Boat Cover

[cavman138]

Hey guys, I'm getting close to moving the boat out of the garage for good and back up on the trailer. My boat is a 1648 flat bottom and I really need a good cover. I am also on the verge of moving out of my house because I am buying a house and it does not have a garage, so I definitely need a good cover. Any reviews on covers or where I can really find a good one?

 

[Ranchero50]

600 Denier gives about the best life. I got 7 years out of the one on my glass boat before it sun rotted and tore under the snow weight last winter. For the absolute best try to find a tractor trailer tarp shop nearby. There's one up in PA that will do a 16-18' for around $400 fully custom but they need your boat to fit it to.

Personally I'd keep an eye out on warrentee returns from eBay. Usually 600d tarps for glass boat go for under $50 with a torn strap or some other small problem.

Jamie

 

[cavman138]

I should also mention that, for those that haven't checked out my build, my bow is square.

 

[Waterwings]

I always went with the $50 covers from Walmart. In the winter I'd install a tarp over that, tied real tight, and it worked well against winds and snow-loads. Having s sturdy support under the cover/tarp is a plus also. I recommend not getting the cheapy support pole sysytem from Walmart or elsewhere. They're flimsy, and won't hold-up to a snow load. I went through two of them before I got around to making something out of pvc pipe.

 

[cavman138]

Any other thoughts?

 

[Bubba]

The real question here is, How much are you willing to spend?

 

[cavman138]

Just give me options

 

[Bubba]

Well, To get a "good" boat cover, Your best bet is going to be having one custom made with a good material(ie. Sunbrella), so it can be custom fit to your specific boat and needs. They can also customize your preferred attachment as well(ie. buttons around the perimeter of your boat rail or just simple tie-down straps). There aren't many "over the counter" covers that will hold up as well or fit as snug as these custom covers. However these custom covers aren't cheap, but are really the best option of a "good" cover. But I would imagine for a simple 1648 flat bottom hull like yours, it would be quite abit cheaper than one for a true bassboat( where there would be alot more manipulating(stitching and fitting) of the material for a good fit. I have priced some custom covers for my boat(G3 hp170) and they average around $500 bucks....give or take 50-100 or so. However like I said, one for your boat, I wouldn't imagine would be nearly as much as there would be as much material or manipulating of the material. So it couldn't hurt to call around if you have any local boat cover shops(or awning shops, etc) and see what they say. There are also alot of companies(online) that will ship them to you as well as long as you give them your boat measurements and what you want in the cover. (I have heard great things about Aurora Canvas, which you can find here....https://www.auroracanvas.com/)

 

[cavman138]

what about this https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_44840____SearchResults?
If I were to get this should I get the one that fits 15'6" to 16'5" or should I get the 16'5" to 17'5"? Just wondering if I should account for the stuff on the boat like seats, tm, etc.

 

[Bubba]

That one would probably be pretty good(6-year warranty....I would imagine a pro-rated price for a new one; 2-year free replacement). As far as the size....It is really kinda hit or miss with those sizes....it all depends on how they(the manufacturer) designed it to fit. If your gonna have seats on top of your decks and such, I would probably shoot for the larger sized one myself....better to be abit oversized rather than too small. If you get it and it is WAY too big, you could always send it back for the next sized down.

 

[BaitCaster]

Got mine from here - https://www.boatcoversdirect.com/

Pricey, but the quality is excellent, and you should have no problem finding the right cover to fit your boat.

 

[MooseBumper]

Nice Cover Baitcaster.
I have the same boat and I am looking for this same fit. I saw your link, however I do not see the 1542LW listed.
Can you help me out?
Maybe you have the receipt with the stock #?

 

[BaitCaster]

Nice Cover Baitcaster.
I have the same boat and I am looking for this same fit. I saw your link, however I do not see the 1542LW listed.
Can you help me out?
Maybe you have the receipt with the stock #?

Here is a link to the one I got - https://www.boatcoversdirect.com/products/boat_covers/styled_to_fit/style/15/dimensions/186x60x0/motor/2/

I got the 11 oz. poly-cotton. I also got the tie-down kit and 2 support poles, which I would recommend.