i did mine from rail to rail on the boat, i had seen a picture of someone else on the internet who did it, so i can't take credit for the idea. I think I used (6) 1.5"x1" PVC T-fittings that i cut to fit the rails of my boat, & (2) 8' 1" PVC pipes to make 3 curved, hoop style supports for my jon boat cover on my 1436. the t fittings might have been 1.25" by 3/4" or something similar, but I'm sure you could make these from several different sizes with the same result. the idea is to get the supports to be small enough to bend so they clamp to the side rails & stay put. the t fitting should be able to be cut so that it will match closely to the diameter of the rails of your boat in order to clamp onto or straddle the rails. i cut the supports long, & cut them down a couple inches @ a time until they fit perfectly. i thought i was going to have to take a heat gun to them to get em to keep the curve, but i left em in place for a day in the sun under the cover, & they held their shape. the rear hoop is much longer than the others, just because my cover was too big there & it always pooled water there before i made the supports. the front hoop is the smallest because the boat narrows @ the bow. what i did to get my rough measurement, was just stick the 8' stick of PVC on one side, bend it to make a hoop, then mark the other side for my cut. then cut it down from there to fit the cover height. it takes like 3 seconds to put them up & take them down, & they take up almost no space in my shed while i'm out on the boat.
total cost was under $20
it keeps even torrential rain from pooling, & keeps the cover from coming off due to wind. it's trailerable too with the cover strapped down.
now water just sheds off the cover :mrgreen:
i'll try to get a picture to put up here later tonight or tomorrow so you can see what i'm talking about