Boat Covers & Winter Modifications

[CGeminski]

I have a Parker 1801 and this will be my first winter storing the boat in the backyard. I purchased a boat cover rather than having the boat shrink wrapped... I intend to keep the cover on the boat during the fishing season to keep leaves out of my boat.
I am curious if any of you prepare your covered boat for a northeast winter any special way? I plan on rigging some 2x4's from the bow to the top of the console and some more from the top of the console back to the stern quarters to support the cover in case of a lot of snow (even though this winter is starting out pretty mild). I was even thinking of putting a tarp over my cover, just for added protection.
Any ideas or suggestions anyone else has would be appreciated!

 

[mildew2]

I had a great custom made cover for my 1801. I had braces on top of braces and still when the wind blew and it snowed hard I had sagging places full of snow. It was more trouble than it was worth,so I just started paying for inside winter storage. It was worth
the money to do away with the hassles. JMO

 

[DaleH]

Any ideas or suggestions anyone else has would be appreciated!

See this post for ideas: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9916&p=79549

-Don't use cinder blocks for blocking, even those others here on this forum have and have not had them freeze, crack and bash their boat to the ground ... yet ...

-A 2x4 skeleton is a great idea, plus as you can see in the post above, you can tie ropes all over them to make a cobweb of support for the tarps.

-Sometimes 2 tarps are better then one.

-Put carpet tied or sip-tied in place on wear points to protect the tarp or use pipe insulation on rails, if needed, or on other hard points.

-Trim OB DOWN so no water accumulates in the LU hub, freezes, and cracks it.

-Open ALL hatches and things you can so the boat vents and you don't fill it up with mold and mildew.

-Don't tie it down sooooooooo tight that air can't circulte under the tarp. If needed, you can even take a length of 4" PVC and put it into the tarp fore and aft, 4-6' section, tipped a tad down, so air and wind can circulate, but water can't enter. A NEAT trick if you ask me ... just one of my many ideas from tpframing/tarping a dozen or so boats each season..

-Pull the rear drain plug and make sure to keep the bow higher!

-I lower my trailer tongue as LOW as I can go and then put blocking up under the rear of the trailer frame. Then I crank the tongue up and add blocking to the V-point of the front of the trailer. Then, even if another jack needs to be used, I put the bow up high. This takes most if not all of the load off the trailer axles and puts it right onto the trailer frame. Most years I get my front wheels off the ground or just about where they can spin. No 1,000s of pounds sitting on my bearings in one spot! Doing so, we've gotten 20+ years out of trailers and have never replaced bearing sets.

Many, many ideas here! Try the searches please too . Have fun !

 

[Goldiefish]

I solved by boat cover bow sag almost by accident. In season, I store the cover in a large round covered garbage can. When I put my cover on in the winter, I simply shove the garbage can up on the bow deck. Great support for the bow area. My stern area still sags, but even with last years snow here in New England, it was not a big deal.

 

[DBthal]

After learning from the members of this site, I built a cover for my 1801 to handle a Maine winter.

The frame is a combination of 1x4" lumber, some plywood at the joints, and polyester cord. I also used pipe insulation as a pad between the wood and tarp.

As Dale described in an earlier post, I block my trailer to take pressure off the wheels. I used cut sections of tree trunks which are easy to find in Maine

At our local boatyards, I noticed a technique that I am trying this year. The big yachts had tarps that were rolled on the end to keep the pitch sealed and prevent flapping in the wind. I made sure there were openings at the bow & stern so the cover could "breathe". It seems to ventilate well.

I'll have to see how well I am able to duplicate the rolled ends next fall.

Dan

 

[DaleH]

At our local boatyards, I noticed a technique that I am trying this year. The big yachts had tarps that were rolled on the end to keep the pitch sealed and prevent flapping in the wind. I made sure there were openings at the bow & stern so the cover could "breathe". It seems to ventilate well.

Another technique I've seen used on ends is to take 2" PVC pipe, drill a boat load (no pun intended ) of 3/4" holes in it down its length and tie it in vertically in position, where the ends of the tarps tie together around the pipe. The vented or perforated pipe helps the boat "breathe" underneath.

Looks great! Including the 'down Maine' trailer supports, ayuh!

 

[Bryan 2530]

Nice, I like the pipe insulation.

 

[jeffnick]

In our area you can get a metal roof for less than the cost of a custom fabric cover.