CONTINUOUSWAVE

I'm about to have a cover made for my Divemaster 17 (a version of Guardian), which I store on the trailer under a carport. I was thinking of a tight-fitting Sunbrella fabric cover that goes over the pulpit, console and railings, and on the bottom cinches at the rub rail all the way around. I'm hoping for something that's fairly tight, wrinkle free and doesn't need straps. I've considered having the engine cover as a separate piece. I would not tow the boat with the cover on.

Does anybody out there have designs, features or ideas that I should think about before starting the project?

I have an 1987 Outrage 18. The previous owner had a very nice custom cover made of Sunbrella. The cover fits snug over rails and console. There are snaps under the gunwale about every 6 or 8-inches with a plastic stiffener sewn into the hem around the snaps. No straps or cords. I have towed the boat with the cover on a few times a year for 12-years at 60-MPH with no problems.

Con

On classic Boston Whaler boat hulls, the gunwales overhang the hull sides by at least a half-inch. There is a very specific brass fitting that will fit on the underside of that gunwale overhang, and create a curved hook to capture and retain the line running around the perimeter of a boat cover. This line is sewn into the cover, but the cover has gaps where the line emerges and passes over the under-gunwale hooks. This provides a very unobtrusive way to attach the edges of the cockpit cover to the gunwales. The sewn-in line can then be tensioned, usually at the stern end of the cover, to really hold the cover in place.

I think the generic name for this fitting is a hammock hook. See

http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Dog-671460-1- ... B001HBSTWM

Covers are always an interesting topic. Is your Divemaster a commercial version of the Montauk? If so, you can almost certainly find a semi-custom cover made by Carver. I'm not sure what you mean by the "pulpit". Does your boat have a bow pulpit for anchor storage? If there is an actual pulpit that extends forward from the bow a Carver cover may not be available.

I've owned four Carver covers since 1999. All have been excellent covers and worn well. One was replaced under warranty which is a declining value warranty. Three covers have been of Sunbrella and one of Sundura (a less expensive lighter material recommended for damp, hot climates). I prefer the Sunbrella for it's color fastness and the Sundura for it's lighter weight. For a 17 foot boat the weight of the Sunbrella vs the Sundura is inconsequential.

The fit is as good as a many custom covers I've seen and better than some. For the price I feel they are unbeatable.

Several colors are available. I've owned dark blue, white and red covers and I believe the red shows dirt the least and looks the best on a Boston Whaler.

Cover mounting when storing a boat on a trailer is very easy with a Carver cover. There are loops all around the cover perimeter sown into the edge hem which is very robust. The covers include a set of tie-down straps with friction buckles that go through the loops and then wrap around the trailer rails. The straps will stretch a little when first used but are easily snugged up by a tug on the end of the strap. The straps are designed to be secured to the loops and remain on the cover when it is removed. That way the straps never need readjustment. If you choose a Carver cover order a second set of straps as one set is not quite enough. On my covers I cut the straps after a few weeks to eliminate any excess material hanging down. I leave about an eight inch tail. It's nice not to have to add snaps or hooks to your boat to use a cover.

Carver covers are trailerable and I trailer our boats often with the cover in place. Never a problem but it's a nice option in case you ever choose to travel with your boat. The web site is http://www.cavercovers.com but I recommend a telephone call to for any questions you may have.

Thanks for the input. I think I'll need a custom cover because the Divemaster has an atypical console position and some extra railings near the stern (see post entitled DIVEMASTER 17 in the GAM section for photos). I also have a mounted ladder that will be complicate the design. Therefore, I don't think a semi-custom cover designed for a Montauk would work.

I like the snap and hammock hook ideas and I'll look into those, although I think the rub rail around the gunwale might be big enough that a cinch beneath would be enough without the other fasteners. Maybe I'll have the gaps built into the cover at intervals around the cinch line and then decide later if the hooks are necessary.

I never considered towing with a cover on -- at least at freeway speeds -- so it's interesting to hear that people do it without problems.

Thanks again.

Butch
I agree with your statement as for a semi custom cover the quality is good and it fits great even when trailering @ 70 mph.
I don't agree with the Cave(r) website (--I laugh aloud--) but the link below will work for anybody interested.
http://www.carvercovers.com

Thanks for fixing my typo. I had to look three times before catching my error.