Winter Cover for a 20ft Fisherman

[yodaddy]

Originally Posted by Destroyer

GRADY268, I looked up an older thread in these forums for some information for you.

The cover shown is a 12' x 24' Oval.
I bought it from National Pool Wholesalers in Florida.
(nationalpoolwholesalers.com) It's their "Ultra Armor Max Gold" Winter Cover. Comes with a 12 year guarantee and it cost $45.97 + tax and shipping. (If I recall correctly the shipping was about $12 bucks.)

I saw your post and ordered one of the 15yr models the other night. It arrived today, and looks like it'll do the trick.

Thanks!

[CaptJ]

Destroyer what do you put underneath to keep the snow from pooling in the boat?

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by CaptJ

Destroyer what do you put underneath to keep the snow from pooling in the boat?

LOL that's an interesting question.. and a good one.

The real short answer is I use heavy wall metal conduit bent to fit and held together with tec screws. But you know me, the real short answer will never do when I can write a book about the subject......

In the picture there is nothing under the cover because it was only on to protect the boat from the sun and dirt during long term storage in Florida.
When the boat comes up north to New Jersey though, it's a different story.

Over the years I've tried (like everyone else) the normal 2 x 4's cut nailed/screwed together, then covered with padding at the sharp points to protect the cover, etc. It works, but it's a pain to put up and take down every year.

Then I went to 2" PVC pipe.. Better, no sharp angles to cover with padding, and if done right it's as strong as the 2 x 4's.. (One center beam from stem to stern, several branches T'ed off the center with 45 deg bends to make a pitch, then another 45 at the gunwales to drop straight down to the deck. Three of them seem to be about right, but the problem is that with really heavy snow and freezing some of the pipes tended to break from the stress.. so I kept looking....

What I found was 1 1/4" dia. metal pipe. Really heavy conduit. Not electrical conduit, although I think that would work also. This is a pipe that's used in the garment industry to make overhead rails for clothes to hang on.
It has a joiner piece that fits snugly inside the main pieces where there is a joint. Then a few tec screws hold the whole thing together.
At the bow I used my pipe bender to make roughly a 35 degree bend in the pipe, leading the main beam up and over the windshield so the pipe didn't rest on it, then back and down to the stern of the boat where it rests just above the cowl of the engine. 2 side pipes go from the main to the deck like a tipee at the stern and hold it in place at that location. Up front I have a seperate U shaped piece that just sits inside the seat pedistals and is slightly shorter than the height of the main beam. The main beam sits on that U shaped cross beam and I lash them together for stability..That provides structial integrity for the main beam so it doesn't bend under the weight of snow, and at the same time it spreads the cover out to the sides of the boat so the snow slides off. It holds the cover in a good position, has no sharp corners or edges to puncture the cover, is strong enough to take any snow that falls, and with the removal of the tec screws I can take the whole assembly apart in less than a half hour and store it during the summer. I'll post several pictures of it when I get it out and put the cover on the boat later next month.

Hope that helps a little.

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Destroyer, that is a great idea, thank you. I'll wait for your pictures.

[grady268]

Just put mine on today. Just to keep leaves out but not done for the winter. All I have to say is thanks very much Destroyer, perfect fit. I used 2 inch PVC and hope that the winter is not too bad here in lower Delaware.

[Destroyer]

Happy to have been of some slight assistance Grady...