A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

You know the drill..

Moderators: Redneck_Randy, badmoonrising, lakerunner

Message
Author
User avatar
sunedog
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#1 Post by sunedog » Mon May 19, 2014 1:25 pm

I just had a new custom mooring cover made for my boat and I asked the lady to add an extra flap of fabric to cover all the snaps along both sides. This keeps the rain from dripping off the snaps and causing black streaks under each snap. I first saw this on a Tahoe cover and thought it was a great idea. Some manufacturers are now using painted snaps to eliminate the streaks.

She did a fantastic job on the cover. The cost was $800 for the cover and an extra $60 for the extra flap. This lady lives about 5 miles from me and she came to my house to get measurements, made the cover at her shop, came back and fitted the cover and added snaps where needed. I never had to move the boat. Great service.

Here's the fold I was talking about:

Image

Image

User avatar
OK Toon
Posts: 627
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:03 am
Location: Broken Arrow, OK

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#2 Post by OK Toon » Mon May 19, 2014 1:35 pm

Wow, that's an awesome price for a custom-fit cover (I'll have to wait till I get home to see the pic -- they block images on websites at my work). I was quoted $2K from a local company to make a custom-fit cover for my boat.
Kim and Steve
2003 Lowe Suncruiser Trinidad 222
2003 Yamaha 90hp 4-stroke
2008 Toyota Tundra 5.7
Spend most of our time on Lake Eufaula

User avatar
jafo9
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:43 am
Location: Smith Lake, Alabama

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#3 Post by jafo9 » Mon May 19, 2014 2:03 pm

great tip, thanks.
2003 Premier Grand Majestic 250 PTX Honda 225 OB (PTX baby!)
2002 MasterCraft X30
2007 Yamaha FX HO Cruiser
2005 Kawasaki SXR800
2004 Yamaha SuperJet
1989 Kawasaki 650sx
Lewis Smith Lake, Alabama

User avatar
babock
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 12:39 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#4 Post by babock » Mon May 19, 2014 8:50 pm

If you use stainless steel snaps, you should never have that problem in the first place.
2006 Suntracker Party Barge 21
Mercury 90 4 stroke

User avatar
sunedog
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#5 Post by sunedog » Tue May 20, 2014 4:52 am

babock wrote:If you use stainless steel snaps, you should never have that problem in the first place.
It's a very common problem so either a lot of boat cover manufacturers don't use stainless steel snaps or stainless steel snaps cause black streaks. I don't know which it is.

The snaps on my original Bennington cover never corroded, so they must have been stainless steel or had some type of plating. But I had black streaks regularly. I scrubbed them so many times I wore through the paint. That's the main reason I had my boat wrapped with vinyl.

User avatar
cwag911
Posts: 1879
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Lake Norman,NC

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#6 Post by cwag911 » Tue May 20, 2014 5:42 am

Do you have a pic of your boat wrapped?
Carl & Suzi
07 Bennington 2275rl triton w/ strakes
150 Honda 15x15p Enertia prop
Power assisted steering
Denver, NC Lake Norman
Pleiku, Vietnam 1971
Agent Orange survivor (so far)

User avatar
badmoonrising
Site Admin
Posts: 10066
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:04 pm
Location: Chesapeake City, Maryland

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#7 Post by badmoonrising » Tue May 20, 2014 7:50 am

sunedog wrote:
babock wrote:If you use stainless steel snaps, you should never have that problem in the first place.
It's a very common problem so either a lot of boat cover manufacturers don't use stainless steel snaps or stainless steel snaps cause black streaks. I don't know which it is.

The snaps on my original Bennington cover never corroded, so they must have been stainless steel or had some type of plating. But I had black streaks regularly. I scrubbed them so many times I wore through the paint. That's the main reason I had my boat wrapped with vinyl.

Most manufacturers use chrome plated snap that are brass with a stainless screw. If you switch them out to 100 percent stainless, you won't get the streaks. When I rebuilt my old Starcraft, I removed everything chrome plated brass and never had any issues after.
Ed, Cheryl, Ethan and Aspen.
2013 Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 w/90 HP Mercury, "Hellrhighwater 2"
2014 E-350 Extended XLT.
Chesapeake City ,MD

User avatar
ToonGuy
Posts: 968
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:34 am
Location: Lake Wawasee, Northern IN

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#8 Post by ToonGuy » Tue May 20, 2014 9:17 am

^^^ Yep. It's the brass that does it. Even MOST of the ss snaps have a brass core. Look under yours, you can usually see the brass when the rivet mushrooms out.
Just one boat...after another, after another :-)

User avatar
ToonGuy
Posts: 968
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:34 am
Location: Lake Wawasee, Northern IN

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#9 Post by ToonGuy » Tue May 20, 2014 9:18 am

BTW that's an awesome idea.

:thumbsup
Just one boat...after another, after another :-)

User avatar
babock
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 12:39 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#10 Post by babock » Tue May 20, 2014 11:48 am

ToonGuy wrote:^^^ Yep. It's the brass that does it. Even MOST of the ss snaps have a brass core. Look under yours, you can usually see the brass when the rivet mushrooms out.
Nope...SS snaps are all stainless, at least the ones I buy. That's why they are so hard to install compared to the brass nickel plated ones.
2006 Suntracker Party Barge 21
Mercury 90 4 stroke

User avatar
sunedog
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#11 Post by sunedog » Tue May 20, 2014 12:16 pm

cwag911 wrote:Do you have a pic of your boat wrapped?
I think I've posted a pic of it before, but here are two newer ones.

Image

Image

And look closely at this one. One of my favorite things -- my friend who designed the wrap "ghosted" the lyrics to "Take Me Home Country Roads" in 2" letters into the background of the mountain ridges. You have to be within about 10 feet of the boat to see them.

Image

User avatar
cwag911
Posts: 1879
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Lake Norman,NC

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#12 Post by cwag911 » Tue May 20, 2014 5:21 pm

NICE !!
Carl & Suzi
07 Bennington 2275rl triton w/ strakes
150 Honda 15x15p Enertia prop
Power assisted steering
Denver, NC Lake Norman
Pleiku, Vietnam 1971
Agent Orange survivor (so far)

User avatar
ToonGuy
Posts: 968
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:34 am
Location: Lake Wawasee, Northern IN

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#13 Post by ToonGuy » Wed May 21, 2014 9:14 am

babock wrote:
ToonGuy wrote:^^^ Yep. It's the brass that does it. Even MOST of the ss snaps have a brass core. Look under yours, you can usually see the brass when the rivet mushrooms out.
Nope...SS snaps are all stainless, at least the ones I buy. That's why they are so hard to install compared to the brass nickel plated ones.

That's why it says MOST. Around here if you don't specify you get a SS or nickel cover over a brass snap. I don't claim they aren't available in all SS, just buyer beware...
Just one boat...after another, after another :-)

Bryden24shp
Posts: 1873
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:28 am
Location: Iowa/Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
Contact:

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#14 Post by Bryden24shp » Wed May 21, 2014 9:49 am

That wrap is awesome! I don't wanna be nosey, but how much does something like that cost? My Premier looks boring and I want to livin it up abit!
Excellent idea on the flap! Premier uses the plastic J clips, so you never get the black streaks on the panels.
Owner-EzFender Boat Products
Members, visit your discount page at:
http://www.ezfender.com/PontoonForums-M ... -Page.html

User avatar
sunedog
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

Re: A tip if you're getting a new custom mooring cover

#15 Post by sunedog » Wed May 21, 2014 12:57 pm

Bryden24shp wrote:That wrap is awesome! I don't wanna be nosey, but how much does something like that cost? My Premier looks boring and I want to livin it up abit!
Probably $1500 on the low end up to about $3000. That would include design, stripping the old graphics off (took 2 days on mine), and installation of the wrap. A friend did mine so I didn't pay that. You will pay more for an all out custom design like mine.

Graphics companies wrap everything these days. You can probably find one in most cities that do commercial vehicles. My guy wraps Nationwide and Truck Series race cars, motorcycles, golf carts, PWC's, and a lot of commercial vehicles.

I will tell everyone -- I love the wrap and it is reasonably tough. But it will cut easily. It is just a giant high quality vinyl bumper sticker. I have a few cuts on it that I have no idea how I got. And a few that I know how I got. But it is not as resiliant as the factory paint.

Post Reply