Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Last night a nice storm came in. Ripped my cover to shreds. There is no salvaging it this time. Right now I have one of those snap on ones, I guess they are custom made for each boat. Im wanting to get away from that. What do ya'll recommend?
thx

I would suggest you take a look at the covers at pontoonstuff.com They've got generic covers, but if I'm remembering correctly they have different tiers of covers for different size boats.. kind of a good, better, best thing... you can also get them in various colors. I think the most expensive one they have is around 300 bucks... wont hurt to take a look. also, these covers come all the way down over the rub rail so your entire boat is covered..

I just bought the Pontoonstuff premium cover for my 18' Landau. But, Caution, I bought the 16'-18' cover and it barely fit with a lot of work, so I returned it for the 20'-22' that worked great. It's a very good 8.8 oz, 600 denier premium marine grade polyester fabric. The tie downs are solid and long enough. You of course will need to work out your tent poles to keep the rain from puddling. So, way cheaper than a custom cover, but more expensive than the junk from amazon and such. Spend the extra hundred and get a decent cover from Pontoonstuff. Just my two cents.

I love my ps cover Warrantied for 3 years. Tip.... the higher your poles the better!

Go custom, and get a reputable shop to do it. I know, you're going to pay for it, but look at it this way. In my case, a UV resistant, ultra light weight full ventilated cover which cost $1,200 is way cheaper than new interior, since I don't yet have a garage to put my boat into. We've had the cover for a year now, and it still looks brand new, is about 30 lbs lighter than the original one, is color matched to my interior, and is rated to tow with up to 70 mph (you need to include the head-wind in that speed though). I can post up some pictures if you're interested, but honestly, unless you're going to drive here to have it made, they won't do you a lot of good. Just look in your area for an awning shop. Much cheaper than a "boat shop" or "upholstery shop" and they still have all the right materials and equipment to get the job done. I couldn't be happier with ours.

I went with a taylor made playpen cover from wholesale marine. I wanted to use it for a mooring cover while it's docked. I put eye hooks through the deck around the edge where the straps are to make it easier to hook up while on the water. Three support poles with the vented covers. So far it's working well but it's only been a week. Was about $200 so I can't complain.

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.

I've got a cover over a cover.

Capn Sully, that's the set up I would like to have.

Yep Capt Sulley that's how I keep mine. Cover and under the shelter that keeps critters out of the toon cause it covered and keeps the cover protected being under the shelter.

How absolutely stupid is it that cover mfrs catalog their wares by year/make/model?
Pontoon boats are mostly the same--rectangle deck with a rectangle playpen L x W x H. If they made them to DIMENSIONS rather than specific models--OR AT LEAST COULD CROSS-REFERENCE TO DIMENSIONS--they would find many more sales to owners of OTHER brands that are not on their list.

My rant for the day. It's just nuts trying to find something that fits better than a "one size fits all" that looks like a bedsheet.

I agree. I spent $500 on a semi custom cover and when it came in, the tag said it was a pontoon cover for 19'6" - 21'6" boats. How is that considered semi custom? My boat is just over 19', so it looked like a loose fitting bag over it. I had 3 poles in it extended all the way up to 60" and it was still baggy. I could have used it for a tent and lived in it. Sent it back. Bought the playpen cover instead for $200. The measurements were a closer match for my boat.

Again, I know I paid for it, but I couldn't be happier with how perfectly our new (1 year old) cover fits our boat. Color matched, light weight, and 100% waterproof. Oh, and it's got built in UV protection (although I still have treated it with 303 to be safe). The wind has come up above 50 mph at times, and the cover still fits tight as a nice sock.
I think you get what you pay for sometimes, and since I don't have a nice carport to put over it right now, I went with a cover that's going to last as long as the factory one did (11 years).

[quote="GXPWeasel"]Again, I know I paid for it, but I couldn't be happier with how perfectly our new (1 year old) cover fits our boat. Color matched, light weight, and 100% waterproof. Oh, and it's got built in UV protection (although I still have treated it with 303 to be safe). The wind has come up above 50 mph at times, and the cover still fits tight as a nice sock.
I think you get what you pay for sometimes, and since I don't have a nice carport to put over it right now, I went with a cover that's going to last as long as the factory one did (11 years).[/quote]

If it's waterproof, then how does it breathe to prevent mold from forming?

[quote="taylorjm"]
If it's waterproof, then how does it breathe to prevent mold from forming?[/quote]
That's a whole nuther topic right there. Gore-Tex I understand how it sheds water but still breathes... But urethsne--coated polyester is a cheap raincoat that DOESN'T breathe.

I'm not looking to cheap--out on a cover. I want one "off the rack" that fits right and I'm prepared to pay several hundred for it.