Covers and Antennaes UPDATE

[Uncle Joe]

What do you guys do with your antennaes when you cover/shrink wrap your boat? I have an Offshore with a hardtop and each year I cut my coax at the connector to the radio.....drag the wire out of the t-top raceway, pulling a 1/4 inch nylon line and remove my antennae. Then reverse the procedure in the spring...and I ALWAYS have trouble making the new terminal connection at the radio....it is a pain to solder. Is there a better way?

 

[DennisG01]

It sounds like you don't have a folding mount?

 

[Ky Grady]

It's not shrink wrap, but my antennas are folded down and under the cover. No reason you can't do the same, just put supports underneath before you shrink wrap.

 

[Uncle Joe]

It sounds like you don't have a folding mount?

I do...but they extend way out past the top when folded....I always worried about them breaking.

 

[Uncle Joe]

It's not shrink wrap, but my antennas are folded down and under the cover. No reason you can't do the same, just put supports underneath before you shrink wrap.

View attachment 17662
View attachment 17663

KY....thanks....I bought a similar cover this year....how do you support them?

 

[Ky Grady]

For lack of a better answer,,,,, tennis balls on a stick in both outside rocket launchers.

It holds the cover up off the antennas for the most part.

I'll take a pic when I get home tonight.

 

[Slim grady]

Uncle joe where did u get that cover? I have a 89 226 seafarer with top and outboard on transom.. your looks sharp

 

[seasick]

I fold it down and slide a long piece of pool noodle over the entire shaft. That requires two pieces of noodle taped together. One end has a slit in it to allow it to slide over the base, and hinge. The noodle protects the antenna from poking through the cover. I use pool noodles a lot to reduce chaffing in general during winter storage.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Uncle joe where did u get that cover? I have a 89 226 seafarer with top and outboard on transom.. your looks sharp

That one is KY Grady's but I got mine from https://www.sealskincovers.com/

They are based in Westchester.....less than 400$....delivered in 2 or 3 days and as soon as I told them that I had an 82 Offshore with a hardtop they told me they had the exact cover. I have not put it on yet but they say it can accomodate rocket launchers and stuff.

 

[Blaugrana]

Some folks use pool noodles but I didn’t get around to using one last year.

Ended up just laying my 6-8ft diagonally across the hardtop. My Fisher cover has a spot that is reinforced for the rocket launchers, which takes the weight of the cover so the antenna is protected.

 

[Keeldad]

I have a Fisher cover as well. I unbolt the antenna mount (the piece with handle for raising/lowering) and pull a bit of the cable out from the clamshell to allow me to move it to the side under the hardtop lip and tie wrap the antenna diagonally (end down near deck, base up near mount) on the hardtop supports.

 

[Fishtales]

I have a folding gps antenna mount that drops it down behind the radar arch. For the VHF I lay it down toward aft and slide a pool noodle over it. Duct tape the end so it doesn't slide too far up and then tale the other end for good measure. In the spring I just clean any duct tape residue off the antenna. The reason for the noodle is two fold: first it stops the antenna from banging against the edge of the hardtop under the cover (from wind I beleive) which will eventually breakdown the outside shell of the antenna, second it provides a cushion for the cover or shrinkwrap movement in the wind as well

 

[DennisG01]

OK, so the worry is that the antenna sticks so far aft off the back end of the hardtop that the cover puts downward pressure on the antenna? If it's just a little bit, I wouldn't worry about it - just put a rag or foam under the antenna where it contacts the edge of the hardtop. If it's excessive, then a support structure can be built (nothing fancy needed here) to keep the cover "higher" and not put pressure on the antenna.

It could be as simple as a 2x4 extending off the hardtop (like the antenna does) and then a vertical 2x4 down to the floor. This will also help to "tent" the cover/wrap better. Support the 2x assembly such that it stays put. For example, a 2' or 3' "foot" under the bottom of the vertical 2x and straps going laterally where needed to keep the assembly in place. There are probably a dozen ways this could be done - it really just depends on what works for you.

 

[glacierbaze]

I always lay my antenna back on the hardtop, where it sticks out about 4 feet, or so, to go under my canal bridge. But thinking about it for a cover, the mount is over the electronics box in the front, so it may be possible to lay it forward, and get a better downward angle. I'm pretty sure I could do this if I remove the pivot bolt in the mount.
KY's pic without the cover gives you an idea of the possible angle.

 

[Fishtales]

I started the pool noodle thing after i replaced the VHF antenna a few years ago. I changed it because the outside white shell of the antenna was broken through and started chipping off.

After inspection it became clear that although the antenna normally rests above the hardtop by a few inches, it was banging against the hard top and where the edge of the hardtop met the antenna was where the damage was. When I took off the shrink wrap I saw that the shrink was tight in the area. I believe the shrinkwrap when tightened up brought the antenna closer and the two banged in the wind over the winter.

A rag, sponge or something like that could also do the trick. I just happened to have the noodle avail and it works like a charm.

 

[reelserious]

I do...but they extend way out past the top when folded....I always worried about them breaking.

The simple solution is to remove the through-bolt at the handle and you can lay the antenna any way you want, Takes a few minutes.

 

[Ky Grady]

I trailer with my antennas down on the hardtop and protect them with pipe insulation and a ball bungee around the rocket launchers to keep them from banging and moving in the wind. You can see them at the back of my hardtop in this pics. It's the same way with the cover on.

 

[Uncle Joe]

The simple solution is to remove the through-bolt at the handle and you can lay the antenna any way you want, Takes a few minutes.

I have done that also....didn't have a great feeling about it but it seems that is just about what everybody is doing...more or less.

 

[drbatts]

With both of my Gradys I have used a similar cover to Ky's. I just lay the antennas down flat and put the cover over them. I do think that the sticks with the tennis ball on them help lift the cover over the antennas. With my express I also also have a radar dome, satellite dome and top mounted outriggers that help with vertical clearance too. The first couple of seasons I did the pool noodle thing then stopped as it didn't really make a difference. I have been doing this for 15 NE winters and never had to replace an antenna.

 

[seasick]

Whether or not the antenna pierces the covering depends in my experience with the type of covering. Shrink wrap for the most part doesn't move a lot and than reduces chaffing. My boat covers are canvas over frames and they do billow and wiggle in the wind. I have tall frames on both boats that allow me to enter easily and work on the boat in the winter if needed. The down side is that the covers have more area and therefore catch more wing. It is a love hate thing. A big advantage of a tall frame is that the sides of the cover are well slopped and snow tends to run off pretty well.
Being able to go aboard and stand up is nice to have but the covers can take a beating. I have had my antenna tip pierce my cover.
My frames are made of PVC pipe. It is relative cheap but if flexed when cold, it can and does break. The trick is to have a lot of straps to keep the PVC parts from moving.