Cover for Fiberglass Boat?

[VTBoater]

Is there a particular fabric that could safely be used as a cover for a FG boat (Shacho)? I mean a cover that would sit against the hull.

Long story, small apartment, etc, .. my summer storage is outdoors in a shared space; I can't rig a tarp above the boat, so I'm hoping if there is a fabric that won't damage the material, I could make a cover for the boat that would keep the sun off the hull.

Thanks for any help!

[kaz]

http://www.waterworkscanoe.com/the_bag_lady.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[VTBoater]

Thanks, Kaz!

[jsaul]

I had the same question, and recently inquired with Sue ("The Bag Lady"). She is apparently scaling back her workload and not able to make a cover for a Shacho (though I think she may still make covers for boats she is familiar with / has a pattern for).

Anyone have experience with any of these companies:

http://www.kayakcoversofcharleston.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.danuu.com/html/BuyNow.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any other cover options out there? I need an alternative to moving the kids into the shed and the boat into the house.

Thanks.

[Bob P]

I just use a Harbor Freight plastic tarp. Tie it down tight, so it can't flap. I've never had a problem with it damaging the boat. I store my boats outside in the winter so they're really "exposed". The tarps last 2 or 3 years if they're tight.

[Paddle Power]

I know of Heather McNie Protective Paddling Gear

http://users.openface.ca/~paddle/heather.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sbroam]

...
Any other cover options out there? I need an alternative to moving the kids into the shed and the boat into the house.

Thanks.

Tell them they are going "camping" - they'll love it.

[milkman]

Paddling.net's e-newsletter had a link to a Canoeing TV video (http://youtu.be/FPVAU5cpj88 where they advocated using no covers and instead using UV protectants like auto wax. Not sure personally if I'd trust UV protectants. I keep most of my canoes in the garage and let the car suffer the UV, but I have three canoes under a deck that get some sideways sunshine so I have them covered with a Tyvek-based cover made by Whitewater Designs http://www.whitewaterdesigns.com/home/w ... _x_38.html. The claim they make is that the cover is waterproof but breathable. The cover is a bit on the delicate (flimsy) side, but I've used them for about 7 years now, with a few small rips held by duct tape. The canoes they cover are my least used boats and they always seem fine when about once a year I uncover them and take them out. I don't think I'd recommend these covers for a boat I used regularly--the greatest stress to the material is taking the cover on and off, so doing it a lot would probably shorten the cover's life.

I also have one of the more substantial covers, the ones that slip over your canoe and zip. I cover my one kelvar flatwater canoe with one of these, but it's to protect it from the other boats in the garage. The canoe is never out in the weather (which in Oregon is rain in fall, winter and spring and lots of sun in summer). I did have to put it out in the yard one spring for about six weeks and water collected in the bottom of the cover--something not good for a wood gunnel boat. So these covers are not waterproof and will collect water. I ended up positioning the cover so that the zipper was under the boat and open, allowing the water to drain. The Tyvek covers, on the other hand, are open in the bottom, held around the canoe by a cinch tie, so they never collect water.

I don't think the perfect canoe cover has been made yet ...