# Completed - Inexpensive PVC Frame and Cover



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

The cover for our Beneteau 50 is finished. The yearly cost will be $200, instead of the $1500 the marina charges for shrinkwrap. Total cost this year was even less than $1500. Much less. Here is a picture of the frame.










Here's a shot with the cover, before it was really done. (It was dark by the time she was completly covered and everything was tucked in tight.)










The whole thing disassembles into some managable pieces, for easy reassembly next winter. For instance, the 1.5" PVC ridge has a very taught 1/2 inch nylon line running in the center like a "spinal cord". This means by loosening (but not removing) the line, all the pieces at the top come apart, but stay in the same order for next winter. Likewise, the 13 PVC "wings" fold in (or fold up and over) so they can be easily moved. There are a few experimental aspects of the design, like arched ribs (tensioned like a bow-and-arrow's bow), side supports and mid-arch supports. I want to see how they fare over the winter.

The fore section was really the simplest part of the design, since she's less beamy there.










By keeping all the ribs at 10 feet, it worked well with the 20 foot wide tarp. this picture was before I gathered-in all the excess material at the bow. (The same thing that heat guns do to shrink wrap, can be done to tarps with some light line from the inside.) Note also this picture was before finishing-up where the tarps meet.










Each year, we'll need a new 20x30 cheap tarp for the bow, and a tarp for the stern as well. For the stern, I used a 50x30, so what you see is one piece, without any cuts. The tarp actually folds at the topping lift and covers the stern quite well.

I may using a 30x40 in the future for the stern if I change the design a bit or if I take the mast out. (The design does not need the mast and boom in place, the frame is self-supporting.)

If anyone wants more details, please let me know. There are a bunch of things done to make it easily removed, stored and reassembled.

Regards


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

After looking at the pictures just now, I realized that it all looks much better after everything was snugged up tight. I'll have to get some daylight pictures of the completed project. Somehow, these pictures don't quite capture it.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Here's another picture taken from the inside after the tarp was tightened-up and gathered. Note the cardboard box over the BBQ (to protect the tarp from hard edges).










Below the folded, stainless arch is a separate 8'x10' tarp to protect the storage compartment in the transom from water-turned-ice. So everything in the picture is one large tarp, except for right behind the dinghy engine mount.


----------



## danjarch (Jun 18, 2007)

Looks like a good design. Wouldn't know myself. Down here we just keep sailing.


----------



## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

Contradulations on getting that done. I was wondering how you were comming along on that.
Now you can start on the real list.

How are the ribs connected to the top piece?


----------



## mgmhead (Jan 14, 2007)

Cardboard Box? Barbeque Grill? Can't you remove the bloomin thing and store it proper? Did you put a cardboard box over the anchor too?


----------



## kgs113 (Dec 10, 2003)

I'd like to get a spring report to see how it weathered the winter. Looks good but I've had experience with tarps and pvc. Hope it holds up well for you.


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

I did something similar for our 30' Sabre. So far, so great! Holding up very well, and we get some crazy winds here in coastal Maine frequently.

Frame (PVC & 2x4s for posts) cost all of about $60-$70, plus a 20'x40' heavy duty green tarp (about $70, which is holding up well, and I hope to use it next year).

I figure, it'll take about an hour in the spring and fall to build and tear down each year...not bad. It's tall enough inside to walk around inside, plus holds some heat when I string up work lights.

Nice thing is, snow slides right off with just a tap from a roof rake. Boat is in our driveway, so it's easy and convenient to check on her, and keep snow off.


----------



## Deadeye (Jan 8, 2009)

Looks pretty sound, guys. One suggestion if I may:
If you use a bungie cord between the line and the grommet on the tarp, it'll have some give when the wind blows. Your tarps will make it through the winter that way without getting pulled and torn.


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Deadeye said:


> Looks pretty sound, guys. One suggestion if I may:
> If you use a bungie cord between the line and the grommet on the tarp, it'll have some give when the wind blows. Your tarps will make it through the winter that way without getting pulled and torn.


Yeah, those grommets are for show...

I picked up some tarp clips, which actually work very well. They hold and can attach just about anywhere.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

c40eb,

Do you find that the tarp rubs against the hulls and ruins the hull in any way? I've been focused on a design that holds the tarp out away from the hull with that concern in mind.

Same type of question for the lines (or are those bungies?) that go under the hull. Any issues with rubbing in the wind?

Regards


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Good concern. I'm using weights mostly, in the form of anti-freeze containers filled with water. They are very easy to get ahold of in the fall. I use many of them. And I'll be adjusting them so I have over a dozen of them and they will be only half full (half empty to you pessimists) to keep the weight on each grommet to a minimum.



Deadeye said:


> Looks pretty sound, guys. One suggestion if I may:
> If you use a bungie cord between the line and the grommet on the tarp, it'll have some give when the wind blows. Your tarps will make it through the winter that way without getting pulled and torn.


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Bene505 said:


> c40eb,
> 
> Do you find that the tarp rubs against the hulls and ruins the hull in any way? I've been focused on a design that holds the tarp out away from the hull with that concern in mind.
> 
> ...


Not so far...I ran line through each (really, every one) grommet to make sure the tarp was snug. The line through each grommet keeps the grommets from touching the hull. The lines are snug enough where they pass under the hull to minimize any chafing. So far so good. I have lots of rags to use between the hull & lines if I see any chafing.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

How about where the tarp itself comes in contact with the hull. And issues with the constant rubbing the wind must cause?



c40eb said:


> Not so far...I ran line through each (really, every one) grommet to make sure the tarp was snug. The line through each grommet keeps the grommets from touching the hull. The lines are snug enough where they pass under the hull to minimize any chafing. So far so good. I have lots of rags to use between the hull & lines if I see any chafing.


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Bene505 said:


> How about where the tarp itself comes in contact with the hull. And issues with the constant rubbing the wind must cause?


Hmmm...unknown. I'll check tomorrow and let you know. I read about these tarps and they may react/cause issues with dark hulls.

I'll see if I can see any rubbing/chafe from the tarp. I doubt it, as there isn't any single point with a lot of pressure, except for where the line passes through the grommets, and I am hoping those are soft enough not to chafe.

I'll wax and buff the hull in the spring...and am pretty confident that'll take care of any rubbing.


----------



## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Bene,
Good luck with the cover. From experience I think you have trouble with ice forming between the supports in areas where the tarp is near horizontal. If the pitch is not steep enough to cause the snow to slide off (e.g. at the top of your arches), heavy snow can accumulate and cause the frame and tarp to sag. When it rains on the snow, the weight goes up and the sag increases. Then it freezes and you get a big block of ice. If snow falls are light and wind follows snow it may not be a problem. IMO, as far as pitch is concerned, the more the better. I delt with ice blocks for two years and then switched to DIY shrinkwrap with improved pitch angles. With the shrinkwrap now in it's second year, I don't think I'd go back to the tarps despite the considerably higher cost (I'd estimate my materials bill this year was around $350.) I'd be happy to share my current shrink wrap frame designs, if this one doesn't work out for you.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

davidpm said:


> Contradulations on getting that done. I was wondering how you were comming along on that.
> Now you can start on the real list. ...


Yes. That list is next. I'll call you, unless you want me to buy you dinner in NY. That would be more fun. Are you coming to MrWuffles' Long Island gathering in Huntington the week of January 26th?



davidpm said:


> ... How are the ribs connected to the top piece?


All are taped with electrical tape stretched tight. That's many layers of tape, wrapped and wrapped. Now that the design is done, I'll go back and reinforce it with more wraps and tape the verticals too. The ones aft of the mast are additionally held in place with tension from the "bow and arrow"-type bow string.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Thanks Billy. Missed your post before, must have been typing. I can easily raise the center beam by adding a short length of PVC to each vertical. Almost everything else would pivot (on the joint with the main beam) to adjust to the change. I actually lowered it a foot, was concerned about windage. If I add it back in, that would reduce that water-trapping area at the top considerably.

I've been thinking about how these boats really come off their supports in high winds. They must pivot or slide sideways, trampling a support. I don't see a steel support buckling as the starting point for a stand-system failure. By beefing up the stands (perhaps via chains to multiple other supports, or by staking them into the ground) I would feel better about raising the top beam to eliminate the water pocket areas at the top.

What do you think about the windage involved?



billyruffn said:


> Bene,
> Good luck with the cover. From experience I think you have trouble with ice forming between the supports in areas where the tarp is near horizontal. If the pitch is not steep enough to cause the snow to slide off (e.g. at the top of your arches), heavy snow can accumulate and cause the frame and tarp to sag. When it rains on the snow, the weight goes up and the sag increases. Then it freezes and you get a big block of ice. If snow falls are light and wind follows snow it may not be a problem. IMO, as far as pitch is concerned, the more the better. I delt with ice blocks for two years and then switched to DIY shrinkwrap with improved pitch angles. With the shrinkwrap now in it's second year, I don't think I'd go back to the tarps despite the considerably higher cost (I'd estimate my materials bill this year was around $350.) I'd be happy to share my current shrink wrap frame designs, if this one doesn't work out for you.


----------



## lbdavis (Apr 23, 2007)

Bene505 said:


>


Bene,

I'd second BillyR's concerns. My tarpology has evolved into adding more vertical supports (for me it's cotton clothes line at ~2' on center that I tighten once or twice a winter) at a steeper pitch.

That horizontal line you have near the bottom right in this photo creates a section of tarp that has great "trapping" ability.

I try to get my tarp tight enough to bounce a quarter off of and no place for snow/water/ice to collect.

my 2 cents.


----------



## lbdavis (Apr 23, 2007)

The triangle in the back corner (the one with your pushpit across the bottom) looks like a water catcher, too.


----------



## tonybinTX (Feb 22, 2008)

poor boat. I feel sorry for her and all her northerly sisters. One question - can you hear the boats cry when they get covered for the winter?


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

tonybinTX said:


> poor boat. I feel sorry for her and all her northerly sisters. One question - can you hear the boats cry when they get covered for the winter?


Can't hear...too busy crying myself. Drowns out anything else.


----------



## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Bene,

I don't think you need to go higher. It's the curved arches in the front half of the frame that may be the problem because the top of the arch is relatively flat and will catch/hold more snow than the steeper aft areas.

I also think LBDavis has good ideas you might consider with his intermediate supports and emphasis on tightness of the cover. In my earlier frame designs that failed -- I've built them out of 1x2 wood strapping and PVC --my thinking was that the frame itself needed to be very strong to take the snow load. I wasn't as concerned with how tight the cover was -- of course, I wanted it tight so it didn't flap itself to pieces, but I found it very hard to get a uniform tightness. I think this combination of a fairly rigid frame with inadequate pitch and a semi tight tarp led to snow getting trapped between the "ribs" of the frame. Once the tarp sags with snow in it, the water gets in and freezes and then it just builds up from there.

While I'm no engineer, I think the great advantage of the shrinkwrap systems is the uniform taughtness of the cover and the flexibility of the underlying frame, which is made of a very strong woven, synthetic material that can be stretched very tight, yet still has some give when it's loaded with snow.

See the photo below of my frame system for winter 06-07. You'll see that it doesn't look that strong, but it is drum tight across the entire surface. You'll notice in the upper left that it's so tight that it bent the pvc pipe I put between the 2x4 uprights. The pvc was originally intended to form the ridge pole, but after I got the webbing stretched across the top of the 2x4s and all the webbing "rafters" in place the frame got very rigid and the pvc pipe was totally redundant/unnecessary.










Note that the cover only comes to the deck line. My hull is Awlgrip and so it can't be covered with shrink wrap. To support the outer edge of the shrinkwrap I used a pvc pipe frame that was attached at each stanchion. See photo below for detail.










The piece lashed to the stanchion is made from a short section of pvc conduit with a pvc "T" at each end. At the stanchion end I cut off the top of the "T" so it would fit around the stanchion. At the other end I left the "T" intact and ran pvc conduit through the top of the tee. For two years I built the false rail out of 1" pvc conduit. I found it's too flexible so this year I've switched to 1" metal electrical conduit. The pvc piece with the "T"s at either end is simply lashed in place using the webbing material provided by the shrink wrap provider. It's really important that these be stout lashings because when the cover is shrunk it will pull up on this false railing. (You can, of course, hold the false rail down by running webbing under the hull, but I didn't want anything touching my expensive paint job, so I was over-zealous with my lashings).

Note the "rafters" supporting the shrinkwrap (see the first photo) are made of webbing. It's very strong and can be stretched tight as a bow string using a tool provided by the shrink warp provider. In fact this year I over did a few times and got it so tight it and ended up bending the stanchion tightening the "rafters". One advantage of using the webbing material as the frame is that you can put more of them in place. I run one "rafter" at each stanchion and one between each stanchion.

Below is the outside shot of the 06-07 cover. This was done in Port Townsend, WA and I didn't expect much snow there. It did sustain 60 mph winds however with no damage to the cover. (Note: the boat was partially protected from the winds by the surrounding buildings).










Note that the height of the cover isn't that great -- actually not much higher than where the boom would be (which is about where the "ridge pole" lies in your design). What's important I believe is that the cover doesn't have "flat spots" -- there's no arch, only an inverted "V"

I've done two shrink wrap installations after the one pictured above. Last winter I build a frame exactly like the one shown above, but brought the cover to just below the water line. Because I needed to keep the cover off the Awlgrip finish I experimented with a system of using 8" Plastic cups to hold the webbing off the hull. The design failed in early March. The yard called and said they were expecting high winds and that my cover was very loose. I had to remove it or they would. The places where was loose and ripping was below the rail where my idea of using rigid plastic paint cups to keep the webbing and shrink wrap off the topsides was not working. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of last winter's cover.

This winter I went back to bringing the cover only to the deck level, and I shortened the length of the short pvc pieces that support the false "rail" running around the hull so that the shrink wrap is now only an inch or so outside the rail at deck level. I think this will help keep the wind from getting under the cover's edge, which was part of the problem last year, while still provinding good ventilation under the cover. As mentioned above, I also substituded metal conduit for pvc conduit in fabricating the outer rail so that it's more rigid than before. So far, so good this year. We've had a couple of snow falls and some high winds but the cover is good as new.

Sorry for the long winded post, but to sum up.... my experience suggests that the following are critical:

Pitch of the "roof" -- no flat spots
Tightness of the cover -- no saggs
Flexibility of the frame -- so that the tarp / cover doesn't sag between the frame members / "rafters" running athwardship when it's loaded with snow.

Obviously, overall height and windage is an issue, but I don't think you need to go much higher than the boom. When I cover the boat with the rig in, as I did the last two years, I run the frame "rafters" over the top of the boom, and, forward of the mast, over the top of the spin. pole which runs at boom height from the mast to the bow pulpit.

If you decide to switch to shrink warp next year I have several tips I can share on the process of getting the cover in place and shrinking it -- but this post is too long already.

Best of luck with the cover. Perhaps we should all share notes in the spring in an effort to perfect a design that doesn't cost a fortune in time and money and yet keeps snow, ice and dirt off the boats.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Billy,

Excellent post. Not too long winded at all IMHO. In fact, I iwsh I'd know about your design before I started on mine.

I'm considering flattening out the curved ribs (rafters). I'll keep you updated on what I do. Certainly, the bow of our boat has straight PVC and looks good in terms of pitch, tightness and strength. Maybe straight rafters with mid-rafter supports would work best.

If you look closely at the framing on our boat, you'll see that about 5 rafters near the mast on the port side have this extra support in place. Putting more of them in will also let me remove the strings going from rib to rib, parallel to the ground. Those strings are needed to keep the curved ribs from simply flipping. With more vertical supports at mid-rib, I can run the fore and aft strings on the vertical posts themselves, just like on those 5 amidship supports. (Look for strings like the letter "x" between the 5 foot long verticals that attach in the middle of the rafters).

Thanks again for the excellent post.

Regards


----------



## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

Another trick that some use is to use thin wall electrical conduit as ribs. It can be bent with a tube bender available at Home Depot etc.
It is much stiffer than pvc pipe.
I'm sure there is no need to change anything now but if you see that some pieces are a little to flexible thin wall is an option, maybe for only a couple high stress areas. Of couse a couple extra support would probably be easier still.


----------



## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

We had a similar pvc pipe frame for about two seasons. The plastic didn't seem to like the cold and wind vibrations, got brittle, cracked and broke at inconvenient-to-fix stress points. We got tired of the constant repairs and the sharp ends poking and/or chafing our canvas tarps. We replaced it with a frame made from 3/4" conduit and 1x4 boards. We made a series of legs out of 5' sections of conduit, with a bend 3' up from the bottoms to get past the lifelines. We then took 10' sections of conduit bent in the middle to about 80º to form the peaks. We cut them where they met up with the legs, and joined them with a screw-sleeve fitting that's sold to join conduit sections. Seven ribs are enough for our 36' boat. We set them up by duct-taping a 1x4 ridgepole from the bow pulpit to the first rib, and then strapping a second 1x4 to the first one and continuing to the stern, taping the ribs wherever they land on the ridgepole. Another set of 1x4's go P&S above the lifelines, and a third pair runs P&S about halfway between the top and bottom ones. We've now used the conduit and wood for 3 seasons. The biggest problem has been the three screws we've lost from the screw-sleeve fittings and remembering to bring extra duct tape on winter-cover day so we don't have to use rigging tape.


----------



## lbdavis (Apr 23, 2007)

*a cheap way*

Another technique (I'll take photos next time I'm at the boat):

I tarp my boat for well <$200 each year.

Supplies:
- lots of strapping 
- a few 2X4's
- 400' of cotton clothes line
- cheap tarps
- plastic wrap (banding)
- screws

Basic Installation:
- create a ridge with strapping layed flat and 2X4's as the vertical support
- create an "eve" of strapping from pulpit to pushpit by warping, wrapping and screwing strapping together and attaching it to stanchions, etc. Attach with this:









- Tie clothes line rafters every 2 feet on center and snug tight. Start at one eve, go up and around ridge, then back to other eve. 
- Drape cheap tarp over your framed up "roof"
- Tie tarp up to itself under hull

I do some "fancy" things with tying the tarp up too (roll a piece of strapping inside it, drill through and tie to other side).

I also do some fancy stuff around the stick (I don't unstep yearly) to tie the two tarps together.

I'll add photos. This is probably confusing. 
-


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

*I..*

I sure hope your hull is gelcoat and not Awlgriped/painted.

A money saving cover on an Awlgripped hull more often than not turns into the MOST expensive cover you ever had especially on a 50 footer..

If it is Awlgrip stop the cover the the toe rail & just be glad you don't live in Maine where we get wet heavy snow...

BTW $1500.00 for a mast up shrink on a 50 footer is a steal!!

I notice a few things missing from many covers. Cross ties! With heavy snow loads it is a good idea to do a perimeter board of strapping that runs around the top of the stanchions. You then use cross ties between the perimeter boards but affixed to the uprights to prevent the compressive snow loads from bending the stanchions inward.

Her's a photo that displays the cross ties and the perimeter board. This design relieves the inward loads from heavy snow from the stanchions and life lines. Note where my cover stops! This prevents blistering & keeps my Awlgrip hull looking new for a long, long time. It also provides great ventilation..


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Maine Sail said:


> I sure hope your hull is gelcoat and not Awlgriped/painted.
> 
> A money saving cover on an Awlgripped hull more often than not turns into the MOST expensive cover you ever had especially on a 50 footer..
> 
> ...


Hey Maine Sail...do you find snow blowing up under the bottom edges and any significant amounts piling on your deck?

I did the same thing with cross ties. Some across horizontally to the other side of the frame, some at an angle to the deck rails (padded to prevent chafing). Keeps the frame from bending inwards due to wind and/or snow.


----------



## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

I have found on my 22' boat that the grommets can cause damage to the hull from constant wind vibration. The grommets held away a few inches and the grommets tight to the hull did not cause a problem. It was just the few that were close but not touching or loose that nicked the crap out of the paint.


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

c40eb said:


> Hmmm...unknown. I'll check tomorrow and let you know. I read about these tarps and they may react/cause issues with dark hulls.
> 
> I'll see if I can see any rubbing/chafe from the tarp. I doubt it, as there isn't any single point with a lot of pressure, except for where the line passes through the grommets, and I am hoping those are soft enough not to chafe.
> 
> I'll wax and buff the hull in the spring...and am pretty confident that'll take care of any rubbing.


Well, I got a chance to do a closer inspection today...and saw no chafe from either lines or the tarp. What I did find is that the lines have loosened some...more slack than when I first tied them. So, I'll spend some time checking and snugging everything. All grommets are still held away from the hull by the lines passing through them, and the tarp does not seem to be causing any problems with the hull. It is gelcoat, not Awlgrip or other paint.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

*Update: 60 knot of wind. No cover anymore*

A few weeks ago I went back to the boat. That was the weeekend after the 60 knot winds that we had. The cover was coming off so the marina removed it. So it's back to the bare support poles again. Just in time for the 10 inches of snow we had. Of course this snowfall looks like it won't have freeze/thaw cycles behind it, only thawing.

NET NET the cheap tarps don't work in any sort of wind. That's even with many efforts to gather and bundle excess material. The fabric is just too light.

NEXT YEAR, I may try canvas. I think the winds in Sea Cliff are too strong for a cheap plastic cover. At least I have a good frame that I can use.

I'm thinking of a design that goes down to the deck, with a little vertical piece around each stancion. That way I can go with a lower ridge line and still keep a good slope.


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

Sorry to hear that...no fun.

Just wanted to say my green tarp is still fine. Frame and tarp are holding and I've had no problems. And...we get some crazy wind regularly here in Friendship, ME.

The ridge peak is about 5' 10" off the deck...so there is windage...but very little loose flapping around and the frame is built strongly.

However, the boat is in my driveway, and that means I keep all snow off. So, no heavy weight to drag on the cover or frame. That DEFINITELY helped.

I have adjusted the lines once...as they had loosened...but that is it...and only a few weeks left to worry about it.



Bene505 said:


> A few weeks ago I went back to the boat. That was the weeekend after the 60 knot winds that we had. The cover was coming off so the marina removed it. So it's back to the bare support poles again. Just in time for the 10 inches of snow we had. Of course this snowfall looks like it won't have freeze/thaw cycles behind it, only thawing.
> 
> NET NET the cheap tarps don't work in any sort of wind. That's even with many efforts to gather and bundle excess material. The fabric is just too light.
> 
> ...


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

*Just be glad*



Bene505 said:


> A few weeks ago I went back to the boat. That was the weeekend after the 60 knot winds that we had. The cover was coming off so the marina removed it. So it's back to the bare support poles again. Just in time for the 10 inches of snow we had. Of course this snowfall looks like it won't have freeze/thaw cycles behind it, only thawing.
> 
> NET NET the cheap tarps don't work in any sort of wind. That's even with many efforts to gather and bundle excess material. The fabric is just too light.
> 
> ...


Just be glad you're not up here. PVC is far too weak for heavy Maine snow..

These two are not my photos they belong to Perserved Killick:

Before:








After:









These are my pictures:

More home made failings:


----------



## c40eb (Sep 12, 2002)

IF you can keep the snow off, PVC may work.

My frame is mostly PVC, with 2x4 center posts (4 of them) and it is fine.

But, as I mentioned, I am able to keep all snow buildup off. Even during storms, I was out tapping the snow off.

Just a matter of circumstance, I guess.

7 weeks to go
7 weeks to go
7 weeks to go


----------



## preservedkillick (Feb 7, 2008)

Hey that's my boat!

I just want to add that I'm still ok with my pvc-tarp cover, based on my situation. No it didn't survive that last storm, but this was a bad one. It started wet, and stayed wet amounting to over 24 inches in about 6 hours. We had trees down, big limbs hanging down, ect. A friend's power boat (cabin cruiser)shrink wrapped also caved in. I've got a brand new Simplicity pro model snowblower and it took 3 hours to do the driveway, it really was like 2 feet of wet cement. So, I don't necessarily think the shelter let me down, it's been through way more than I would have thought.

Having said that, it's at my house. I can see it from my window and we can easily go give it a shake if snow sticks to it. If I had my boat stored at some yard it wouldn't be looked after I probably wouldn't rely on this. For now, it's cheap, works well enough (survived last winter's record setting snowfalls here in the White Mountains of NH) and easily repairable.

After the shelter collapsed, we were able to rebuild using the unbroken parts and a new tarp. In about 4 hours we had the new shelter up, minus a few small sections. The hardest part was getting under the snow covered tarp to push the snow off. I didn't want to risk scratching the paint, so we dug out as much as we could from the top by hand, then got under the tarp pushing the snow off from below.

Here's a few more pics from that day:
Picasa Web Albums - JoAnn - wicked snow s...


----------



## pvanv1 (Nov 16, 2007)

We have found that a real canvas cover lasts a lot longer, and is more forgiving of weather than the plastic variety (regardless of how good the plastic tarps are). Pricey to sew, but you get 10-20 years out of them. However... They must be bone dry to store away in the spring, or they will rot.

Biggest thing we have found is that ANY cover must be snug. And no possible way to get windage under it. We use nylon cord for tie downs. Provides a degree of elasticity. Helps a lot. Always snug. Also, the canvas covers shrink when wet, stretch when dry, keeping the cover snug over the winter, and allowing tie-down adjustments on clear dry days.

We switched from PVC to a 2x4 ridge pole lashed to pushpit and pulpit, with 2x4 "crutch" legs down the center. Much more durable than PVC when cold (doesn't get brittle), and about the same price. Ours folds down like an old-fashioned carpenter's measure. One crutch at each 8' pivot point. Instead of rigid legs down to the rail, we use dacron cord. Lighter, cheaper, just as strong, stores easier, and adjustable.

FWIW, At our club, we don't allow the masts to stay up. Less windage, lower insurance, and we get to inspect our rigs annually.


----------



## buckeyesailor (Mar 9, 2008)

I have two cents!

My experience with tarps is this:

Blue ones........ok but short lived.

Canvas...........great, but pricey and YEAH it has to be dry before storage.

Brown/Gray.....Best buy! more costly than the Blue and lots cheaper than canvas.....last MUCH longer.

there.......and that was my last two cents too....I'm broke again.


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

preservedkillick said:


> Hey that's my boat!


I watched you build that over on the Plastic Classic forums and thought for sure that one, of all the home made jobs, would have survived! It was a pretty tough looking PVC frame...

That snow storm was about as wet as snow can be before it's water. Unfortunately being so close the ocean we can see quite a few storms like that over a winter...

I hope you don't mind me grabbing your photos? I did give you credit!


----------



## preservedkillick (Feb 7, 2008)

Hi Mainsail,

Don't mind in the least. We're all here to learn and share. I would have posted them here too if I remembered this thread. 

-jeff


----------

