My biggest project so far...

[KevinC]

So after a year of waiting, I finally got to install my largest project to date...



The project shown above is a full winter cover that I made for my 2004 340 Sundancer. I have always been more of a cover person than shrink wrap. So, now in a sea of white wrapped boats there stands a grey covered Sea Ray.

I commented that this was after a year of waiting. The story behind this is that while I rushed last winter to get the cover completed when I went to the marina to install it I found my boat was already wrapped. The marina must have wrapped the wrong boat as there are a couple of 340SDA stored there. So, not wanting to remove the wrap I waited until this year.

So this becomes my "largest" custom project for Cove Marine to date!

-Kevin

 

[Sublimetime]

Excellent work---looks awesome. Should last U for years.

 

[spikedaddy99]

Looks great. Are you worried about snow building up on it, or will it slide off easily like the plastic wrap?

 

[Stee6043]

That looks really sharp. Nice work! I'm curious - how much does that sucker weigh (the cover)???

 

[KevinC]

Excellent work---looks awesome. Should last U for years.

Hopefully it will. All seams are semi-flat felled (two stitches) and we used Tenara lifetime thread!

-Kevin

 

[KevinC]

Looks great. Are you worried about snow building up on it, or will it slide off easily like the plastic wrap?

I built a support structure underneath similar to how shrink wrap would be supported. As far as the material I used TopGun which is a coated polyester material and very slippery so the snow should fall right off.

-Kevin

 

[KevinC]

That looks really sharp. Nice work! I'm curious - how much does that sucker weigh (the cover)???

I have not specifically weighed the cover but I am guessing it is around 65 lbs total. I also made a carry/storage bag for it so that it is relatively easy for two people to carry.

This material was way over kill (an 11oz fabric) and if I would do it again (and I have the templates) would look at the TopGun9 which is lighter. There are a couple of other fabrics that I would entertain in the 7oz range.

-Kevin

 

[Tomco]

Nicely done! if you want to try your hand at a bridge boat I'll volunteer!

What do you think it cost you ($$ and hrs) for the cover? We are heading to the Toronto Boat show this coming weekend and I have marked a couple supplier to have this conversation with. Would prefer to have a re-usable cover vs the non-recyclable shrink wrap.

You mentioned using a lighter material. For an area like ours (Ottawa) that is somewhat colder and prone to more snow than Long Island, what weight would you go with?

 

[b_arrington]

Wow, nice job.

I don't particularly like using shrink wrap. I did it a couple times with my 270 AJ. But in additional to the waste, the wrap guy sometimes didn't show until late December. I wound up making a reusable frame out of 2x4 lumber, then covered with a big tarp.

My current boat really doesn't lend itself to the tarp method. For this winter I used shrink wrap. I looked into getting a custom cover for my current boat and got an estimate of $4000, which is a 5-year break-even vs. shrink wrap.

My wife wonders where we could store the cover too. How big is it when folded up?

 

[KevinC]

Wow, nice job.

I don't particularly like using shrink wrap. I did it a couple times with my 270 AJ. But in additional to the waste, the wrap guy sometimes didn't show until late December. I wound up making a reusable frame out of 2x4 lumber, then covered with a big tarp.

My current boat really doesn't lend itself to the tarp method. For this winter I used shrink wrap. I looked into getting a custom cover for my current boat and got an estimate of $4000, which is a 5-year break-even vs. shrink wrap.

My wife wonders where we could store the cover too. How big is it when folded up?

The quote of $4000 is right in the ballpark. There is a lot of materials involved and quite a bit of labor to create a proper fitting cover.

As far as storage goes... if you fold my cover properly it an be stored in the storage bag I made that is approx 2' x 5' and maybe 6-8 inches when compressed. This is a picture of the cover in the bag.



-Kevin

 

[KevinC]

Nicely done! if you want to try your hand at a bridge boat I'll volunteer!

What do you think it cost you ($$ and hrs) for the cover? We are heading to the Toronto Boat show this coming weekend and I have marked a couple supplier to have this conversation with. Would prefer to have a re-usable cover vs the non-recyclable shrink wrap.

You mentioned using a lighter material. For an area like ours (Ottawa) that is somewhat colder and prone to more snow than Long Island, what weight would you go with?

I would be happy to look at your boat. Just make arrangements to get it me in Long Island NY for next summer .

Cost of materials for my cover would be around US$1000. I used about 75-80 yds of Top Gun fabric which is put up on 62" rolls. It was sewn with Tenara thread which is about $140/spool (I did not use it all and have plenty left over). Plus misc supplies like webbing, rope and a ratchet for the belt loop, grommets, etc.

If you really are looking for a winter cover for a bridge boat you will probably want to look into a multi part cover that would zipper together. It would help with the handling and the overall weight.

Time wise was hard to gauge as I did not work on it non-stop but would estimate between 40 and 50 hours min for cutting and sewing. As the cover got pieced together and grew in size I would have to sew and the shift the bulk of the canvas. Near the end it was helpful to have a second set of hands that could do that when sewing. Keep in mind that each seam was stitched twice as part of the semi flat felled seam.

As far as other materials. On my 260DA cover (which I was able to purchase from an exact fit template) the material was 7.5oz Sharkskin which I liked alot and would have reduced the overall weight. There is also a product called Odyssey that is a 6.5oz coated polyester fabric that I would not mind trying out - at least on a smaller project.

For the record I was able to justify this project based on the fact that materials cost was less than a 2 year back - so this year I am coming out ahead. It also felt it would be a good marketing piece. I did have a conversation with another member and based on his local rates to wrap a boat he was looking at a 10 year payback for a retail priced cover (3.5K-4.0K) which we agreed may not be justified. So each case needs to be evaluated on its merits.

-Kevin

 

[Stee6043]

I would be happy to look at your boat. Just make arrangements to get it me in Long Island NY for next summer .

Cost of materials for my cover would be around US$1000. I used about 75-80 yds of Top Gun fabric which is put up on 62" rolls. It was sewn with Tenara thread which is about $140/spool (I did not use it all and have plenty left over). Plus misc supplies like webbing, rope and a ratchet for the belt loop, grommets, etc.

If you really are looking for a winter cover for a bridge boat you will probably want to look into a multi part cover that would zipper together. It would help with the handling and the overall weight.

Time wise was hard to gauge as I did not work on it non-stop but would estimate between 40 and 50 hours min for cutting and sewing. As the cover got pieced together and grew in size I would have to sew and the shift the bulk of the canvas. Near the end it was helpful to have a second set of hands that could do that when sewing. Keep in mind that each seam was stitched twice as part of the semi flat felled seam.

As far as other materials. On my 260DA cover (which I was able to purchase from an exact fit template) the material was 7.5oz Sharkskin which I liked alot and would have reduced the overall weight. There is also a product called Odyssey that is a 6.5oz coated polyester fabric that I would not mind trying out - at least on a smaller project.

For the record I was able to justify this project based on the fact that materials cost was less than a 2 year back - so this year I am coming out ahead. It also felt it would be a good marketing piece. I did have a conversation with another member and based on his local rates to wrap a boat he was looking at a 10 year payback for a retail priced cover (3.5K-4.0K) which we agreed may not be justified. So each case needs to be evaluated on its merits.

-Kevin

Outstanding explanation. Were you sewing this on some hardcore sewing machine? I'm trying to imagine how you would pull that much material through a typical machine? Didn't you always have 60" rolled up on the inside of the machine? Insanity.

Really cool project. I bet you're the talk of the storage yard

 

[Tomco]

Kevin, thanks for taking the time for such a detailed response. Agree that the individual case needs to be taken into account. I'm getting some base information for now to assess how viable it might be and your input is very helpful.

/Tom
PS. Wouldn't you like a trip to the Thousand Islands? although a trip to Long Island would be neat as well.

 

[KevinC]

Outstanding explanation. Were you sewing this on some hardcore sewing machine? I'm trying to imagine how you would pull that much material through a typical machine? Didn't you always have 60" rolled up on the inside of the machine? Insanity.

Really cool project. I bet you're the talk of the storage yard

The sewing was constructed from the center out so that I was always attaching smaller pieces. Those pieces were rolled, clipped, held and passed through the arm of the sewing machine. It was a lot of work. To be somewhat honest a lot of this project was taken on for personal reasons - mainly the admiral thought I was crazy so I had to prove otherwise.

This was actually done on my Sailrite LSZ-1 which I use extensively. Since that time I have added some additional equipment and my LSZ-1 is now more or less dedicated to field work because of it's portability. It's not that I did not like it any more - I still love it but I got tired of breaking it down to take out of the office and then setup again. I will still use it in house when a second machine is handy to have otherwise you will see it out on the docks.

My other equipment includes a compound feed machine (both needle and feet move) and a double needle machine (two needles and threads at one time to handle those fancy (French) double seams on upholstery). Both of those units have servo motors which also allow for much more fine control of the sewing speeds.

When I comment on the LSZ-1 here it is based on the experiences of doing projects like this one. As of this posting I am not compensated by Sailrite - but I have won contests for submitted photos for work completed.

-Kevin

 

[KevinC]

Here is a picture of the work in progress:


and this will give you a perspective of the size of some of the panels :


I have a lot of pictures and notes. If I find the time I will see if I can post a write-up.

-Kevin