers held up with no holes/weak spots in it... I no longer actually clean the new cover, rather just rinse it off occasionally... black colored covers are a good thing! my old one was red and showed dirt over time...

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2007 FW Horizon 200 5.0GXi/SX-A

+1 to 230Mike. Tow thousands of miles with mine and never a problem. Glad to see you have the issue of the poles sliding down as well Mike - thought it was just me..!

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

The thing is to make sure there is no "flapping" as 230 Mike said. If one end comes loose and it starts flapping, the wind will rip that part to shreds- been there.

I think the poles can loosen because of the plastic thumb screw... I bet a wing nut would work a lot better for this purpose, but I have not been motivated enough to change mine out yet...

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2007 FW Horizon 200 5.0GXi/SX-A

Well - all seemed to work fine and nothing was flapping around.....when i removed the top the edge of the bow cover near the window had torn and frayed. Seems a trailering top is the way to go for sure...not too bad though and is an easy fix with a sewing machine and some heavy canvass material for backing........now if I had a sewing machine and knew how to sew!

OH - while at the lake talked to a neighboring camper with a new Rinker (24')....nice boat - he trashed his vinyl by storing it with top on while wet and it's totally covered in mold that will not come out.....said he has tried it all and taken to the dealer, but they can't get it out either. Just thought i would pass that tidbit on as a reminder to not put store with top on until dried out completely.

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08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

I just towed my boat to Lake Travis (Austin) from the Dallas area...with my covers on...only a couple issues. You can tell where the cover rubbed on the vinyl in a couple spots and left a couple little black marks on it. I am certain I can get it out with a little magic eraser though...no big deal. This was at highway speeds...even up to 75mph at times.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

My cover leaves black marks on my rear jump seat when I tow long distances at speed with my covers on. I got to where I put a piece of clear packing tape on the seat in those places to avoid the marks and potentially wearing a hole in the vinyl. When I get to where I'm going and take the covers off, I just pull the tape and it comes right off.

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2008 FW F204 - 5.0 VP "Stand On It"
Former Boat: Larson 186 LXI - 4.3 VP

My wife and I just got the FW "trailering cover" which goes just below the gunwale, has a ratcheting strap at the back, a zippered section for the gas cap, and cutouts for the bikini top. It's pretty slick, and also serves as the storage cover. I don't remember how much it cost but I think around $650 or so. It was a lot of money at the time, but now that we have it, it is well worth the money. Just my $0.02.

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2008 H210 - Volvo Penta 5.0 Gxi - 130 hrs on the clock
2011 Chevy Tahoe LX - 5.3L V8 w/tow package

You might think about switching to 'blue' masking tape - much less likely to leave adhesive residue on the seats than clear packing tape.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Towed my H190 from Illinois to Florida last summer when I moved. Started out with an expensive towing cover but after 300 miles when I stopped for fuel, found that the tie down straps had caused a few blackish rash spots in the gelcoat and they had acutally put cuts in the rubber rub rail insert from the strap edges. Replaced with the cockpit and bow covers and had no further problems. I still get pissed when I see the "reminders" left by the towing cover. Rash spots will not come out without sanding and recoating, so I choose to leave them until I have something larger to justify going into gelcoat.

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08 H190
190hp Merc
Striving to be the man my Beagle thinks I am.