Trailering With Your Boat Covered

[itsdgm]

Since I'm usually towing several hundred miles to use our boat, I've always been of the school that likes to trailer with the boat covered. I trailer with it covered for several reasons. The main reasons are simple. Since I tend to load the boat up with a lot of crap, I don't want to get to the lake and be missing things. Things tend to leave the boat for several reasons. Sometimes they get sucked out on the highway, and sometimes they get lifted out while taking a break for lunch. Which IMHO sucks worse. So "out of sight, out of mind".

Feel free to post your pick and tips too. I'm sure there's more than one way to get the job done. This is how I do it.

I start by putting some pool noodles over the windshield. I found that without them, the cover leaves a sticky mess on the windshield frame. I believe this residue is from the cover buffeting itself to death on the edge of the window frame. So this step should help extend the life of the cover.



Next, I remove or at least lower the anti-pooling poles. I'll leave the straps in place if rain is forecasted, but the poles need to be lowered or removed to prevent stress on the cover while under way.

Then, I'll simply install the cover. The cover is cinched down by the two ratcheting straps located at the rear of the boat. I make sure that it's tightened pretty well and so far I haven't had it come loose at all.




Since our AR210 has a tower, the cover has buckles that are used to go around the frame of the tower. I have found that these buckles tend to twist in the wind and can scratch the hull of the boat if left on its own. I use seat belt shoulder straps, found at Walmart for about $6 each, as padding in those areas.

 

[jetboater4life]

I like the seat belt cover tip. Thanks. Time for some walmart shopping.

 

[jdonalds]

On my SX210 the Bimini folds back and lays across behind the rear seats. Besides the windshield, that I do the same as you itsdgm, I also put two small sections of pool noodles under the Bimini so it won't rub the fiberglass while on the road.

I save my expensive Yamaha cover for long road trips. On short trips, under 50 miles, I don't cover. The rest of the time when the boat is parked in our side yard I used a $150 cover while the expensive Yamaha cover is stowed in the garage.

 

[duanepillar]

I don't tow very far typically but to the lake uncovered. Anywhere else I tow with the cover on. Like for service or if I am going to a different lake than normal.

 

[Geiger41]

Was wondering why my cover was baggy. Just saw you picture of the long strap going ABOVE the center windshield. I have it below....Damn newbie here !!

 

[txav8r]

Just remember...like Dennis says, don't use the poles while towing! It will stretch and possibly rip the cover! I towed with the cover the same way as Dennis, with noodles across the windshield, and like John, I had a bimini that layed across the back of the aft cockpit seatbacks and gelcoat deck behind them. If I was towing any distance, I placed a few folded towels beneath the bimini to protect the seat backs and gelcoat there. I also placed a larger industrial sized noodle over the bimini frame hinges to protect the cover across them. Since I didn't have a tower with the cover buckles there, I placed a hand towel under my ratchets to protect the gelcoat under them. It is all about reducing your wear and tear...and amount of work! When you tow with no poles...the cover sucks down on the boat like a vacuum has pulled it tight! If your driving in rain, no worries while your driving...but if you stop, it will fill the pond created! So keep the poles and straps handy and ready...meaning the straps installed and all you have to do is lift the poles into position.

 

[Chadrock]

I lost a seat towing without my cover on. It was a short trip, close to home. Pretty expensive lesson.

 

[BoaterGuy]

I called the manufacturer of my premium cover and they said to trailer with the poles in. I towed over 8 hours in one trip last year without incident.

Looks like the pole no pole discussion is alive again

 

[Volffas]

Mostly because of other posts talking about seat cushions and other things blowing out, we have always towed with the cover on. The only issue that we have ever had was the knob on the middle window poked through the cover. Placing noodles on top of the windows would have prevented that.

We have towed with the trailer poles in and with them out. I think that it is basically 6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other. The poles have enough surface area on top of them that I really don't think they will place a huge amount of undue stress on the cover. But we usually only tow around 15 miles each way. If we were going to go for extended periods I would probably lay them down.

 

[txav8r]

All I can tell you Rob...is the same company that made my cover, makes your cover...and they sewed a tag on all of our covers that said this...
Maybe they no longer say this, maybe they do. But just because you do something without consequence may not be a good justification for doing it. Now calling them and having them totally dispute what they have been saying for years??? Well, that deserves more explanation. Just saying.

 

[Volffas]

That's an interesting label Mel. I have never seen that before, not saying it isn't there or wasn't at some point, but I have never seen it.

I wonder what they mean by highway speeds? 55, 65, 70?

 

[BoaterGuy]

All I can tell you Rob...is the same company that made my cover, makes your cover...and they sewed a tag on all of our covers that said this...View attachment 3075
Maybe they no longer say this, maybe they do. But just because you do something without consequence may not be a good justification for doing it. Now calling them and having them totally dispute what they have been saying for years??? Well, that deserves more explanation. Just saying.

When I get my boat back from the dealer I'll compare my tag to your picture and we'll go from there. I called the manufacturer a while back when this topic arose on the old site.

 

[txav8r]

Rob, like the old site, we try to help one another. I didn't intend the information to stir controversy, debate, or even argument. The manufacturer indeed may be saying something totally different now, than they have said in previous years. There have been plenty of times that someone says, "the dealer said to do this", that have been wrong. And what you hear on any website may turn out to be wrong too. The consensus back at the other site, and here, will be to tow with the poles out if you use the cover. But the cover is made the same, the boat is the same, and to my knowledge, they have not started to reinforce the cover where the poles mount, and it is still made of the same old UV sensitive Surelast fabric. Again...the desire is to have the most current and up to date information. If the manufacturer of the mooring and trailering covers has changed, or the trailering recommendation has changed, all of us want to know. Plenty of guys have shredded their covers trailering with the poles installed. Posting the manufacturers name and phone number here would be beneficial as well, because it has always been a dead end in previous discussions, and it would be a good source for folks to have here. The warranty on my cover was 2 years if I recall, but I have heard others claim only one year. When I sold my boat last August, I handed off all my records, which included the cover care from Surlast and the manufacturer warranty information. So any documentation you can provide is a help going forward for the membership! It would also be good, if the policy regarding poles has changed, to identify when it changed, and publish that. Here is a link to a YouTube video on care from Surlast...
SurLast Cover and Bimini Care Video

 

[BoaterGuy]

I didn't intend the information to stir controversy, debate, or even argument.

I didnt take it as that, I was just stating what I found out. I wasnt contesting you, I am curious if it did change too, which is why I want to see the label on my cover.

I found my old post and the link that I posted to the manufacturers site.

http://commercialsewing.com/view-product.php?page=Marine&tab=Mooring/Trailerable Covers

Here is the yamaha accessory link:

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/boat/accessories/acscitemdetail/5/525/2180/19332/all/1/11018/0/detail.aspx

Manufacturer info:

Commercial Sewing
65 Grant Street
Torrington, CT 06790
P: 860.482.5509 F: 860.482.7964

I just called again and spoke to their support department and he stated that poles stay in while towing and directed me to their youtube channel to see them towing with the poles in place.

Heres one I found of a Yamaha boat:

So I guess it did change at some point... I asked him and he didnt know.

 

[txav8r]

Hmm...the cover in that video isn't the cover on your boat or mine. It has vents forward/mid/aft, not just the two over the windshield. It is good to know they changed their procedures but a question for them would be "how long have you made covers exclusively for Yamaha boats?" And does this recommendation go back all the way to when you included the "do not tow with poles in place" tag? Thanks for trying to clarify the recommendation for towing with the cover. Good to have the info for them...I added them to my list of manufacturers for the boats.

 

[BoaterGuy]

I dont believe those are vents, I think they are some new covers they added to the cleat slots. The one on the high side on the Aft Port is for the gas cap.

I found this post on the old site:

My cover is the 2013 Mooring Cover for my AR192. It had a tag sewn into it saying it was built but Commercial Sewing... So I gave them a call hoping to answer my questions, since I didn't get a box, bag or instruction when my cover was delivered to me from my dealer.

I have traveled with the poles in for very short distances, and low speeds. But going on this trip of 675 miles, 11 hours... I don't want to take a chance of something happening... But with that said, they did say to me this is for the covers that THEY make for Yamaha, which looks like 2012-2013 covers... Not sure of the prior covers.

http://yamahajetboaters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=48320&start=30

Mine is a 2013, so maybe they have only been making the covers for the 2012-up boats? Either way looks like the changed the design and added those cleat covers.(mine doesnt have the covers, just the slots)

This is a scan of page from the Yamaha accessory book of the cover on a 212. It has those same covers on the cleat slots:

 

[OperationROL]

I use to tow with the pole installed and erected until someone posted that their cover shredded at that point. Now i install the poles but I don't stand them up. If I end up storing the boat outside overnight, I loosen the cover a little, stick my arm in there, stand up the poles and re-secure the cover. This way I can quickly get them set up if rain starts all of a sudden.

 

[duanepillar]

I would think it is better not to have the cover flapping in the wind without the poles. I do not put them in tight but just enought to keep the cover from flapping.

 

[OperationROL]

The cover should not flap in the wind without the poles. It is designed to suction to the boat while underway. If yours is flapping, you should make sure it is installed correctly.

 

[justason]

Good thread. My mooring cover shredded last year on a tow after about 700 miles and 70 MPH. I used the windshield noodles, Straps without the pooling poles extended. Trouble was I could never keep the cover tight enough to stop oscillating. The bow area sucked down, And the cockpit area was NOWHERE as taught as your image. The shred happened port to starboard in the cockpit area starting from the pockets around the tower and followed the seam. Luckily my wife sewed in a large patch and we saved the cover overall.

@andy07sx230ho has made a decent set of BOWs out of PVC that works with his shipping cover to stop the suck.

I'm not going to risk my mooring cover this year and will probably buy a walmart cheapy to keep the road grime out of it.