Factory cloth cover ok in winter?

[Speedling]

Guys, I'm most likely moving. I will have 2-3 weeks where my boat will be outside (NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!)
I don't have a shipping cover or anything like that, just the regular one.
Will this be ok with the poles in place? I was thinking of putting a tube in there somewhere as well or something similar to shed water.
Or, do I need to get a tarp or something over the whole boat?
Never faced this because it's always in the garage!

 

[davel501]

2-3 weeks should be fine, just don't let snow or ice collect on it. Ice shredded my waverunner cover last winter.

 

[txav8r]

The mooring and trailiering cover was designed to be an outdoor cover. Depending on age, its "shed" capability may be be less than stellar. But it should be ok for a few weeks for sure...totally agree, don't let it hold water or snow at all! Just keep the transom drain plug removed, and the jack up high to let water drain should it have to. If everything is out of the boat, it should be fine, it will breath just fine under that cover. I would pull the carpet out in case it gets wet inside the boat too.

 

[brockhals]

Make sure it's not frozen when you go to pull it to your new destination. It will tear easily while underway...also remove the poles at that point so the cold fabric doesn't try to stretch and tear.

 

[woodard1983]

be very very careful, that cover can't support very much weight from snow, they are very "stretchy" with the weight from snow and once it gets in there it's hard to get out of the areas that have "fallen" without damaging the cover.....it will also seep water through, there is no way to avoid it using that cover and snow :/

 

[Speedling]

Do you think putting a tube blown up in there is a good or bad idea?
We find out tonight if they accept our counter, but the closing date they are asking for is december 31st! Enough time to move out, but not get paperwork in to go into the next house

 

[txav8r]

The cover is designed to have very specific ridges and valleys, but not any valleys that don't drain. You can check the tube, but it can cause more harm than good...for two reasons, it can cause water to dam and pool, but it also can wick water that would have normally shed. I find that moisture can transfer anywhere the cover touches the boat but it is dependent on a bunch of water at 100% humidity...rain for the most part.

 

[woodard1983]

I'd agree, think the tube would probly make things a little worse.....

since it's a short period of time you can probably get away with it, just be really diligent about getting the cover wiped off if it snows on it at all....you can tell when it starts to sag by looking at it, but when it's the "heavy, wet" snow you need to wipe it off pretty frequently to make sure it doesn't accumulate

 

[OCMD]

Just a vote of confidence. That stock cover with the anti-pooling poles will be perfectly fine. No need to add a tube as it will mess the design of the poles up. Just be vigilant if it starts to snow, or if raining, don't let a pool form. A pool should not form, but if one does, take a broom and brush the water out so a pool no longer exists, because if the pool freezes (or just remains filled with water) it will soon not function correctly and it will be a semi-permanent pooling spot on the cover.

 

[jawsf16]

The tube would provide some support potentially, but I think the trapping of water (think mildew) between it and the cover and the seats would not be worth the support.