"Cinch" covers while at a dock

[functionoverfashion]

I'm looking for a new cover for my 2003 sante, and have a question about the full covers from places like skiboatcovers.com, and nautiqueparts. These covers go completely over the gunwales, and they all have come kind of "cinch" system; nearly all of them have - or recommend - a tie-down system for a trailer or lift. The problem is, my boat is never on a trailer or lift. It sits at a dock, where the rub rail rubs on vertical posts.

I would go with a Sunbrella material, because I've had several covers of that material in the past and I love it.

How important do you all think the tie-downs are? I'm also concerned about the area that will be rubbing on the dock post all summer. I would probably have another layer of fabric sewn in along that section so that when it rubs through it could be replaced easily (I have a local canvas shop).

Does anyone else use one of these covers on a mooring or at a dock without tie-downs? What about on an actual dock?

The covers I have are snap covers for the cockpit and bow areas, and they work fine but let water between them, and the snaps are placed so that the top cap is exposed to sun all the time. Because the cap is blue, it fades. A lot. I have a full cinch cover, too, but it's some awful material that doesn't breathe. It's on for winter storage, but that's about its only use.

My last resort is just to have my local canvas shop make exactly what I want, but it will be ~30% more than buying one online. And when the material is the same, and the covers are templated perfectly anyway, it's not like buying a generic POS from Overton's for $200.

Thoughts?

Here's the existing snap cover (the poles are NOT in, because there was no rain in the forecast and we used the boat several days in a row):

[charlesml3]

OK, so if I were in your shoes, the first thing I'd do would be to install a set of mooring whips. Those things are just perfect for keeping a boat on the dock, yet not right up against it all the time.

The rub-rail, cinch-down style covers are really secure. I doubt you'll need any additional tie downs. That said, you may need those poles inside to keep water from pooling on the cover.

-Charles

[functionoverfashion]

OK, so if I were in your shoes, the first thing I'd do would be to install a set of mooring whips. Those things are just perfect for keeping a boat on the dock, yet not right up against it all the time.

The rub-rail, cinch-down style covers are really secure. I doubt you'll need any additional tie downs. That said, you may need those poles inside to keep water from pooling on the cover.

-Charles

Good to know on the tie-downs. I definitely will use poles, no matter what - that's essential. Have you used one made of Sunbrella? All the ones I've seen have been... anything but.

I'm tempted by mooring whips, but the dock isn't really set up for that. The (soft cedar) wooden tops just kind of... sit there. If money were no object, I'd get a hydraulic lift in a heartbeat. It's shallow and level, and not rocky - perfect for a lift. But that's not in the budget. To do the whips, I would really need to modify our dock quite a bit. I'm thinking replacing a sacrificial canvas strip every few years would be easier?

We have a mooring, but my father likes to keep his 1956 Thompson 16' out there, and I don't blame him. That thing would lose a battle with the dock.

[charlesml3]

Sunbrella is a fantastic material. Not cheap by any measure, but if the boat is going to be out then that's absolutely the material I'd be using. Anything else you'll be lucky to get one year out of it.

Mooring whips are really nice. Is there no way to bold them in from underneath? I'm not convinced the canvas strips are going to solve your problem. They might if you never get any boat wake or wind, but how likely is that? A good wind could get the boat bouncing and it'll rub through a canvas strip in no time.

-Charles

[functionoverfashion]

Sunbrella is a fantastic material. Not cheap by any measure, but if the boat is going to be out then that's absolutely the material I'd be using. Anything else you'll be lucky to get one year out of it.

Mooring whips are really nice. Is there no way to bold them in from underneath? I'm not convinced the canvas strips are going to solve your problem. They might if you never get any boat wake or wind, but how likely is that? A good wind could get the boat bouncing and it'll rub through a canvas strip in no time.

-Charles

The dock is a simple rectangular steel frame with cedar inserts that hold the top surface. There's nothing holding them down but gravity, and at this point, they're old too. I've seen the forces on whips and would be inclined to change the whole way the dock top attaches to the dock, before putting whips on there. But maybe a big cross-piece underneath that spans the metal frame, with long bolts all the way through? They would be 8" long, but that's not a showstopper I suppose.

We had a boat on the dock on and off for a few years that had a cover with snaps under the rubrail. The posts are cedar, too, and it's surprisingly easy on the canvas. I don't tie my boat super tight, and we don't get major wind in where the dock is located. Boat wakes, on the other hand... ugh.

[Wake.BC]

What kind of poles do you have on your dock, something like this?
I just put cover around one tube of the tower and still ratchet it tight. I didn’t start to notice some rubbing on part of the cover before hand.

Also as you can see on the back I have a bungee holding the rear of the boat tight on the front line, making the middle post be the only one in contact.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[functionoverfashion]

The poles on my dock are actually inset from the edge, so I have 1x6 cedar decking running vertically as bumpers, which are fairly soft and easy on the boat actually. As I leave the boat there sometimes for as long as a week unattended, I'd really want the cover to be fully fastened. The snap covers work fine, but don't protect as much of the boat as I'd like, and leak between the cockpit and bow.

[Wake.BC]

Have you tried putting some of the white dock edge type stuff on it?
That might help.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[Wake.BC]

Regarding the cover being tight. I still do the ratchet up and everything. And no water gets in and it rains a lot.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[DealsGapCobra]

As you can see, most of us want to solve your rubbing problem. I love whip idea but if you can't mount them you are out of luck. For a cheap fix, what about throwing a large anchor (or installing a block) on the outboard side of the boat to hold it off of the dock?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wake.BC]

As you can see, most of us want to solve your rubbing problem. I love whip idea but if you can't mount them you are out of luck. For a cheap fix, what about throwing a large anchor (or installing a block) on the outboard side of the boat to hold it off of the dock?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes! And put it on a bungee anchor so you can pull your boat into the dock


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[functionoverfashion]

As you can see, most of us want to solve your rubbing problem. I love whip idea but if you can't mount them you are out of luck. For a cheap fix, what about throwing a large anchor (or installing a block) on the outboard side of the boat to hold it off of the dock?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree that the rubbing isn't good. The problem with a mooring like that, is it would be right under where I come into the dock, and it's quite shallow there. I have used that white dock-edge stuff, and maybe that would be a good idea to make it even softer where the cover rubs, if I can't get it to stand off the dock.

My grandfather used to tie a line from his stern to the shore at a 45 angle from the dock, then pull the boat into the dock to use it. I would have to use a longer line for my boat, but maybe that would work. We have about 110 feet of shorefront, and the dock is on one side of that, so I have ~90 feet to work with. Hmm.

Here's an old pic of his old Lyman at the dock. That same dock is 16' longer now



Basically, like the way my friend tied up the boat at his dock:



It's kind of annoying, but I suppose I would get used to it. Maybe it would only go out on that line during the week if I'm not using it several days in a row.

[Wake.BC]

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/taylo...5?recordNum=10

You could try something like this and if it doesn’t work resort to other options.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[Jass]

I think it would be worth your while to run a cross brace under your deck planks and mount some whips, they really work well.
As for a cinch cover I too am in need of a decent cover to fit a '99 ski Nautique that fits under the rub rail, preferably out of sunbrella if anyone has a good recommendation for a supplier