Need advice on top covers

torrid

Just sailing
My top cover is about to bite the dust, and I need some advice on buying a replacement.

I've had a Sailor's Tailor cover for a few years. Their covers seems fairly well made and fit nicely. The built-in shockcord around the edge keeps the cover in place.

I'm not happy with the material. On their advice I bought plain white acrylic, which is supposed to be better for hot, humid climates. However, you cannot trailer with it. Also it is not 100% waterproof, so it is not good for a flat deck boat like a Laser where the water will pool. After a couply of years, it has turned into a nasty, mildewy mess.

Here's what I'm looking for. First, there are a lot of trees where I currently store the boat. It doesn't get much sun, but there are a lot of leaves and pine needles. I need some much more waterproof than the acrylic to keep this mess away from my boat. Second, I would like to trailer the boat with the top cover in place, preferably covering the spars with Spar Partners in place.

If I were to buy another Sailor's Tailor cover, I would go for the polyester army duck. Anyone have any comments about different brands/materials?
 
I just bought a rooster cover from Intensity sails. It has a nice shock cord around the edge and 2 straps to hold it on when trailering (or surviving hurricanes :) ). I was looking for a lighter colored cover and this is definitely not that! Its a med to dark grey. It looks to be very durable and is certainly waterproof. I have a custom designed rack to hold spars & the cover fits perfectly over the spars and with the spars on the boat the cover fits in a way that water can't puddle anywhere.

Oh by the way it was $60+ cheaper than anything else I saw out there.

I'm really happy with it except I'd rather have something lighter in color. I may move the boat into my garage just to prevent the heat soaking into it.

Mike
 
torrid-

I don't think anything will hold up well to decaying pine needles and leaves. You're asking for trouble with a new cover and that mix. You're guaranteed some nasty stains. Why not get a cheap, waterproof tarp at Home Depot for the under-tree storage and save the wear and tear on the new cover?

As far as materials go, I'm happy so far with the sunbrella material. After dealing with mold on bigger boats, I went for the breathable stuff.

John
 
I too purchased a rooster cover from intensity. It is a heavy duty cover that is built to last. It has a shock cord built into the perimeter and a couple buckle straps to hold it while on the road.
It looks like it will stand up to leaves and needles well and at only 99 bucks how can you go wrong?
I love it!!!
 
I make covers, and am a laser sailor. I can't compete with the 99 dollar price. My covers are $170 and are made for Top Gun material, which is a heavy 11 oz acrylic coated, breathable polyester material. I think you will find many boat covers made from this fabric. I off a light gray (seagull gray) call, good for light reflection. My covers also have three adjustable highway straps, with quick release buckles to keep the cover on while trailering. All corners are reinforced, and there are extra patches over the deck hardware to prevent chafing. There is enough room to store spars underneath. There is a shockcord bungle all the way around to keep the cover snug and secure. For pictures and addition information go out to my website:

www.larsencanvas.com

If you have questions let me know.
 

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