Boat Cover w/Tower - Outdoor Storage

[Lord Vader]

So close to pulling the trigger on my first boat and I'm getting really excited! I've narrowed it down to either the 212 Limited or the 212 Limited S. I'm fortunate enough that my house has a side entry garage which allows the driveway to extend past the garage, behind the 6'5"-ish fence and down the side of the house. A perfect boat pad/storage location! As long as I can hide the boat behind the fence from the HOA I think this is where I'll eventually keep my boat year round.

My question:
If I opt for the Limited S with the tow tower, how "water tight" can I expect the cover to be?

My only reservation regarding the Limited S is that rain water will constantly leak in where the tower sticks out of the cover and cause mold issues. Tampa Florida gets a TON of rain in early/mid summer and I've seen a lot of used boats with mildew stains on the seats which has me concerned.

Is there a way to fold the tower and keep it under the cover?
Anyone else store their boat at the house? Recommendations?

 

[spatty99]

I think a little water might make its way in during bad storms, but probably nothing to worry about. I don't ever remember water under the cover on my 212X for the occasional storms in Nashville. Worst case get a powered vent and you'll be good to go. In Florida the real enemy is the non stop UV rays (good problem).

 

[Alex Smith]

We keep our ar210 outside with a cover and the rain water is not a factor. The humidity here in Florida is the real problem. We use damprid and it seems to get the job done well. We leave a few in different areas of the boat when covered and haven’t had a problem.

 

[adrianp89]

Well I have a SX210 here in Tampa area. My cover has two openings for the bimini posts... rain water has never been issue.... even with Irma.

 

[DBamaC]

I just keep a little fan running all the time when my boat is in the driveway and it stays nice and dry. It does get dirty where the tower passes though the cover, but it's just <5-minutes of cleaning kind of dirty.