Is it possible to make own laser boat cover?

M

mee168

New Member
Hi all,

Place this new thread in Open discussion cos not related to sailing skills. My current blue canvas boat cover for my laser seems to have shrinked in length under the hot sun. I got to pull the edge in order to barely cover the 2 transom edges.

So, I am thinking of making my own cover. Anyone tries before? If yes, what sort of readily available material can I use? Just need a simple one to shield my boat from rain and sun... :eek:

thanks.....
 
sunbrella is what i used, it's easy to get and durable. This is also what most covers for boats are made of. You could get it from a loft or over the internet, i've gotton it from both and in large amounts i found it cheaper on eBay, which might be cheaper if you don't know your local sailmakers
 
hmmm, I think you might have the same problem. If you are working with the material for the first time, you won't know how it will stretch or fit.

And in a few weeks, your cover could be different than you meant it to be.

You can get good covers from SEA, or our own Larsen Canvas, for $170 or so.... Not very expensive piece to cover your expensive boat.


Never tried it though, if you have some time, and aren't easily frustrated, might be worth a shot?
 
WestCoast said:
hmmm, I think you might have the same problem. If you are working with the material for the first time, you won't know how it will stretch or fit.
Click to expand...

Sunbrella doesn't seem like it would be very stretchy, however you'd need a heavy duty sewing machine to work with it. I've never tried it. Hope yours turns out well!
 
Oh.. wow... doesn't seem after all an easy job to make own boat cover... I ever thought of one easiest way... that is convert my super-single bed sheet into the boat cover.. just need to sew the corners...
 
mee168 said:
Oh.. wow... doesn't seem after all an easy job to make own boat cover... I ever thought of one easiest way... that is convert my super-single bed sheet into the boat cover.. just need to sew the corners...
Click to expand...

A bed sheet wouldn't hold up for long. Maybe a few months if you are lucky. Besides that, I'll bet your bed is not as long as a Laser is, almost 14 feet. What is that, 4 and a half meters?
 
mental floss said:
I've tried to find these covers via google and am not getting anywhere. Where can I find these covers?
Click to expand...

This is a thread about making covers. If you want to buy one ready made, I like Masthead Sailing. http://www.mastheadsailinggear.com/ These are the covers that APS sells, but they are a little cheaper to buy direct. A member here at the forum also makes covers--Larsen Boat covers. I haven't tried one of them.
 
you should check out the larsen boat covers web site, his covers are well made and well worth the money, plus he is a laser sailor......nuff said
 
Just got my new cover from 48111. Get one quick before he realizes it's underpriced!

It's a great cover. I've had great luck with sunbrella in the past. I fully expect it to hold up very well. Haven't trailered it yet, but you can snug it down well.
 
Hi Tern,
Can you kindly reveal the price of what you have got from 48111?
Want to see what kind of budget should I allocate for a boat cover.

Thanks.. and please reveal... :)
 
Larsen Canvas can be located at the following website:
HTTP://www.larsencanvas.com

I can't be the $135 price, but you can't beat the quality of Larsen Canvas covers. I used high quality Top Gun fabric. Have patches over all the deck hardware and corners. Comes down the side 6 inches with a shockcord bungee all the way around the make the cover tight. Has 3 highway straps, with quick release clips. I also offer free shipping.
 
This thread should go in the "Laser Sailing" section as it still has to do with Lasers. The open discussion forum is designed for non-laser related posts. This thread is being moved! Hold on.... :D
 
In line with the thread subject?? You can make a reasonable cover out of a cheap small powerboat cover from Walmart. Expect to pay about $50 and have it last a year or longer.

What I think makes sense and where I spend my money follows>>>

John Bartlett of Bartlett sails in Austin TX makes a near perfect cover. Mine is at least ten years old and it lives in TEXAS SUN.
You can reach him at 512-266-1895 or visit www.bartlettsails.com
A little history> We leave our boats on the dock with spars and lines and some of us even leave sails, blades and life jackets. We all wanted a cover that would stay on in 40 mph wind gusts. We also wanted covers that would come off with a flick of the wrist. I consider it a crime if I cannot go from the front seat of my car to rigged and sailing from the harbor in under 10 minutes. Covers that need tie down lines are unacceptable.
John made a couple covers for me in the eighties that were almost right. He visited the docks regularly and studied failures. Then he found better materials and slightly redesigned the cover to allow better wind resistance AND easier removal and installation. I bought my latest cover from him in about 1995.
The covers are sewn by Laser sailors who have covers of their own on boats of their own. Currently, if you order a Laser cover from Bartlett, rock star Radial sailor Patrick Reynolds will personally cut out and sew the cover.
We are not talking about covers made by "somebody in the loft." We are talking about a cover made by a person who you will probably meet on the water and who has to look you straight in the eye.
NA Vice President Eric Faust has a seven year old Bartlett cover.
If my cover ever wears out, or I lose it somehow, I will buy my next cover from Bartlett Sails in Austin
 
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