Replacement Boat Cover

[s_kelley2000]

I bought a 2012 230 in the fall but the factory cover that came with it was in pretty rough shape. What have people been liking for replacement covers lately? I found one dealership that has the factory cover in stock but not sure I want to go that route. Anybody have experience with Carver Custom Boat Covers? Looks like they have the pattern but it is tough to tell from the website how the cover is secured to the boat (IE ratchet strap under the rub rail like factory?).

My boat will typically be stored on the trailer but will occasionally spend the night in the water. Am I better off going with the cover that extends over the swim platform and dealing with that part getting wet when stored in the lake, or should I get the cover that doesn't cover the swim platform and get a separate platform cover to protect the sea deck when on the trailer?

Any experience or suggestions for replacement covers would be great, thanks!

[bturner]

This is sort of like.... "what is the best oil to use?" type of question. Everyone has their favorite. For my use, which is storing the boat outside on an uncovered lift or next to the garage at the cottage, i prefer a waterline cover that covers the platform and most of the sides. I went this way with the previous boat about 10 years ago and would never have anything else going forward unless my storage situation changed.

My cover is from skiboatcovers.com. This is the second one I've had from them with the last one being 7 YO when I sold the boat. I'm going on 6 seasons with this one and it's showing few signs of wear. That said I wash then treat my covers with 303 waterproofer every year. I bought this one with the ratchet options which I probably would not do again as the friction clips work well for anything other than towing with it. I use the stock cover that came with the boat for that.

From a cost perspective, these are not cheap but are rather expensive. That said I do believe you get what you're paying for. If this cover disappeared tomorrow I would buy another one the day after.

[MN Ryan]

I am similar to you--mostly sits on the trailer with summer weekends moored in the water. I also tow with a cover on. I had a Cover Source International cover made a few years ago. My thoughts:

1) Mine does not cover the platform, and I would not want it to when moored in the water. I bought a separate platform cover from Nautique Parts that I use while trailered. That works fine.

2) Brett at CSI is a bit eccentric, and much has been posted about bad experiences with him here lately. Other than taking a while (which I expected), I didn't have any problems with him, but I trust what people have been saying recently.

3) My cover is awesome and fits perfectly. Nice and tight--it doesn't leak or move while towing several hundred miles at freeway speeds.

4) I like the strap under the rubrail.

5) For sitting in the driveway, I would love something like bturner posted. I've been considering some kind of side skirts, or perhaps eventually purchasing a separate cover for driveway use.

[srock]

Mine is just like the cover shown except it goes over the tower and pitches front and back. A hugh advantge, aside from protecting the tower and sepakers, is that water runs right off with no addtional supports. Additionlly, I only need to secure over the platform as the sides don't move. In my opinion, except for trailering covers, I dont know why you choose not to cover the sides.