Just ordered a bow cover for the Bimini crossing

[MrMoose]

I know I'll never use it for anything other than the Biminin crossing, but I thought that $170 was a good investment in a snap-on bow cover for this year's Bimini crossing. Having a couple waves land in the bow last year was no big deal with just my two boys and I in the boat... but I don't want my wife and father-in-law to freak on me if it happens this year. ... but on second thought, a roll of duct tape is way cheaper.
Yamaha prices aren't bad ($195.95) and they are obviously designed to fit the Yamaha bows. I picked up a Yamaha one on eBay for $170 (from a Honda dealership). Comes with snaps.
The local guy wanted $475 to make one that wouldn't match my bimini.
I'm sure that some of you feel that this is overkill because the boats are designed to self drain through the scupper... but that's a tough one to sell when there's 8 inches of water in the back of the boat and your bilge pump is running, while the scupper is draining. I'd just rather avoid it this year considering the additional passengers. Call it $170 of marriage insurance.

 

[Bruce]

Did you have 8" of water in your boat last year?

 

[MrMoose]

Yup. Gulped a big wave when the group slowed down. It was initially 8-10 inches at the back when I pulled up my bow and all the water swooshed to the back.

 

[Bruce]

Wow, I got my toes wet once. Glad you handled it so well.

 

[MrMoose]

Before the trip, I was concerned with the low bow on the boat, but the seas truly didn't seem that bad when we went out (look at the videos). I have to admit that I was surprised that I gulped one. I'm surprised and very proud of how my boys handled the situation. When it happened, all I said was "Get your ski vests on." ... and we did. It wasn't so rough that my then 14 year old son couldn't step out on to the swim platform to pull the vests out of the wet storage locker located behind the seatback.
It was purely inexperience on my part. You need to keep moving in order to keep the bow up. You'll get splashed, but you won't eat waves.
I recently read a recount of a rescue on a site that sells EPIRBs. A CC fishing boat went down "suddenly" after taking a few waves over the bow. The captain figures that the first two waves made their way into storage compartments, and the drains from the storage compartments were not capable of handling the volume due to thing blocking the drain. The compartments in the bow got full of water and then the bow got so low that every wave came into the boat.

 

[MrMoose]

Wow, I got my toes wet once. Glad you handled it so well.

It honestly wasn't a big deal for me and my boys (11 and 14)..... ... just want to avoid the experience with a crew who can't handle it (wife and father-in-law). ... we need to find a cu-cu emoticon.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Smart purchase. Keep those life jackets on deck and easy to grab

 

[MrMoose]

Smart purchase. Keep those life jackets on deck and easy to grab

They will be on before we leave the dock.

 

[swatski]

@MrMoose Just wondering - you will have to drill to put the snaps in, obviously. Is it a difficult install? When they sell the "no snaps" versions of the bow cover - does it mean one just buys the snaps separately, or is there a different mode of attachment?
I am pretty sure I would like to install a bow cover, so I would appreciate any info. Besides the obvious benefits of alleviating swamping risks in high seas, I figure it could come in handy when cruising in chilly weather.

 

[veedubtek]

You and me both @MrMoose ! I took at least 2 over the bow last year, won't happen this year. We definitely had 8" of standing water (1/2 way up the subs!) inside the boat on more than one occasion (mostly before replacing the failed bilge). I already over-maintain the hell out of my boat. I have no problem with over-preparing as well.

 

[MrMoose]

@MrMoose Just wondering - you will have to drill to put the snaps in, obviously. Is it a difficult install? When they sell the "no snaps" versions of the bow cover - does it mean one just buys the snaps separately, or is there a different mode of attachment?
I am pretty sure I would like to install a bow cover, so I would appreciate any info. Besides the obvious benefits of alleviating swamping risks in high seas, I figure it could come in handy when cruising in chilly weather.

Hi @swatski . I've never installed a bow cover, but I've had them on past boats. I've never looked into "no snaps" bow covers, but I can say that the one that I ordered comes with female snaps installed on the canvas and a pack of male snaps to install onto the boat.

 

[swatski]

Hi @swatski . I've never installed a bow cover, but I've had them on past boats. I've never looked into "no snaps" bow covers, but I can say that the one that I ordered comes with female snaps installed on the canvas and a pack of male snaps to install onto the boat.

Please keep us posted! I have repaired a few snaps, but never installed a whole cover, pretty exciting.

 

[Andy S]

@MrMoose great minds think a like, I purchased a factory Yamaha bow cover for my boat and it just arrived yesterday. Last year I drove one of @robert843 skis over and my buddy drove my boat over and from what my buddy and my wife said is that they didn't take any water over the bow. With 4 trips to Bimini and back we have never taken water over the bow, however I thought this was a cheap insurance to help cheap things dry inside the boat in case we ever do take water over the bow or if it starts to rain.

I plan on putting the life vests on top of the bow cushions under the bow cover. This way are out of the way in the passenger area but if needed they are easily accessible by opening the bow pass through door and reach in to get them.

Also, I plan on putting some blow up tubes, the type pulled behind the boat, on top of the bow cushions to support the bow cover. I don't like only having the center pole of the bow cover is sufficient enough to support the cover in handling the wind load or water load if we take a wave over the bow, I won't be using the pole while the boat is underway. I'm using blow up tubes so that when they are not needed I can deflate them for easy out of the way storage.

The bow cover I got for my boat (boat model year 2007-2009) is Yamaha part number MAR-230BC-VR-CH (charcoal color) with the best price I found being on eBay at $148 delivered. I won't be installing mine for a couple of weeks, too many other projects to finish, but when I do I will post my process.

 

[Drift Away]

I know I'll never use it for anything other than the Biminin crossing, but I thought that $170 was a good investment in a snap-on bow cover for this year's Bimini crossing. Having a couple waves land in the bow last year was no big deal with just my two boys and I in the boat... but I don't want my wife and father-in-law to freak on me if it happens this year. ... but on second thought, a roll of duct tape is way cheaper.
Yamaha prices aren't bad ($195.95) and they are obviously designed to fit the Yamaha bows. I picked up a Yamaha one on eBay for $170 (from a Honda dealership). Comes with snaps.
The local guy wanted $475 to make one that wouldn't match my bimini.
I'm sure that some of you feel that this is overkill because the boats are designed to self drain through the scupper... but that's a tough one to sell when there's 8 inches of water in the back of the boat and your bilge pump is running, while the scupper is draining. I'd just rather avoid it this year considering the additional passengers. Call it $170 of marriage insurance.

How hard was it to line up the snaps with the ones that come on the cover

 

[Julian]

I installed the bow cover on my LX210 and it was pretty easy. Would have been easier to line up with 2 people, but I was able to do it on my own. I layed it out first, then started with the center front snap and worked my way around the bow doing one snap on each side. Once done and with the center post in place, the bow cover is pretty solid. But not sure how big a wave it would hold up against.

 

[Drift Away]

Anyone have a pic of a cover on a 242, AR240 or SX240. I am trying to see if it is cut out around the chrome rails on the front or they go over them. I found a few, one from yamaha and one from jet boat pilot. Where did you all find yours?

 

[mattschepker]

Here are the colors. I wanted to match my Bimini top. they just had charcoal slate and smoke for my year. On the Yamaha website or at the dealer they had no pictures of the color so I contacted Yamaha and they sent me this.
Obviously you have two options the bow or cockpit cover with snaps or without snaps . I am assuming the one without snaps is just a replacement cover.

 

[Addicted]

I spend a fair amount of time in the Puget Sound. I installed the snap in bow over the first year I had the boat (easy install btw) for just this reason. I consider it one of my emergency tools and keep it quickly accessible under the starboard bow seat. If the weather picks up, that is the first thing I go for. Be sure to use the underside pole for support.

I have only used it a handful of times but it is great piece on mind when I do. It makes the wife much more comfortable as well. She does not seem to take the site of water rushing down the deck very well.

I drilled the hole for the snap, then shot a small bit of silicone sealant into the hole prior to install.

 

[MrMoose]

How hard was it to line up the snaps with the ones that come on the cover

@Drift Away, it's not hard. once the cover was in place, I used a small hammer to tap the snap which left a circular mark on the fiberglass. I drilled/countersunk a hole at the center of the circle, added some 5200, then screwed in the snap.

 

[MrMoose]

Anyone have a pic of a cover on a 242, AR240 or SX240. I am trying to see if it is cut out around the chrome rails on the front or they go over them. I found a few, one from yamaha and one from jet boat pilot. Where did you all find yours?

@Drift Away