Help! boat wet under cover

[leisure]

I prop up the cover on my 05 22V with the center bow cushion and water doesn't pool on the cover. I think I have seen rods with rubber on each end at the boat supply store also for that purpose.

[bfrank]

They can put a door or entry hatch into the shrinkwrap. They do it all the time on my dad chris craft.

[Andrew]

This is what i have done in the past with my boat but keep in mind I had an older model and this was with the older covers. This worked great for the direct drive boats. I use to keep the engine box open and this stopped any water from gathering on the cover. You may need a small stand to assist in holding the motor box open. I do not know if the new covers have the extra room to allow this but be worth a try.

Andrew

[Boarder_X]

I tried the post thing, but it actually played a major role in my last cover getting ruined. The pole rubbed a hole in the cover. That, and it did help the water run off, but not like this other contraption. .... I'll take some pics when I get home today. ... I'll try!!!

It is easy (45 mins), cheap $35 (the pole is $20).

[Boarder_X]

Sorry everybody. Yesterday I had a cluster-f*&$ happen at school. I'll try to get those pics today.

[Boarder_X]

This is the left side, after a day of rain. You can see, there is NO water on the cover. Don't know what or where that double spot came from.... hmmmm hadn't seen that before till I posted the pic.

[Boarder_X]

Here is the end, that goes over the tow pole.

[Boarder_X]

Here is the other end. The blue rag, is to keep the tarp from wearing out, during the rain. The towels keep the upholstery from getting "dents."

[Boarder_X]

The right "leg" is longer, because I was going to use some more of the extra for something else, and ended up not needing it. I then never got around to cutting it.

[Boarder_X]

And the right side. .... It's dry too.

[tobyhaven7]

Thanks for going to the effort of taking off your boat cover to get those very helpful photos Boarder_X. Looks like your cover is quite different than mine. Yours seems to come way down the sides of your boat, while mine is a fitted Rankin that you ratchet closed pretty snug to try to keep water from pooling. ...Zippers at each tower foot, velcro covered hooks over rub rail, line encircling whole boat (just below rub rail) which clips/unclips on starboard and port between towers and which once fastened you tighten using a 'pulley' system at the stern + 5 webbing straps at the stern. Not at all a quick on/off cover.
Think that I can use a modified version of your device, and just not tighten my cover quite as much. Can't beat the simplicity and cost, and looks like it'd be effective with my cover, too. Thanks again.

[TeamAllen]

Thanks for the pics! How about the bow? Any problems there?

[Boarder_X]

tobyhaven,
My cover is the same as yours. I have velcro at the tower feet instead of zippers though. I just don't use all the straps. I don't need them. The bow is tight enough, so that water doesn't pool there. I used to use a pole thing, to keep water off. It didn't seem to matter how tight I pulled the rope (The one around the boat, under the rub rail) I just couldn't seem to get the cover quite tight enough. This PVC thing works excellent.

[tobyhaven7]

Boarder_X,
Over the weekend I used some white PVC we had lying around to copy your cover setup. The white PVC is slightly smaller in diameter than your 3" black PVC, but the white elbow fits over my ski pylon; just maybe doesn't seat as low as yours.
A couple more questions:
- About how long a piece of straight PVC did you use between the stern elbow and T...i.e. how high did you hold your cover off the stern storage cushions?
- How do you keep your boat cover from blowing off/flapping in the wind if you don't use all the straps? My boat sits in front of the house with its trailer nose practically at the edge of the street, so in addition to wind, I want the cover to be secure.
Thanks again for your help.

[Boarder_X]

The vertical piece is about 5". There is another few inches from the "T", and a few from the elbow, so it sits about 12" total from the cushion to the top. My recomendation.... To ensure that your cover has not been streched. Put the whole thing together, but don't glue it, till you have checked to make sure that the cover is tight. If it is, take the cover back off, and glue it. ..... In fact, mine isn't even glued. Just putting it together, is enough to hold all the pieces in place. I have been working on my boat quite a bit, and it is still holding together fine.


I only use the last two straps, because I have a good cover that has a "cinch rope." When I cinch it down, the cover doesn't move.

We had a pretty bad storm here over the weekend, and my cover stayed completely dry. (The water ran off)

Let me know, if this doesn't help, and I'll try to explain it better.

Robb