A Guide to Boat Covers

Boat Covers

If you have just bought, or are about to purchase, a boat, and your boat is to be stored outside, it’s an absolute necessity to ensure that you have the correct Boat Cover.

Sun, wind and rain can all give boats a good lashing, and not just while they’re in use! To avoid UV damage to Gelcoat, Perspex hatches, varnished wood or to any polished metal fixtures, sourcing a Boat Cover is a priority.

There are a myriad of fabric types used for making boat covers, the most common of which is canvas, which may in turn consist of Acrylic, Polyester or PVC coated Polyester. Whichever fabric you choose, you’ll need to consider both the extent to which it both protects from UV rays, and protects from rain and moisture as well as breathability. Boat Covers will also protect important moving parts on the boat such as winches.

Security is also an aspect of using a boat cover that many underestimate: by covering your boat you are both reducing the boat’s exposure to the elements, but also to would-be naval trespassers.

There are also variations on the type of Boat covering available: A Bimini can act as a perfectly good shelter for the cockpit of a boat, without fully enclosing the sides whilst a Cockpit Canopy can fully enclose the Cockpit. In this way, the Cockpit or cabin of the boat can be sheltered from rain and harmful UV, or extreme heat, without a feeling of complete detachment from the immediate environment.

If you are storing your boat over winter, and want to protect it from the elements, or just keep it in tiptop condition, a Deck Cover is another fantastic choice. Deck Covers can allow the free flow of air under them (in fact they can also be utilised in the summer months as a ‘Boom Tent’ under which to sleep) and are easy to rig.

Having decided that a Boat Cover is a good idea (indeed, without one your marine asset can easily depreciate in value) the next step is to select the material of choice and to ensure that whatever Boat Cover you choose, it fits well to the dimensions of the boat.

If you are comparing different Boat Cover manufacturers, keep in mind that companies that employ design techniques such as 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) software will be at an advantage where meeting your bespoke measurements are concerned.

Whatever you choose, remember that some form of boat cover is preferable to nothing at all: your boat is an investment that will repay you many times over in terms of enjoyment, and preserving its beauty is integral to that pleasure.