Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hello all
I am looking for recomendations for a Travel Cover as I take my pontoon on vacation twice a year and need a travel cover.

Thanks for your help
Mark Richards
2015 Starcraft SLS3 250 Yamaha
2005 Dodge Ram Quad Cab

following, didn't know there was a difference. I'll be pulling mine to different places too.

Here are a few threads related to towing with your cover on. Some do, some don't. Some say do it, some say don't do it. Many cover manufacturers will advise against it but some would argue they are just covering their butt.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11169

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4746

hypnoj wrote:following, didn't know there was a difference. I'll be pulling mine to different places too.

The main difference is a towable cover must have a series of straps that go under the boat and attach either to the trailer or to each other. This is a safety precaution so there is no way the cover could fly off and possible block the windshield of a vehicle behind you.

I posted up pics of mine in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20984

There are several posts in the thread.

There are really no such things as travel covers for pontoons. Mooring covers often come with the boat, however they probably will not stay on at highway speeds--and a OEM replacement will cost you as much as $1,500 if they blow off the boat.

Pontoons are very unaerodynamic boats when they're being towed on a trailer, as they're very square and high off the ground. A cover would make'em even less aerodynamic. Just tow'em as they are.

Mark.. check out the covers on pontoonstuff.com I seem to remember reading that you can tow with them on.... plus you get a 10% discount for being a member of this forum.

I trailer mine naked, gates open. #1 reason.... Fuel economy. Let the wind blow right through. I bought a custom trailering cover for my old Manitou. It didn't make it 15 miles out of town. The boat pulled terrible and the truck used more gas in those 15 miles than it would have in 50. #2, I have had them come off my previous boats on the highway. One blew off of a buddies 38' Baja and got destroyed by a semi and several cars behind it had to pull over to get around it. A lot of different comments will come out of this discussion, but these are my thoughts. I was towing 10 to 15,000 miles a year between home and Lake of the Ozarks, and found towing them naked is the best way to do it.....for me, anyway.

I've trailered ours naked a few times. God help me get the Sex bugs off the seats!! Trailered a number of times with the mooring/playpen cover on even though I was told not to do it. The way ours comes over the front and is snapped in place, I've not had many worries.

Drago wrote:I've trailered ours naked a few times. God help me get the Sex bugs off the seats!! Trailered a number of times with the mooring/playpen cover on even though I was told not to do it. The way ours comes over the front and is snapped in place, I've not had many worries.

Have you noticed much different in towing with the cover on?

I've not really but I have not kept a log. What with all the variances of wind directions, hills, and speeds, make it difficult to know what is best Our diesel 4x4 F250 gets about 14mpg average around town and that usually drops to around 10mpg when pulling the boat long distances, the most distant pull has been several trips to Navarre Florida and a few to Lake Travis north of Austin.

Bamaman wrote:There are really no such things as travel covers for pontoons.

Incorrect.
A properly made towing cover works great. I love mine.