mast down cover suggestions?

I would like to purchase a mast down cover that I can use with the boat on the trailer covering spars. I also want to use it while I haul the boat to the lake and back, in other words, road worthy.
any suggestions? I see many companies with a wide variety of prices.
your opinions would be helpful,
m

There has been some discussion about covers in the past. A good starting point might be here.

I have a few additions to what was said here:
1) You cannot fit spars under the top covers I have from fabricraft and slo. Fabricraft has always been flexible and willing to listen to my requests for minor modifications, so they might be willing to work with you on a some kind of a customization.
2) My suggestion of using the hull bottom cover as a top cover works well to leave your boat stationary at the club or in the yard. However, I have never put the spars on top of the boat with the hull bottom cover over them while traveling. The fit is not perfect at the bow and at high speeds would probably tear the fabric there.
3) I suspect point 3 could also be true of the top covers that are designed for storing the spars under it. Most people I know that travel in this manner put the top cover on, but leave the sail in a separate bag on top of the trailer when traveling.
4) I am only aware of two cover makers that sell top covers designed especially for storing the spars and sail under them. Colie's is really nice. They do a great job reinforcing the critical areas which might allow the cover to survive the wear of traveling in this manner. However, I have never tried it. Unfortunately, I cannot even tell you who made the other cover - I happened to see it on eBay a few weeks back but did not recognize the manufacturer.
5) There is a used cover on eBay right now for around $120... I am not sure if it is a top deck or bottom hull cover. There are also a bunch of new covers there - I suspect they are the slo or intensity models.

Thanks so much for your reply and all the info!

I want to have something that is fast and easy to put on and take off. Right now I just wrap bungies around the spars and sail and tie them to this tubing thing that fits in the past hole that the previous owner made for hauling.

When I think about trying to put the spars and sail into those long tight bags, it seems like it would be difficult and take a long time. Is this your experience?

Also, how do you attach the spar bag to the trailer for safe hauling? This was another issue I couldnt see past. My vehicle is not long enough for them to fit inside.

thanks!
M

In terms of sail bags, there are several options. Some bags open at one end, and you slide the sail, mast and spars into them. There are also bags that have a zipper which runs the length of the bag. My experience is that the later is MUCH easier to deal with. The zipper style also has the advantage that you can cover your entire boom and upper spar while on the boat with the mast up by zipping it around the gooseneck.

I would imagine the contraption that you are currently attaching the sail to is something like what is discussed here. That is one simple approach.

In my opinion, the simplest, easiest and best way to transport and protect your sail is to use large PVC pipes similar to what is seen here. Bruce Cattanach from NJ wrote a nice article on how he copied Malcolm Dickinson's design to build a single boat trailer with pipes. Unfortunately Bruce's website is now gone. However, I was able to find a pdf version on the Seabrook Sailing Club website and attached it. The configuration shown here has the added advantage of protecting the bottom of your boat. However, it is more difficult to get the boat on the trailer.

I have seen one person combine the ideas from the discussion thread above, with Malcolm's design by putting the pvc tube on top of the boat. However, I do not have pictures of that. The general idea is that the various cradle points that rest on your hull now are permanently attached to a long PVC tube.

I have been very pleased with a "mast down" cover from Fabricraft that I bought this past spring - matter of fact is that it's my fish under cover on their website. They left just enough room under the cover so that you can leave the spars underneath but not so much that the cover looks baggy when used just as a hull cover. The side panels of this cover go all the way around the chines so that it affords very good UV protection as well. Couldn't be happier with the product. It's well made and should afford years of use.

AQBill said:

I have been very pleased with a "mast down" cover from Fabricraft that I bought this past spring - matter of fact is that it's my fish under cover on their website. They left just enough room under the cover so that you can leave the spars underneath but not so much that the cover looks baggy when used just as a hull cover. The side panels of this cover go all the way around the chines so that it affords very good UV protection as well. Couldn't be happier with the product. It's well made and should afford years of use.

Click to expand...

AQBill - I love that setup! Someday......I'll get one. I just wanted to say that your setup would be compatible with the hardware rack I made. Take a look at my album and tell me what you think it.

Thanks everyone! I decided to take advice from an old post and bought a hull cover that I intend to use as a mast down deck cover. I will not use it while trailering. I already have a very simple set up to travel without a cover and then when I get home I'll slip the cover over all of it and be good! If I remember I will post pics so you can all see.
thanks again!

I thought I would update everyone.

I got a hull cover from SLO to cover the deck with mast down and I like it, but it does not cover the whole boat with mast down.

I am keeping it though because it was half the price of the deck cover and does go from transom to almost bow and it hooks on the mast in a way that allows me to still bike lock my boat to the trailer. If it did not do this, there is no way to cover the bow and still lock it. I know some covers allow for this, but this one does not.

So heads up: if you want mast down deck cover, you should buy that, not a hull cover and hope that everything fits under it. In my case it did not.

trails said:

I got a hull cover from SLO to cover the deck with mast down and I like it, but it does not cover the whole boat with mast down.

Click to expand...

What do you mean it does not cover the whole boat? Is it not covering the entire deck or the entire hull?

I purchased a slo hull cover earlier this year and am using it as a deck cover with the sail underneath right now. It covers the entire deck of the boat and sail. In normal sailing position, the sail will overhang the back of the boat when it is down. I have to slide it and the mast forward so it only rests on the deck. Other than that, there were no problems for me.

Actually... I have a theory on what is happening. The bottom covers have several inches of fabric that sits on the deck of the boat when stored. I will have to look to confirm, but I am pretty sure that this extra fabric does not wrap all the way around the bow of the boat when it is used as a top cover. Instead, only the edge of the fabric is hooked around the bow.

I tried pushing the mast and spars forward so they do not stick out the back of the boat. That did not help. the cover still does not fit over the spars and cover the bow. Here is a pic of it. In this pic, the spars are still back hanging over the transom but I did try moving them forward and I am still not able to get the cover beyond the forward part of the spars.

I am still okay with set up, although not ideal. Mostly need sun protection here in central Cali. Rainy season will test this set up and see how things hold up. Do I need to worry about rain as much as sun?

This is how I get my Slo hull cover on in the manner you want. If it does not work for you, I can only assume they are not making the product consistently because it fits easily for me.

1) Slide the sail and mast forward so they are within a few inches of the bow. There should be little to no spar hanging off the back.
2) Place the front of the cover on the bow of the boat only. It should not be pulled way down over the bow. Place it so that only the elastic bungi is under the edge of the boat.
3) Walk to the back of the boat and pull the cover over one corner and then the other. At this point, the cover should only be on the bow and two corners, and not over the sides of the boat.
4) Pull the cover over the sides of the boat
5) Attach and tighten the straps

Hey THANKS!

For some reason when I put the cover on bow first it FITS. If I put it on from the transom first, it does not fit over the bow.

So your trick worked!
thanks!