I have been buying spare shipping and canvas covers for years. Currently I have one shipping cover, one gray canvas cover and two black canvas covers. The gray cover came with the boat (I think but am not sure as I maybe on my second or third one now, it is more accurate to say a gray cover came with the boat). I buy or get all my covers used, I have not yet convinced myself to buy a new one, if I did I would go for the premium version in black (I have non premium versions in black (I.e., same as the gray covers, just black, no cleat or gas cap pockets).
Even used, they are expensive. On average I‘ve paid $400 for used canvas covers via eBay and the forums and $250 to $300 for shipping covers. I will add, expensive (too me anyway) but worth it. I view covers as sacrificial in that if I don’t use them my Boat’s interior, primarily upholstery , will wear out faster. after seeing quotes to reupholster entire interiors hitting $5k to $7k as well as knowing that the smallest cushion, the filler cushion for the walk through section at the rear of the cockpit is priced at over $200, the used cost of the covers look like a bargain. Again, I just can’t bring myself to spend $750 for new deluxe cover, not yet anyway.
Of special note, the shipping covers. Yamaha does not sell them separately. As far as I can tell one is made for every boat manufactured by Yamaha and it’s up to each individual dealer as to whether they include it in the sale to the first owner. When Yamaha discontinues making a model boat/hull they stop making shipping covers for that model/hull as well. So I buy them whenever I see them, I have not seen one come up for sale For my model boat in at least two years, if I did, I’d own it.
Finally, anti-pooling kits and shipping costs: most if not all of the used covers I have purchased came with anti-pooling kits (two poles and straps). The shipping covers come with fixed length poles and the canvas covers covers come with telescoping poles). Now when given the option I ask that the anti pooling kit not be included because it increases the cost of shipping a lot, sometimes double what it cost to ship without the kit since the shipping container/box is bigger whether the poles are fixed or telescoping). I already have several of these kits and don’t use them anymore now that I have found the boat vent II product but that’s a different subject.
For context, I recently got quotes to ship a cover via USPS from CA to HI, with the anti pooling kit $202 without the kit $115. UPS with the kit was $423 plus $13 or $15 for the box.
