Guys,

I am posting this question here so I can get a lot of opinions. How many of you guys have had a high-quality cover made and had them install vents?

I store my boat in a garage and I want a travel cover for longer trips where I have to drive 10 or 15 hours.

I need some opinions. My boat will not be covered for more than a day when I am on a trip. Vents or no vents?

Thanks in advance.

Craig

I’ve been researching the boat cover dilemma for a couple months now. I have an 18 yr old factory cover for my boat. At 17 yrs old, it was still serviceable. This past February, with snowmageddon took its toll on it and now it’s shredding.

The only answer is to have a new one made. I have researched the material that was used its Aqualon Edge. I originally thought I want something better. Then I realized that 17 yrs of service is plenty. I don’t want the boat to last me 17 more years. I was thinking Sunbrella, as I work for a shop and can get a deal. Even with my wholesale pricing, I couldn’t justify the Sunbrella’s cost. The Aqualon Edge is a 1/5 of the cost. It hasn’t rubbed the gel coat in the 17 years it’s been in use.

I’d suggest shopping around and weighing the costs of the fabrics and see if a 10 yr warranty is worth 5x more money vs a 7yr warranty.

Thanks for those considerations.

Would you have vents installed on the cover?

The factory cover has two vents, one above each seat. They have flaps over them, so water doesn’t enter the boat. The flaps serve two purposes. To let moisture out from under the cover, preventing mold and mildew and they keep the cover from “ballooning” when being pulled at high speed. The main things to keep in mind is the cover has to prevent water from getting in, allow humidity to escape, and fit very tight to the boat.

Sunbrella is a great material especially for awnings, but for tarps the local company I use builds them out of a lighter weight material that is stronger and has way better longevity for being water proof. They have built several for me and my dad’s boats over the years and have never had any issues. This is one of the last ones they built for me. If you tie them down right they don’t move at highway speeds.

Whaler 170, Can you please put the contact of who you use to make your covers. I am looking to get a custom cover made - I am in Amarillo, and I think there is just one place around here that does them.

Thanks.

Sunbrella is the deal, I've had one for over 15 years, it will lose is water resistance after some time but you won't find a boat cover material with more longevity from the elements.

Norman @ Abilene Tarp. (325)676-8302

Here’s one they built for a friend of mine with a T-Top.

I have a Sunbrella that is like new only used twice.Fits Bass Cay Puma.