does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

[lineman09]

hello
just wonder does anyone pull there boat with the cover on , after spending most of today cleaning up my boat after a long weekend i didnt want to get it dirty with road grime and bugs pulling it 310 miles to oregon , ive always removed the cover for local trips ,but i dont want to have to scrub the boat when i get there, any input would be great

 

[MChesla46]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I am not sure what the rule of thumb here is, but I always put my cover on, on the way to the lake and on the way home... Although it becomes a pain in the *** sometimes, it keeps everything of mine inside and everybody elses hands out if I stop...

 

[lineman09]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

good point !!!!!!!

I am not sure what the rule of thumb here is, but I always put my cover on, on the way to the lake and on the way home... Although it becomes a pain in the *** sometimes, it keeps everything of mine inside and everybody elses hands out if I stop...

 

[sublauxation]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I towed my old boat with the cover 2x. It had a nice custom cover that had a small hole in it when I got it. On the second trip it was basically shredded after about 50 miles. Moral of the story, keep an eye on the cover because small holes become big in a hurry.

 

[sublauxation]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

and also, duct tape doesn't always hold up well on a canvas cover.

 

[rgballard]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I would never tow with a snap down cover, but I always tow my boat with a towable cover or a large tarp ($15 at walmart). I make sure it is tied down to the frame of the trailer. I frequently tow this boat on 600+ mile trips and I would never tow it with out a cover (gas mileage being one main reason, theft being the other). I do however tow to the local ramp with no cover. Easier to get in and out at the ramp fast.

 

[JB]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I usually towed with the cover on on long trips that involved at least one overnight in a motel. Those covers were custom fit and very expensive. They were taut and had no loose ends to flap in the 70-80mph breeze. A loose fit will beat the boat to a pulp.

For short (less than one day) tows I left the covers off.

 

[Struc]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

There are plenty of covers labeled as "towable" out there.

I'm with everyone else - I tow to the local ramp without the cover, but on long trips, it get covered. I have 2 covers for my boat, however. One is the snap on that came with the boat, the other is a towable that I purchased that is a close fit with straps that go around the bottom of the boat.

 

[greekfreek]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

Short distances at 55mph I tow with bow and cockpit covers on. Thruway 65mph, I use a towing rated universal cover with shock cord around the hem, strapped to the trailer at all points. It's a PIA to install with all the tie downs, I keep a good eye on it while towing, stop few times to retighten, but worth it I think .. Dealer said tow with bow and cockpit covers on and don't worry about it, yea until it I lose it or the snaps pull out...

 

[Pony]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I have always towed with a cover on, but that is mainly just to keep my stuff in the boat. To be fair mine is just a 14ft Alumacraft.....

I tow the "trailerable" blue Stearns cover from Fleet Farm. It was less than $100, and is going on 7 years old now. It needs to be replaced after this season though. I keep the cover pretty tight....

 

[TimBobCom]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I have a full "trailerable" cover that I will only use when pulling for short distances and under 40MPH as is will bellow in the wind around the back (the downfall of a semi-custom-fit cover)

I will usually tow with my snap-on bow and cockpit cover in place with tension provided by the poles. I just towed over 500 miles this week with those 9 year old covers and they are still holding up great.

 

[DaveG55]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I tow mine witht the bow and cockpit covers on and have for the past 12 years. They are custom made sunbrella covers that I had special snaps put in two places on the front of each. They will not come off these snaps unless the covers are pulled forward off them. I've towed many times at highway speeds exceeding 70 mph and for 500 mile+ trips and never had a single regular snap unsnap, much less the special ones. I don't generally tow with the semi-custom "towable" ones, though I have, I use them to protect the boat and custom covers during storage.

What gets me is seeing a boat towed down the highway with the bimini top up. Mine shimmies so much in it's brackets I'm afraid I'd be hunting bits of fabric and aluminium tubing off the highway...

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I'm with Dave, I tow with my Bow and Cockpit covers on, I probably have thousands of miles towed that way.

 

[oregoncruiser]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I'm with Dave, I tow with my Bow and Cockpit covers on, I probably have thousands of miles towed that way.

Me too, I won't drive to the local ramp without them on. I pulled the old boat without covers, intil I went through a freesh paving area, and got home to find the white interior covered with tiny tarballs. Absolutely ruined the interior.

 

[jkust]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I only tow with the snap on bow and cockpit cover on my Chaparral. I've towed thousands of miles like this. It is a custom cover with no corners cut that was ordered from Chaparral with the boat.

 

[briangcc]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I towed (1) time without a cover on (snap-on or otherwise) my Four Winns. It was the day I brought it home, brand new, from the marina. Darn near lost my snap-in carpeting on my ski locker! Since then I always tow with a cover on the boat.


And I agree with watching your covers for holes as mine shredded on the highway last year due to a hole. When it was all said and done, it looked like a smurf rolled around on my tan carpeting. I'm still picking pieces of blue nylon out of the boat.

 

[jkust]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

Also however, my knowledge of proffessional fishermen who tow tens of thousands of miles a year is many do it without a cover of any type. I've actually trailered on the highway and seen many with high end Ranger species boats in pouring rain sans a cover. I do it because I have so much crap in there that would blow out, to keep sand out on the dirt roads, to keep the weather out, and as a slight deterent to keep wandering eyes out when it is parked in a public spot like when having dinner.

 

[markheck1]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I almost always tow mine with the the snap on cover, I assume it's the original, or at least a copy of the original. it has 2 poles and has never had even one snap come loose......I'm guessing it was never on much cause the bow cover and rear cover are trashed, and it's in a lot better shape. it's got a few holes in it but they don't seem to get any bigger.....

 

[Quad82]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

My cover is too loose fitting to trailer with. Even though I do on very short trips. It bellows around the console and motor acting like a parashoot. Kills the gas milage. I do carry the cover with me and install when parked for the night. I have way too many add-ons ( front and rear electric, main and kicker motors, 2 electric downriggers, rod holders ect...)to have a custom fit, tight cover.

 

[ricohman]

Re: does anyone pull there boat with the cover on the boat?

I've been thinking about leaving my cover on, but the ramp is only 45 minutes away. I always take it along in case it rains as I don't want all the slime from the highway coating the inside of my boat.
But I am afraid it would scuff the paint. The paint gets scuffed from the cover on the driveway. But it is dusty and very (70kmh plus) windy where I live.
My cover is a semi custom and fits well. It has at least 16 tie downs to the trailer.