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| BUYERS GUIDES |
02 / 12 / 05 |
Snow cover: a Christmas present for your boat |  | | |
If your boat is small enough to be kept at home you need to do more than just park her in the drive. I take my 16ft day boat out of the water and she sits under some trees over winter. Without a cover she would be a sorry sight come next spring.
You can't just leave her out in the cold and wet. So like it or not, you're into the expense of a cover. And if you're wise, you won't skimp. Because if the protection you buy is less than perfect, there'll be bills for all the things that didn't like sitting exposed, waiting for you when summer starts.
Actually it makes sense buying a boat cover anyway. Unless you're one of the lucky ones, your boat is likely to sit unused most of the time, so it might as well be safe and comfortable.
Boat covers, as you'll quickly find, are rather like school uniforms. They're either expensive and made to measure, or at the edge of being affordable and off the peg. Reckon on spending around two hundred and fifty pounds odd - though again that's better than the maintenance and make-good you'd have to face, recovering from winter in the open.
There are basically three types - all plastic - and either in PVC or acrylic. PVC you would choose for its anti-fungus properties - if your boat is stored in the shade for instance - and for its resistance to bird droppings - the one to choose if you're forced to be under the trees. Acrylic is lighter, easier to heft around and has superior resistance against UV degradation. But the main reason you'd choose it, thinking about moisture damage, is that it lets your boat breathe.
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Overboom covers are pitched like a roof to keep rain off.
Picture from www.trident-uk.com.
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Overboom covers drape over the whole boat from the boom downwards, which throws rain off and prevents it from pooling, like a steeply pitched roof. They're usually designed as a skirt with a drawstring that pulls tight, securing under the hull with webbing and straps. The trick is to get as snug a fit as you can round the mast - and the rest of the boat stays dry. Some have foredeck openings fastened with velcro - and shroud openings secured with webbing and buckles. Make sure the design has a vent for through-draught to reduce condensation. What size? If you can afford made to measure that's not a problem. For off the peg - it works exactly like clothes. Ask your chandler for small, medium or large.
Flat boat covers are either mast up or mast down. With a low, flat profile that's the shape of your hull, both are suitable for towing - though obviously the mast up variation allows you to stay rigged while you keep covered in the dinghy park. Again they use the successful skirt with drawstring design, attaching under the hull with webbing and straps. On some types, a halyard attachment point reduces the chance for water to collect by including a raised cover in the middle of the cockpit.
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Yer pays yer money - the mast down cover is pretty basic.
Picture from www.trident-uk.com.
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The mast down variety is pretty basic, trimmed right down with no openings for mast or shrouds, so you're all trussed ready on the trailer. With no chance for the water to get in, your boat will stay dry - but don't forget to allow for condensation and keep the boat well ventilated.
Actually, be careful all round. Just because the boat is on a trailer doesn't mean you can leave her languishing. Tip her up so that any water that may collect inboard will run towards the stern where the drain plugs are, if she has them. Make sure you keep her well off the ground too.
Don't forget the other enemies either. You've protected her against rain and snow, but not against wind. Tie the trailer securely down to stakes and make sure the cover is properly fast all round. A loose sheet of PVC flapping in the wind can do some nasty damage to your hull.
What else? Well, you might invest in an undercover to protect the boat from nicks and scratches when you're trailering. Elasticated with tie lines at regular intervals, it will keep out stone chips, grease, grime and other gunge thrown up from the road.
The same protection is needed if your boat is somewhat bigger, so even if she is chocked up in a boatyard get some cover over the topsides it will save lots of work when you get ready for next season.
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