Looking for a decent boat cover

Mustang65fbk

Mustang65fbk

GreatGrady Captain
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Good morning. I'm looking for a decently rated boat cover that isn't going to break the bank but that will also hopefully last 5-10 years. I looked at Carver but most of those seem to be in the $800-$1,000+ range and would rather not spend that much money if I don't have to. I also looked at Empire Covers as well as Budge, and they look to be almost the same products on both sites. The more expensive of the two is $460 but both sites offer a 20% off discount putting them at right around $368. I guess my questions would be, are they a decent cover and worth the money? The "nicer" of the two covers come with a 5 year warranty, free shipping and so forth. Anyone on here have any experience with them? How do they fit? How long do they last? My old cover that came with the boat had a small tear in it that gradually increased throughout last winter to where it's no longer able to be used. I tossed it out this spring when I got the boat ready for the season and don't recall what brand it was. Anyway, this is the cover that I'm looking at, any and all opinions would be appreciated, especially those who have purchased this brand of cover in the past. Thanks!

 
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I've heard decent things about Fischer but I've never owned.
 
Mustang65fbk said:
Good morning. I'm looking for a decently rated boat cover that isn't going to break the bank but that will also hopefully last 5-10 years. I looked at Carver but most of those seem to be in the $800-$1,000+ range and would rather not spend that much money if I don't have to. I also looked at Empire Covers as well as Budge, and they look to be almost the same products on both sites. The more expensive of the two is $460 but both sites offer a 20% off discount putting them at right around $368. I guess my questions would be, are they a decent cover and worth the money? The "nicer" of the two covers come with a 5 year warranty, free shipping and so forth. Anyone on here have any experience with them? How do they fit? How long do they last? My old cover that came with the boat had a small tear in it that gradually increased throughout last winter to where it's no longer able to be used. I tossed it out this spring when I got the boat ready for the season and don't recall what brand it was. Anyway, this is the cover that I'm looking at, any and all opinions would be appreciated, especially those who have purchased this brand of cover in the past. Thanks!

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I use Icover it's on Amazon not sure what size you need but when I got it I figured it would last 2-3 years better than wrapping. I'm on my 5th year now. Looks brand new. No issues at all QUOTE="Mustang65fbk, post: 273305, member: 27383"]
Good morning. I'm looking for a decently rated boat cover that isn't going to break the bank but that will also hopefully last 5-10 years. I looked at Carver but most of those seem to be in the $800-$1,000+ range and would rather not spend that much money if I don't have to. I also looked at Empire Covers as well as Budge, and they look to be almost the same products on both sites. The more expensive of the two is $460 but both sites offer a 20% off discount putting them at right around $368. I guess my questions would be, are they a decent cover and worth the money? The "nicer" of the two covers come with a 5 year warranty, free shipping and so forth. Anyone on here have any experience with them? How do they fit? How long do they last? My old cover that came with the boat had a small tear in it that gradually increased throughout last winter to where it's no longer able to be used. I tossed it out this spring when I got the boat ready for the season and don't recall what brand it was. Anyway, this is the cover that I'm looking at, any and all opinions would be appreciated, especially those who have purchased this brand of cover in the past. Thanks!

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7 seasons going on 8 with a carver cover. It's a little faded but overall, in good shape.
 
Around here LaPortes is favored being local. Won’t be cheap, though.
 
I use a Budge cover and they last about 2 years, keep them tight so they don't pool water and they do ok. I don't trailer with mine and I would not suggest it, it is just for sun protection as it sits outside on the trailer. I'm ok replacing every 2 or so years.
 
Sdfish said:
I use a Budge cover and they last about 2 years, keep them tight so they don't pool water and they do ok. I don't trailer with mine and I would not suggest it, it is just for sun protection as it sits outside on the trailer. I'm ok replacing every 2 or so years.
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Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, they look to be from what I can tell the same as Empire Covers. Their more expensive cover says it comes with a 5 year warranty, though I'm not exactly sure what that entails. Guess I'll give them a shot and see how it goes.
 
I got a carver cover. good heavy material, decent fit. would have been better if I didn't have radar on the hard top but im satisfied for the cost
 
Coastboater said:
Around here LaPortes is favored being local. Won’t be cheap, though.
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My LaPorte cover for my 236 is on it's 4th year and still looks brand new. It's a great cover and fits like a glove. You're able to get slight customizations such as the hole for the anchor. They have digital models for the GW lineup so their covers simply fit. I won't even look elsewhere when it's time to replace.
 
rocketguy88 said:
My LaPorte cover for my 236 is on it's 4th year and still looks brand new. It's a great cover and fits like a glove. You're able to get slight customizations such as the hole for the anchor. They have digital models for the GW lineup so their covers simply fit. I won't even look elsewhere when it's time to replace.
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Completely agree with Laporte. Have had three covers from them. 1 for a 24 ft CC that was adjacent to a fire; the cover was toast, but saved the boat. So I bought another one! They are great
 
I ended up going with the Budge/Empire boat cover. It was right around that $360 price range and comes with a 5 year warranty. I ordered it a couple months ago, put it on the boat and was surprised by how nice of a cover it is for just over $350. I guess time will tell as to how long it lasts, but we will see, overall I’m very happy with it so far though. The Laporte boat covers look nice but they were a minimum of $900+ and I didn’t want to spend that much on a cover, especially when the Budge cover can be had for less than half the price. As mentioned above, I guess we’ll see how long it lasts.
 
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