I have a 2000 Nacra 5.5 SL, wondering what your take is on boat covers. Is it worth it to spend $800+ on a cover for a $2000 boat? Any cheaper alternatives you guys have used? I haven't found anyplace online that sells one labeled Nacra 5.5, guessing a hobie 18 would probably work or maybe look at something custom. Same goes for dagger board and rudder covers. So far I've just wrapped them up in a moving blanket and put them in the sail box. Seems to work ok and it's cheap. I'm getting ready to compound the hulls to make it look a little newer and don't want to do all that work for it to just go dull in 6 months from the south texas sun.

the problem with covers is they trap in moisture - this can be really bad for the gelcoat over time

I would recommend heavy duty tarps

I like to anchor the tarp with stakes and keep it tented over the boat so the grommets are away from the boat so they don't smack the heck out of the paint/gelcoat in a gust - at the least i use tape overthem to soften the blow

regular (even heavy duty) tarps only last 6-8 months here in the florida sun = you may want to look into pvc tarps but they are muchmore expensive

I use a tarp that has line around the perimeter. I wrap a small b section of the line around each corner of my cat trailor. This works very well and it allows air to flow from the bow and stern of the boat.

--
Frank
Prindle 15/Hobie 16/Hobie 14T
--

Anyone wrangle a tarp with the mast up? Wondering if you could cut the tarp and duct tape the seams or something so they don't fray too much, but thats probably more work than its worth. Really just looking to keep the sun and some of the salt spray off.

I have great luck with a high quality 20'x12' silver or white tarp with reinforced grommets. Costs about $40 and lasts me 1-2 seasons in the Hawaiian sun. Use bungees or parachute cord to tie it down.

They can be cut to fit like a glove with the mast up. The rudders still need their own covers.

When you cut it, use 2 people and try to preserve all the grommets on the outer edges. You can then add grommets (with reinforced tarp material) to the trimmed inside sections that cover the bows. Yes, you can add gorilla tape to the ends and edges of your slits, as a rip-stop measure. Some folks also add small drainage slits where water tends to pond over the tramp.

If you don't sail every week, watch out for critters and stinging insects that like to nest under there. They know a good cover when they see one.

--
Prindle 18
96734
--

I was thinking of making my own fabric tarp. I started out by making one out of a $20 harbor freight tarp and, well I got no further.....
I basically laid the tarp on the boat trimmed it to fit, took it into the house to sew/hem, brought it back to the boat, back in the house, back to the boat..... you get the idea. I now have a tarp that fits nicely over the bows, covers the tramp and hulls and wraps around the stern. It is shaped like the fancy $800 covers, cost me maybe $30 and a few afternoons of work.
It's time to make another one and I think I will just get a new tarp, forget about making a fabric one, and copy what I have now.

My Tiger came with a really nice sunbrella (I think?) cover... I think it is built to fit both a number of F18 boats, as fit is not quite perfect, but is really close. I never could identify its manufacturer.

It has a couple of rips around the shrouds, but otherwise is quite nice. I need to reinforce the rips, but otherwise this should do pretty well... I have thought about copying aspects of it for my H18, but am likely to just rock the tarp as others have done. As noted, pad the grommets, for sure.

We don't get much moisture out here in CA, but using a fan underneath after a rainstorm makes some sense... or just flipping up the tarp to dry, and then flipping it back down for storage.

Randii

If you are doing on the beach storage, make sure you secure it super tight for no flapping. It will drive beach goers crazy listening to it flap away in the breeze

I got the tarp last weekend I'll try to post photos when I get done. Went with the 20x14 since the next smaller size was 20x11 which would have left a good chunk of the hulls open. I was planning on just using grommets and gorilla tape to do the seams, does that sound good, not sure how sewing the tarp would work.

Yup.



--
Prindle 18
96734
--