A better cover?

[photonfanatic]

I have a 2015 Veranda F4. Its a 22' boat. And I hate the cover that came with it. Its like nothing but a dust cover. I keep my boat at the house, and I can tell this cover is not made for being outside. It lets rain pass through it, and it doesn't even come down far enough to cover the fence and the front and back of the boat. I had a giant tarp that I liked better than this cover, that I was using before the dealer got my cover in.

Are there other covers that I could get, that would do a much better job? Or are you pretty much stuck with the stock one? I even thought about making my own out of that giant tarp. Just cut it up and reshape it, and install fasteners to hold it down and make it look less like a tarp. Maybe even pull some parts off of the existing cover like the tent poles and their little plastic receivers, and put them on the tarp somehow. But I'd like to just be able to buy a good, high quality cover that actually covers the whole boat, or at least most of it, and keeps the rain out.

Any recommendations?

[curtiscapk]

I have this one. as long as you get a nice high peak rain just rolls off.
http://www.pontoonstuff.com/collections ... oon-covers

[MH Hawker]

Have one made you wont regret it

[ron nh]

usually the covers that come with them are real good, and real expensive. What did they charge you?

[BoatCop]

This is the cover I had made for my boat. Around $1,500.

[Drago]

B C,
You did a really nice job on your cover.

[ROLAND]

Custom made covers are usually the best ( and the most expensive )... I looked into getting one made a few years back and it was in the neighborhood of 15 to 16 hundred bucks... They made wonderful covers that I'm sure would have lasted a long time, but I just didn't want to drop that much on a cover...I suggest looking at Pontoonstuff.com Their "premium" covers for a 22 foot boat run around 300 bucks... ( and that is before the 10% discount you get for being a member of this forum ). even if you had to replace it say every 3 years, it would take you nearly 15 years to spend what a custom cover would run... wherever you get your cover from, make sure you "tent" it so that water runs off and isn't allowed to pool....

[photonfanatic]

Well I'm fairly certain I can make my own, by harvesting a bunch of the hardware off of my existing cover. Its apparently Veranda brand, and I guess they "made" it at the dealership. They had to order it, but according to them they did have to install the fasteners. So I guess it was a one size fits all type of deal, before they tailored it to my boat. I like that very first pic, where it comes down and covers up the fence. Don't want the sun fading it out before its time.

Plus mine does seem to let water get through it... somehow. After a rain, the carpet will be wet. Maybe its just going under the fence, or getting underneath the cover in one way or another. The cover just strikes me as... too small. Imo, that first pic in this thread is the amount of coverage that a cover should have. Pretty much everything except for the pontoon floats at the bottom should be covered. I know other people will have other ideas, but since I don't get to park my boat inside a building, the texas sun is just eating away at the parts of the boat that the cover doesn't go over.

[BoatCop]

Custom made covers are usually the best ( and the most expensive )... I looked into getting one made a few years back and it was in the neighborhood of 15 to 16 hundred bucks... They made wonderful covers that I'm sure would have lasted a long time, but I just didn't want to drop that much on a cover...I suggest looking at Pontoonstuff.com Their "premium" covers for a 22 foot boat run around 300 bucks... ( and that is before the 10% discount you get for being a member of this forum ). even if you had to replace it say every 3 years, it would take you nearly 15 years to spend what a custom cover would run... wherever you get your cover from, make sure you "tent" it so that water runs off and isn't allowed to pool....

The really nice thing about well made custom covers, is you can tow the boat with them on. Also easy to put on and take off when the boat is is the water.

The pictures of mine, above, didn't show the telescoping supports to allow rain water to roll off. That and the water resistance and breathability of the Sunbrella canvas keeps water out and air in to prevent mold or mildew. Which is needed this weekend with our first rain in nearly 90 days.

[photonfanatic]

Maybe mine is custom made then. Not real sure at this point. I can tow the boat with the cover on. I doubt I'd feel comfortable doing 70mph, but it doesn't really seem to care about 40 or 50.

But I like the one in the pic above this post. Wish mine was like that. I'm probably going to end up making my own, if having one made is $1500. I'd like something with plastic backing so that no water can just drip on through the threads.

[ron nh]

I don't think you want any plastic, think of a cheap rain coat, how much you sweat compared to a breathable one. I don't think the boat will sweat, but you get the idea.

[kryptonite]

But I like the one in the pic above this post. Wish mine was like that. I'm probably going to end up making my own, if having one made is $1500. I'd like something with plastic backing so that no water can just drip on through the threads.

Sounds like you need to treat your cover with some 303 fabric guard and apply some seal sealer.

[photonfanatic]

Sounds like you need to treat your cover with some 303 fabric guard and apply some seal sealer.

Hmm... didn't think about that. Seal sealer? Guess I'm not real sure on that one. Do you have a brand recommendation? Also, does the 303 fabric guard keep water out? I think I have heard of that one before

[BobL]

Any "breathable" cover will be damp on the inside after a heavy rain. A non-breathable cover is the worst as the inside of your boat will be a breeding ground for mold. My first toon (Bentley) came with a non-breathable cover from the factory and the mold and mildew on the carpet and seats was a nightmare. I even installed vents and it still created a problem. My South Bay (and now Xcursion) covers are breathable Sunbrella material and the inside will get wet (not soaked) after a heavy rain. One of the reasons I went to vinyl flooring was due to the fact no matter what you do, you can never keep the inside completely dry.

As Kryptonite suggested, I would treat your current cover first and see what happens.

[photonfanatic]

Sounds like a good plan. I will treat it first and see what happens. Also I searched "seal sealer" and wasn't able to come up with anything but concrete sealer. I was hoping someone could clarify the product being recommended. I did find the 303.