Factory Boat Cover longevity

[2ndtimearound 7]

I'm curious how long the factory boat cover lasts.  My boat sits out about 5 months, 2 of those months are very wet via rain and 3 pretty good sunny months.   The canvas boat cover on my previous boat lasted 19 years before it dissolved.   It should have been replaced about 5 years sooner but I kept patching and gluing it back together. 

The V226 cover doesn't seem as thick or durable and is much bigger and different material than the last one so I'm wondering roughly how many years on average these things last.

 

 

 

[InfinitySurf 302]

All depends on how well you take care of it...sitting outside will reduce the time it will stay good, but there are a few things you can do to extend the life. In Spring, I always wash my cover really well by soaking in bathtub in really hot water and use Starbrite mildew remover. I let it sit for half day and agitate the cover every 20mins or so....then I use the 303 water proofing (buy both on Amazon...and get the water proofing in 1 gallon since you will use that much). Once soaked and cleaned (and some people take theirs to commerical size washing machine rather than what I do). I take the cover outside and stretch it over some ladders and trash bins and spray it down really well with hose. 

Once cover is really dry I use a flatbed trailer and lay the cover on it, I pour the water proofing solution into a good "commercial duty" hand spray bottle (got at Home Depot) and meticulously go over entire thing doing 2x2 section at a time, I spray on the solution in X pattern and then use a thin foam roller to get it to soak in really well. Once I have treated the entire thing, I do it a 2nd time. Again, I use an entire gallon. Once done, it sheds water like off ducks back and looks brand new. FYI...I also do the same treatments to my bimini and bimini cover at same time. Mine is a 2014 and still in perfect shape, however I store under roof so I dont use the cover on regular basis like you but would think if you do that every year, you should be able to get over 5yrs out of the cover pretty easy....really thinking more like 8-10 years if when you have it "parked" and not using it you cover the entire boat/tower with a big heavy duty tarp as well. Sun damage/UV rays probably decrease the life the most...tarp will also protect your tower and also the gelcoat on sides of the boat since UV will also harm those and make it look aged a lot faster.

[Darkside 248]

Best advice, don't order factory cover! Evolution is same price and significantly better quality.  

[Race City Marine 60]

23 hours ago, Darkside said:

Best advice, don't order factory cover! Evolution is same price and significantly better quality.  

Ha, I got an evolution cover and it literally lasted me THREE DAYS on my S238. Upon first rain it filled up with so much water, the tower loop ripped and then it ripped at the posts around the towers. He blamed user error...umm, like leaving the cover out in the rain?? This wasn't my first evo cover either. The cover needs poles, which make it no better than the factory cover. He was supposed to fix it, but that didn't happen, and then he was supposed to make it fit my new boat, which didn't happen. I gave up as I only have so much time to follow up with him. Three days it lasted and it was $1000. 

It's a great cover if you park on an uphill incline, raise the tongue all the way up, use the poles and never have to leave it at a dealership where someone else might have to put the cover on.

Stick with OEM.

[Darkside 248]

Exact opposite experience.  I tow 4000 miles AZ to TN and back.  No issues, fits like a glove, no poles, etc.  Ri257, template was off slightly on first revision, sent back, had it back within a week.    Awesome customer service, product works as advertised.  Not a single chaffe in the gel, after literally thousands of miles towing, through torrential rains, etc.  

Evo covers are fantastic, read any forum, malibu, Nautique doesn't matter, evo covers are awesome!  

Not surprised a dealer recommends OEM though....

[CO Surfer 289]

I have no experience with the Evo cover but I've been very happy with my OEM cover.  Just as an FYI, I have an aftermarket bimini so I'm not wedded to OEM everything.

[Race City Marine 60]

On 9/25/2017 at 0:48 AM, Darkside said:

Exact opposite experience.  I tow 4000 miles AZ to TN and back.  No issues, fits like a glove, no poles, etc.  Ri257, template was off slightly on first revision, sent back, had it back within a week.    Awesome customer service, product works as advertised.  Not a single chaffe in the gel, after literally thousands of miles towing, through torrential rains, etc.  

Evo covers are fantastic, read any forum, malibu, Nautique doesn't matter, evo covers are awesome!  

Not surprised a dealer recommends OEM though....

LOL, I'd call me "outside sales". Yea, I had one before and it was great, except for the water pooling. I'd stretch it so tight as to the point a couple threads in the nose popped one time. I didn't expect this one to self destruct if left out in the rain. He also said leaving my bimini up was bad for it. Well, c'mon. I'm just bitter I basically flushed 1K down the toilet.

[2ndtimearound 7]

Thanks for the replies.  I take care of the covers similar to InfinitySurf but not to that extreme.  I clean it and spray waterproofing on it.   My boat sits out on a boat lift in the sun/wind/downpours as we aren't allowed to have boat lift covers.   I tent the cover and it does a pretty good job of not pooling up as long as I make sure it's tented properly.  I cheat and throw an old fat sac seat filled with air in the front instead of messing with the pole up there.  That works really well. 

So for insurance sake I was able to find a brand new/unused factory cover yesterday for $280 complete with poles.  I figured it's cheap insurance in case something happens to my current cover while the boat is sitting on the lake.   My buddy ordered a "custom cover" and it took weeks and when he received the cover it didn't fit right and he had to send it back.   Unfortunately this happened during a bunch of storms so he was not a happy camper.   

If my current cover lasts 4-5 years more I'll have a replacement that should last another 5-7.  

 

[2ndtimearound 7]

So I received the new cover.  Anybody know how the pole support strapping system is supposed to work?  No instructions in the box and I don't know what all these straps are supposed to hook to.  Anybody?

[InfinitySurf 302]

Do you have the 3 poles....with straps connecting them all. Then 2 buckle straps come off front and back poles?

If so...front straps go to bars on bow (or maybe the bouy hooks if you dont have bars/handles on front)...strap between bow pole and cabin pole go UNDER windshield glass....the 2 rear straps I connect to my rear bouy hooks. Tighten all straps so poles are level, then pull cover over it all. This is how my system works anyway

[Race City Marine 60]

Should be two poles on that boat. Ones with white straps go in front, black in the back. Strap goes over the windshield.

[CO Surfer 289]

What RCM wrote.  Pole with white straps in the bow; pole with black straps out back.  Strap in between the two poles definitely over the walk through glass after closing it.

[Dieselbreath 8]

Any over the tower cover recommendations?