Boat cover : How to choose your boat cover
The is an essential equipment to protect your boat from wear and tear and time. A boat cover takes the form of a protective cover that can be placed on many compartments of the boat depending on the model. You will therefore have a wide choice when it comes to choosing your cover: boat cover, mainsail cover, turnbuckle cover, die protector, etc. A boat is an important investment, it is essential to take the utmost care of it. Not only will some covers allow you to protect your hull, but you can also find others to preserve your engine. Of course, you'll need many of the accessories that come with protective covers to reinforce your protective covers. So let's take a look at how to choose the right boat cover.
Features to consider when buying a boat cover
First, it is essential to ensure that your ensures proper ventilation, regardless of the type of equipment you plan to protect. Proper ventilation of your equipment while covered and protected will prevent condensation and mildew that can damage your equipment, sometimes more than the weather. In addition to being rot-proof, a high quality tarp should be waterproof. When you leave your boat docked for a long period of time, it is usually during cold and rainy seasons. So select a boat cover with a waterproof fabric. Secondly, having a UV resistant fabric cover will increase its durability. The sun's rays work in both summer and winter, so you'll need to protect yourself year-round. Also, if your tarp is not UV resistant enough, UV rays can penetrate the fabric and damage your equipment. The above criteria obviously have an impact on ease of maintenance, as the more resistant your tarp is to external damage, the less dirty it will be. Furthermore, a tarpaulin that is easy to maintain is a product that you can keep over time. When it comes to choosing the size of your protective cover, it's better to think too big rather than too small. Choosing a protective cover with the exact dimensions of your equipment is risky. Finally, there are several types of closures available in boat covers: garter closures or simply flap closures. If you have both choices, you should choose the toggle closures because they lock more securely. Both types of closures are fast. For the practical aspect, make sure that the delivery of your tarp comes with a storage bag. If not, we strongly advise you to get one on the side so you won't be encumbered when it's time to sail again.
Why get a boat cover?
When you're not using your boat, it's essential to protect it from being exposed to external damage such as rain, UV rays and dust for too long. For that, nothing better than to equip your boat with a or a cover, along with the rest of your equipment such as the motor if you have a powerboat, or a mainsail cover if you have a larger vessel. Covers and tarps will allow you to protect your equipment to make it durable. The idea is to protect your equipment as much as possible while allowing it to breathe so that it looks like new after a long period of downtime. There are several types of tarpaulin adapted to different equipment and various uses. The most common type of cover is the storage cover, which is a model adapted to the size of motorboats, when stored on land or on a trailer. Another product that is more complete than the storage covers are the transport covers. Also reserved for motorboats, this cover is particularly resistant to tearing, and is equipped with adjustable tie-down straps to adjust the cover perfectly to your trailer and make it very well maintained. For sailing boats you will obviously not be able to find a cover that will fully protect your vessel. However, there are products available to protect the most important parts of your sailboat: mainsail covers and winch covers. These not very robust parts of a sailboat are quite exposed to damages. Finally, motor covers will make you happy if you are tired of seeing the hood, the base and the propeller deteriorated every winter! In the end, with a well-chosen cover, there is no risk that your valuable equipment will deteriorate.
How to choose a quality cover ?
The most important thing when choosing your is to select the one with the most tear-resistant fabric. The two best materials available in the tarp market are polyester fabric and PVC fabric. Both of these materials are strong yet flexible fabrics. PVC covers are the least expensive, but have the lowest ventilation characteristics. The breathability of the cover is of utmost importance if you leave your boat idle for a long time. Therefore, choose a breathable cover.
How to choose the right size for your boat cover?
The choice of the size of the cover is very important. While you will find many motorboat and jetski covers covering the top of the boat and part of the hull, covers for larger vessels are very common. Most covers for smaller boats are often available in one size. Covers designed specifically for winterizing sailing boats, however, often come in custom sizes so that you can cover the sails properly and find your boat looking like new, even after several months of not using it or even taking it out.
How to wash your boat cover ?
Washing your boat cover may seem like a lot of work given the size of the product, but it's not, thanks to specific cleaners. The most important thing to remember when cleaning your boat cover is to make sure you don't damage the waterproof and UV resistant properties. You will find several models of sail and awning cleaners that will not remove the protection, unlike ordinary cleaning materials or bleach. No matter what type of boat cover you have, we recommend using specialized sail and awning cleaners.
