Covering for the winter.

[mikerino]

Hi guys. New pontoon boat and I am in New Hampshire. I searched the forum about winterizing and saw a lot about winterizing the motor but not too much about the boat itself. My boat came with furniture covers, do I just use those? Should I shrinkwrap? Is there a FAQ about this somewhere that I haven't seen? Its not unusual to get a foot of snow at a time here.

If it matters it is a 16 foot Apex.

Thank you.

[OK Toon]

You need a pretty good support to hold a tarp to keep from caving in with heavy snow. Look at the designs posted in this thread. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19312&p=160077&hili ... er#p160077

[teecro]

A lot has to do with "how" and "where" you plan on storing your boat... Is it just going to be stored out in the open with heavy winter snow? If so then I'd want to be sure it was stored with a supported boat cover and shrink-wrapped too if I could afford it... You don't want huge piles of snow sitting on your carpeted deck or on your furniture even if it has slip covers....

[MH Hawker]

In your climate if its outside storage I would shrink wrap.

[REPETE]

In your climate if its outside storage I would shrink wrap.

Agreed. I have gone with shrink wrap for the past 10 years without any problems.

The larger point that I always mention is making sure to varmint and bug control.

I religiously place dryer sheets around my pontoon and under my lift cover in the summer and it is amazing how well it helps keep bugs away. I do the same with dryer sheets when storing but also place two entire boxes of moth balls in and around the toon. They now come in sealed little packets so you can just place them wherever. (I used to put them in cupcake tins so they wouldn't mess up the carpeting.

I do this with all of my boats and toys and never have any problems. My "forward thinking" neighbor of course knows better than me and didn't do that this past winter...and got his boat seats eaten up!!! Typical fucking moron liberal that thinks he's always the smartest guy in the room! Never wants to take somebody else's idea!

[Coldbrew]

Hi Mikerino from a fellow Granite Stater.

No doubt...if you're going to leave your boat out in the open you'll want to shrink it. Not only will it keep the weight of the snow and ice off, but it will even deflect SMALL branches if that's an issue. (Where I store my boat it is).

Good luck and let's hope for a VERY snowy winter. (snowmobiler)


Dave

(PS) I use Westshore Marine in Bristol

[teecro]

I wonder if drier sheets and/or mothballs would ward off otters looking to make a den in a covered boat kept on the water?

[pond tuuunes]

this is what I do.JT

wrap1.JPG (106.91 KiB) Viewed 4831 times

wrap2.JPG (109.2 KiB) Viewed 4832 times

wrap3.JPG (109.38 KiB) Viewed 4830 times

[pond tuuunes]

If you look really close, you will see where I hid tge trailer. JT

[RcgTexas]

this is what I do.JT

wrap1.JPG

wrap2.JPG

wrap3.JPG

it doesn't even snow here but that wrap looks like something a coon ass needs to have!

[REPETE]

I wonder if drier sheets and/or mothballs would ward off otters looking to make a den in a covered boat kept on the water?

The theory is that mothballs fool animals into thinking another animal already lives there so they avoid the area.

[teecro]

I wonder if drier sheets and/or mothballs would ward off otters looking to make a den in a covered boat kept on the water?

The theory is that mothballs fool animals into thinking another animal already lives there so they avoid the area.

Both ideas seem to work well with keeping mice out of motorcycless stored in sheds for the winter.

[ROLAND]

how much on average does getting your toon shrink wrapped cost? and ( i know this sounds like a stupid question ) where would I go to get it done? I'm assuming most boat dealerships, but the place I bought my boat from has since gone out of business...

[pond tuuunes]

I paid $8 per ft, $220. Alot of dealers do it, i called a moble marine service. JT

[REPETE]

how much on average does getting your toon shrink wrapped cost? and ( i know this sounds like a stupid question ) where would I go to get it done? I'm assuming most boat dealerships, but the place I bought my boat from has since gone out of business...

Prices range greatly depending on where you are and how much competition there is. I have mine done by the place that services my boat. One quick comment, don't be afraid to really bust their balls with questions. I've learned that it really helps to keep these guys on their toes. Let them know you will be checking out the shrink wrap job and in the Spring you'll be looking for any issues.

The first year I had it done the wife and I spent a day cleaning the toon. It was showroom clean. Took the wrap off in Spring and there were giant mud foot prints in the carpet! One year they forgot to put a piece of carpet under the support beam and the beam actually ripped the carpet! Just little stuff like that can really suck. The guy I take it to now knows he better take care of my baby or I'll be on him in Spring.