How to cover 228g Hard Top for winter ??
- Thread starter rorkin
- Start date
I leave my full enclosure up and just put a heavy duty trap over the whole boat for the couple of 2 months that I typically don’t use it
I have a 25' Kingfisher with an arch. I covered the boat with shrink wrap one year and had mildew problems. What I do now is build a kind of roll cage looking frame. I run four 1 1/2" pvc scedule 40 tubes from the bow rail (I just use electrical tape to fasten the conduits to the bow rail) over the arch, spaced equally along the width of the arch and then 45 them down to end up on the swim deck. I use a couple of pieces of stapping and conduit straps cross ways to brace the individual conduits. I then get one of the large silver tarps that are say $90 from Northern and cover the boat, I tie it off well by bringing the lines under the hull - I tension them with shock cord. In the bow I leave an opening where the trap sits above the bow rail (think big scoop) maybe two feet wide. The wind can then circulate through bow to stern. Things stay dry underneath and ventilated. I get three or four years out of a tarp and for me it works well. I live in the N.E. we don't get loads of snow where I am but it has stood up fine to snow loads, we do have lots of wind however and the tarp has only blown off once - in a snow storm, winds were 90+.
Two options in my book... blue tarp it from home depot or use the boat! 
I tarped my boat every year but last year. She only sat for 8 weeks without use though in Jan and Feb. Tarping or shrink wrapping prevents water from getting into small places and expanding when freezing. Or moisture sitting in areas that seals may have been compromised for a while. For example if snow sits on a boat for a while and melts over a week or so and your deck plates are leaking, you will have had water getting into the wood of the deck not giving a good chance to dry out.
If you dont plan on using it, tarp the boat. If you do, make sure you have good seals and keep the bow up so everything drains off as quickly as possible.
(Not sure I would recommend shrikwrapping as I understand that it keeps condensation and moisture trapped under the wrap not allowing the boat to breathe or dry out - tarps tend to allow ventilation)
Just my opinions.
I tarped my boat every year but last year. She only sat for 8 weeks without use though in Jan and Feb. Tarping or shrink wrapping prevents water from getting into small places and expanding when freezing. Or moisture sitting in areas that seals may have been compromised for a while. For example if snow sits on a boat for a while and melts over a week or so and your deck plates are leaking, you will have had water getting into the wood of the deck not giving a good chance to dry out.
If you dont plan on using it, tarp the boat. If you do, make sure you have good seals and keep the bow up so everything drains off as quickly as possible.
(Not sure I would recommend shrikwrapping as I understand that it keeps condensation and moisture trapped under the wrap not allowing the boat to breathe or dry out - tarps tend to allow ventilation)
Just my opinions.
I have a fisher canvas cover which covers the entire boat. The nice thing about this particular cover is it has pockets which you slide 10' 2x4's through to support the cover and keep water and snow from pooling. You could do the same thing with a tarp, lay a 2x4 on each side of the transom to the hardtop and one from the bow rail to the hardtop then throw the tarp on.
I have a full cover and love it. We don't winterise here in California and I find I use my cover anytime I'm not planning to use the boat in a two week or more time frame. Takes ~10 minutes to put on or take off. No big deal given the protection I get from UV, rain and bird droppings.
I just bought a 228 with a hard top and am looking for a decent cover. I live in S Fla so I don't winterize either. I want something that is no big deal to put on and off. Can you tell us what brand it is and how much it was? Thanks
Mine is custom made from sunbrella. Not cheap but it's the closest thing to indoor storage. I have no regrets paying what I did.
I used to use a big tarp along with a frame made out of 2" PVC and it did the job.The year before last I went to a winter fishing flea market and found a custom made cover that was made for a 25` Grady CC.The cover appeared to be new and the price was right so I bought it.Last winter I used it and it was almost a perfect fit except the boat that it was made for didn`t have a pulpit and mine does.I still use a support from the HT to the bow rail which helps with any posible water or snow pooling.
Another option I just got from my father. He uses an RV cover. google them for the best deals. They are square covers but tie off nice at the bottom. You just need some support under the cover for water drainage.
Try www.coversearch.com.
We got this cover from them for something in the range of $600. It comes with lots of straps and is a reasonable fit.
Also I purchased a cover support pole system from Boaters World that keeps the cover from sagging and letting rain water pool between the bow rails and the windshield.
http://www.boatersworld.com/product/167 ... r-hardware
The picture here is BEFORE I purchased the cover support system. Now I stand the support pole just forward of the cabin hatch. The straps from the pole extend forward to the bow pulpit railing and aft across the hardtop to the rodholders. It acts as a "ridgepole" and solved the water pooling problem.
The cover is now about 2 years old and still in good shape.
Oh, also, we remove the canvas during prolonged storage. It gets compltely "Plexused" and is stored flat between sheets and laid underneath a bed in the guest room. It still looks almost new.
We got this cover from them for something in the range of $600. It comes with lots of straps and is a reasonable fit.
Also I purchased a cover support pole system from Boaters World that keeps the cover from sagging and letting rain water pool between the bow rails and the windshield.
http://www.boatersworld.com/product/167 ... r-hardware
The picture here is BEFORE I purchased the cover support system. Now I stand the support pole just forward of the cabin hatch. The straps from the pole extend forward to the bow pulpit railing and aft across the hardtop to the rodholders. It acts as a "ridgepole" and solved the water pooling problem.
The cover is now about 2 years old and still in good shape.
Oh, also, we remove the canvas during prolonged storage. It gets compltely "Plexused" and is stored flat between sheets and laid underneath a bed in the guest room. It still looks almost new.