Custom cover worth it?

[bigpike]

I just bought a new boat - a smokercraft pro angler 172. Is a custom canvas cover worth the extra money? I was quoted around $600 for one through the dealer using a local canvas shop. I was going to call around myself too but wanted to get some opinions here. Thanks.

[Ufatz]

I suppose it depends on WHO is making the cover. If the dealer say's $600 you can figure they are paying $300 for it. Or less. I had a fancy custom cover and it fell apart in couple season. Bought one from Cabela's for $150 that was nicer right out of the box and I have a couple years on it. Still looks new.

Just my experience but don't sell the Cabela covers short.

[boatfixer]

I beleive it is. A custom, perfect fitting cover will have less chance of excess movement causing rub marks. Custom covers will also have the reinforcment excactly in the areas that are needed and "one size fits all" covers will have it in the "general" area.

I have seen many times where "close enough" covers have worked well but if you've got the money, a custom cover is worth it IMO.

If you decide not to go the custom route, ask other owners, the dealer, etc which cover has worked well for that particular boat.

[boatfixer]

I agree with ufatz. Take a good look at the craftsmanship of the shop doing the work. Though I dont know what the mark up will be. I dont believe we ever doubled it up.

[gregg52]

depends on how you plan to use it i think to

if your going to travel a lot with it i would do like boatfixer said

get it as tight as you can or it wont last long at all

i dont always have mine on when I travel one reason right now is one of the buckle's broke but i still use it alot like up at the RV just throw it over

the boat at night in case it rains keeps everything dry and all the junk from the tress blowing in it etc etc

then you can get by with a cabela's or generic one

[Jim Almquist]

I just bought a new boat - a smokercraft pro angler 172. Is a custom canvas cover worth the extra money? I was quoted around $600 for one through the dealer using a local canvas shop. I was going to call around myself too but wanted to get some opinions here. Thanks.

Make sure to give Canvas Craft a call. They did a great job on all of the covers that I have seen.

[waterwolff]

I am with boatfixer on this.I have a Top Gun snap on tarp and absolutely love it I can have it on in under 10 minutes by myself. A custom fit will cause you far less abrasion issues. You have just made a significant investment so you might as well protect it. If I am just day tripping it I never tarp the boat but if I will be stopping along the way, say at a restaurant or on a extended stay I always like to tarp it just to keep the honest-- honest. I know it is more of a symbolic deterrent than oh maybe a Rottweiler chained to the tongue but out of sight out of mind.

MR

[walleyewild]

I know it is more of a symbolic deterrent than oh maybe a Rottweiler chained to the tongue but out of sight out of mind.

MR

I don't chain mine to the tongue but she does make a great deterent at 125#

just has to be in the back of the truck.

I have a snap on travel cover on my Lund and it was worth every penny.

I get better mileage towing with the cover on then off so I always put the cover on, also it is piece of mind while towing that nothing will blow out of the boat and it does keep the honest people honest.

WW

[harvey lee]

I have a snap cover for my Lund and it's been on fore 4 years and it still looks great.

I would get one for all the reasons stated above.

[gregg52]

i was going to get a snap on once but a guy told me (actually the salesman) he didnt like all the buttons his lines got caught on them when fishing and just didnt care for the snaps

now that was yrs ago so maybe they mount them different now days

just a thought

i'm sure the guys here with them will chime in on that

[harvey lee]

In 4 years I have never had a line hung up on a snap button. I also do alot of trolling and lindy rigging.

[Ruegs23]

I bought a 2000 Crestliner this last summer. It had no cover with it, so I went to Crestliner direct. They did not have the pattern anymore, but gave me a local guy who could do one up. My boat had the snaps on it already and the guy made me the cover with snaps for $350. He built it to go over the bow mount trolling motor and the single counsel windshield. Fits very tight and can put on myself in 10 minutes. The customer service guy at Crestliner told me this guys covers will last longer than the original Crestliner covers. Jury is still out on this. I looked around online before I bought this one and the price was comparable and he custome fit makes it worthwhile to me.

[SkunkedAgain]

gregg52 hit it on the head. It depends on how you plan to use and store your boat.

If you store your boat primarily in a garage or under a boat lift, then a cover is likely not needed. If it sits out in the open on the water in between uses, then a cover would keep out the leaves and needles.

As for towing, some will swear that it improves mileage and others will swear that it doesn't. My personal experience is that the improvement is hard to notice, so $600 doesn't justify the gas savings. If you don't get a tight-fitting custom cover, you'll have a "sail" effect and will actually lose mileage.

Lastly, the rain/security issue while towing. Some people like to keep all of their gear dry or hidden while towing their boats. We use dry bags and never worry about the boat carpet being wet. You may want a cover to keep your gear hidden while parked at a restaurant or gas pump. When arriving at the boat landing, I prefer not to have the hassle of removing a cover or storing a wet one in my truck bed all week/weekend.

My boat is in my garage 98% of the summer except when in use or being towed, so I don't use a cover. I actually bought the factory custom cover with my boat but never use it except in the winter, where I use the custom cover with a tarp over that to keep the snow off since I park it outside for the winter. For me, buying a custom cover was a regrettable expense but that's based on the way that I use/store/tow my boat.

Hopefully that helps your decision making.

[gregg52]

gas mileage

lol

yukon xl 20 ft boat 150 hp motor

the last thing i watch much or even care to think about is mileage..lol

cover..no cover..splash gaurds on..off

its kinda like beer and booze you need it so you buy it...lol

but if you just bought a new boat 600 for a cover to keep it nice isnt bad

if you have a wood floor you need to keep it dry as best you can

but a cover can be a draw back to that to cuz it wont dry out under

a cover

all kinds of pros and cons

everybody has different ideas

[goose89]

Good points made by all, for and neutral.

I'm very "pro" custom snap covers for traveling and security reasons previously mentioned.

Another, even more "important" reason I will always have one, is that the buyers of my last two boats stated they loved the ad pix of the boat with the cover, and where very impressed when they saw the tarp and it's custom fit, as well as how easy it was to put on and take off when shown a couple of tricks.

[bigpike]

Thanks for all the input. I will likely trailer it quite a bit. I am leaning towards a strap style due to being told that the back side of the snaps would show on the inside of the gunnels. I have found a cover online made by Trailerite that is supposed to be custom fit. It is 60/40 poly cotton. It supposedly even has allowed for the bow trolling motor. Anybody seen these? Guessing similar to the cabelas version mentioned above.

[swamptiger]

The polyester/cotton covers won't hold up as well as an all polyester cover for trailering, (get the heavier weight) and as has been stated, it's important to have a good fit - especially for trailering. $400 - $500 for a custom cover to protect a $20,000 investment is money well spent, IMOP. $600 seems a little high priced for a 17' boat.

[lucky]

I think a cover is a good investment. I have a custom one one that was made for my boat. It has extra material for all the important areas motor, splash guards, cleats, and trolling motors. It keeps the water out when i store it outside. The only thing i can complain about would be that the underside gets mold on it from the inside of being covered wet. good luck!

[Larson15]

I definitely think a custom cover is the way to go. If you some shopping around I think you can get some better prices.

[Northlander]

My next cover will be a custom snap on cover from Proctor Canvas or Canvas Craft.

[reinhard1]

my snap on custom cover came with my chrestliner when i bought it back in 2001 and i still have it today. one thing i do is once in a while i squirt a little wd40 on the snaps on the boat so they are easy to take on and off. the cover also streamlines your boat when traveling for less wind drag. it is getting a little worn and it wont be long and i will have to get another. good luck.

[Palerider77]

We have on form canvas craft, works great looks great. I use it on longer trips and it is an easy on easy off routine.

[Genofish]

Where did you get the cover made?

[mww24]

Just make sure you take care of the cover to. My buddy always left his rolled up soaking wet and it got pretty bad pretty quick.

[pulleye16]

I love my big "c" Ratchet Lok Boat Cover...I got mine for less then half off and I believe there on sale again...for quit abit off!

I could never justify spending to much on a boat cover as my soul purpose was to keep items secure while trailering. I store it in a garage. The cover mentioned above is very fast and easy to put on and take off (unlike snap covers)and trailers very well! (and it gives me piece of mind while camping or stopping to get bait/groceries).