Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

[sbbamafan]

The time has come to replace my old Road Warrior cover that I bought 11 or 12 years ago. It was a model BW-E20SSB. It was for a Euro Style Runabout with IO - 19'6" to 20'5" with a beam of up to 102" in 100% blue polyester. It has been a great cover and I really wish I could find another just like it. I'm interested if anyone can tell me where to find one but from what I can tell they are no longer available.

I keep my boat in a 3 sided shed (with about 20 other boats) all year. I like the idea of a 'trailerable cover' but have never really needed it as I only trailer any distance every 2-4 years. I just leave the cover off so that is sort of a non-issue for me.

Today at West Marine I noticed that they had one of their series of covers on sale (WeatherPro Plus). The model for my boat was $175. I bought it but am having buyers remorse since I got home and have read numerous poor reviews online. Does anybody have any knowledge of these covers and this material. It is a 3.2 oz polyester.

FWIW - guess I do have one other option. I have the original Chaparral cover that came with the boat. It is worn but has no holes or anything. My thought is it would make a wonderful template for a custom top. Would having this template available greatly reduce cost to have a cover made. Does anyone have any idea what labor and materials might cost?

Last but not least - I wonder if the mods ever discussed having a forum for covers and biminis and accessories? I would like to see one - just a thought...

Thanks everybody.

 

[sbbamafan]

Re: Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

After a bit more homework it looks like the WeatherPro Plus is West Marine's store brand for the Taylor Boatguard Plus as the sizing is the same and the numbers are similar. Also offered in blue or grey. FWIW the one I got today was grey.

Does anybody know anything about these?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/31031043732...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_1315wt_1139

 

[sbbamafan]

Re: Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

Anybody

 

[cr2k]

Re: Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

There is no such thing as GOOD and budget conscious. You get what you pay for in a boat cover. Many lesser priced ones will last a few years. For more it will be several hundred dollars.

 

[Hammer Down]

Re: Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

Don't remember the brand, but that looks a lot like the one we bought for our boat. Only had it for one season, but its held up pretty well. My only suggestions would be to cover any sharp corners before trailering long distance and maybe throw an extra ratchet strap across it to keep it from ballooning too much

 

[ricohman]

Re: Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

I spent $500 on a cover. It leaks, and I had to try and treat it myself with Nikwax. Its also wearing through and its only been on the boat in my driveway for a month.
I think you need to spend over 1K to get anything decent.

 

[ssobol]

Re: Thoughts on a good, but budget conscious cover please

I spent $500 on a cover. It leaks, and I had to try and treat it myself with Nikwax. Its also wearing through and its only been on the boat in my driveway for a month.
I think you need to spend over 1K to get anything decent.

There is always a heavy duty tarp from Home Depot. Might not look as nice as a "boat cover", but with a little tailoring and some bungee cords you can make it fit pretty well. Without any protection the tarp will last about year where I live (my boat is parked on the street). At ~$35 each you can buy a lot for $500. If you spray it once in awhile with 303, it'll probably last a fair bit longer.