Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I’m in the market for a full cover but I can’t trust the online reviews.
I don’t care about price but I’m looking for the best quality.

I’d like something waterproof, good for trailering and won’t damage the interior. Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

I cant give advice on where to buy, as all my covers have come with the boats I have had. Based on a lot of experience with a lot of boats and lots of covers, I will pass along some info on my experiences....

A - Personally, I would not tow with a cover on even if the cover was designed for towing.

B - I would look for a Sunbrella (or similar) material. I have had some crappy OEM covers that didn't breathe well and I was constantly fighting mildew.

C - It sounds strange, but the darker the color the better as dark colors tend to work better for UV protection.

D - I have snaps on mine but will likely go the shock cord route next time.

love my ps cover....
I have other pics in my more recent posts. Here is my first one on the cover.


viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25413

Agree, trailering while covered greatly reduces the life of the cover....

you might want to contact your boat manufacturer and see if they can sell you a custom playpen cover for your particular boat... If not you can find local trim shops... I had a guy price a custom cover for my boat a few years back after I had misplaced my original custom cover... trim shop was going to use sumbrella and I believe the quote was around 1400 bucks or so.. Fortunetly my son remembered he had put my original custom cover up in our attic so I ended up not needing to replace it... still though, a local trim shop should be able to help you out, but it probably won't be cheap.

A custom cover is the way to go. They will uae quality material and insure a good fit. Ask your local boat dealer who the local guy is, he’ll know.

If you're willing to spend the money for a good cover get one made. Even the OEM covers are fit to the boat while it's there. Any canvas shop can make you a good cover that fits like a glove. You can talk to them about how you plan to use it . I know my brother had a bunch made for his powerquest and never tows with it up. It just costs too much to get beat up going down the road.

I guess I will go against the grain.
I have had custom covers for every boat I have owned. Usually made of Sunbrella or something similar.
However, when I got my new toon with the OEM cover....WOW, fit was awesome and it weighs less than half of any custom cover I ever had.
Mine is less than a year old, so I do not know how long it will last, but so far I am very pleased.....

Before spending $1400 on a custom playpen cover I would suggest looking up seller "canvasguy2077" on eBay--Andy. This is formerly American Canvas Products, Inc. that made OEM covers for several boat mfrs. for a couple decades.
Andy can send you a diagram where you fill in all the important dimensions, pick a fabric, and save half or more.

My used boat came with a miserable universal cover that flapped in the wind & allowed water to pool in the corners. I don't have any trim, canvas, awning, etc. shops anywhere within 100 miles of my lake so I looked online. My custom cover doesn't have these issues, and it looks OEM. Nevertheless there are things in hindsight I would do differently in specifying a cover:
* For my 18' 'toon the cover has 2 poles. I would request at least 3 even for such a short playpen.
* I went with the standard coated polyester fabric ("Navigator") because I didn't want to risk extra $$ for high-end fabric. Now that I know the cover is made well and fits right I would ask for Sunbrella or equivalent (there are many).
* I don't have an answer for rain running in thru the bimini frame cutouts--but maybe Andy knows a way to divert the small amount that sneaks in around the flaps.
* Tight fit = finger fatigue on all those snaps (which came in a bag for me to install--as per my wishes). I would consider shock-cord sewn in the hem, if available and not crazy expensive.