tarp vs cover

[Quarry Man]

need a better way to protect my boat from rain and dirt than my current boat cover. The one I have on my 19' triton doesn't shed water and leaks after a while, allowing dirt to get in along with other debris. Im looking at getting a heavy duty tarp to drop over the boat and secure it with bungies/winch straps. would like to try this before spending hundreds on a cover. Any advice?

[Hammer 4]

If you decide on a tarp, get a Good Commercial grade tarp. The ones at home depot, and harbor freight will degrade within a year if exposed to the elements. When I was working in construction, I never left them on a roof for very long.   

[WRB]

Triton has a inexpensive waterproof shipping cover that works good, check with a dealer.

If the boat is outside in the elements you need to make PVC pipe frame to hold up the cover like a hip roof to shed off the rain water.

If you buy a cover get a good one that doesn't degrade quickly.

Tom 

[TnRiver46]

I buy one cheap tarp per year. Life hack: use tennis balls or golf balls inside the tarp to tie off instead of running the rope through the metal gromets (because they rip out if you tie it tight on the cheap tarps). I find no need to buy a high dollar tarp, they make new ones all the time. Even a busy man like me can make a trip to the store once a year 

 

also I had a buddy with a boat that was ruined BECAUSE it was covered....... a stray cat got in there and ripped all the upholstery, once he took the cover off it never came back. I have also seen covered boats on dock lifts annihilated by raccoons. The moral of those stories is check on it every once in a while

[Quarry Man]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

I buy one cheap tarp per year. Life hack: use tennis balls or golf balls inside the tarp to tie off instead of running the rope through the metal gromets (because they rip out if you tie it tight on the cheap tarps). I find no need to buy a high dollar tarp, they make new ones all the time. Even a busy man like me can make a trip to the store once a year 

 

also I had a buddy with a boat that was ruined BECAUSE it was covered....... a stray cat got in there and ripped all the upholstery, once he took the cover off it never came back. I have also seen covered boats on dock lifts annihilated by raccoons. The moral of those stories is check on it every once in a while

what size tarp do you run?

also how do you keep it tight? I get the part with the golf ball to make it last longer, but didn't get the other part

[WRB]

Put moth balls in a open jar under the cover to keep critters out.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

30 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

what size tarp do you run?

also how do you keep it tight? I get the part with the golf ball to make it last longer, but didn't get the other part

Well it depends on which boat I’m covering. Just make sure it’s a little longer than the boat and you are good to go. To keep it tight, tie it off to opposite sides of the trailer and wrap it tight like a present. If you have any trees nearby use them as lash points or maybe drive stakes in the ground and tie off to them. Truckers hitch is your best friend! 
 

this boat in the picture tarped to keep leaves and UV out, it’s tilted enough for water to run out of the drain plug. Not a boat I use frequently, the tarp is ripped and a few years old but it still keeps most stuff out. I keep my bigger boat in the carport dry as a bone ......... fiancé doesn’t like that but it’s one thing I insist on hahaba

 

[TOXIC]

When I bought my boat it had a bad custom cover on it.  It was full of mold and debris.  After I got it cleaned up, I took the old cover and cut it up for fender covers and bought a Ranger cover for cheap,off eBay.  The cover I bought was for a fisherman series Ranger not the bass boat style.  It’s not a problem because I do not tow with it on anyway.  I leave my front and back butt seats in and put a 5 gallon bucket between the consoles to tent the cover so that it sheds rain and snow. This cover is now 6 years old and I need to replace it.  In the meantime, I put a cheap blue tarp over the cover to help it stay watertight.  I also put a small portable fan in the rear of the cover to move air.  

[slonezp]

I have a Cabelas 600 denier cover for 20-22ft boat I'll let you have for $50 plush shipping. I used it for approx 2 weeks while waiting for a custom cover to get made.

[Quarry Man]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

I have a Cabelas 600 denier cover for 20-22ft boat I'll let you have for $50 plush shipping. I used it for approx 2 weeks while waiting for a custom cover to get made.

would it work for a triton vt19

5 hours ago, TOXIC said:

When I bought my boat it had a bad custom cover on it.  It was full of mold and debris.  After I got it cleaned up, I took the old cover and cut it up for fender covers and bought a Ranger cover for cheap,off eBay.  The cover I bought was for a fisherman series Ranger not the bass boat style.  It’s not a problem because I do not tow with it on anyway.  I leave my front and back butt seats in and put a 5 gallon bucket between the consoles to tent the cover so that it sheds rain and snow. This cover is now 6 years old and I need to replace it.  In the meantime, I put a cheap blue tarp over the cover to help it stay watertight.  I also put a small portable fan in the rear of the cover to move air.  

my custom cover doesn't work when the seats are in, so water stays on top

[slonezp]

6 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

would it work for a triton vt19

 

It's a universal cover. Will it work? Sure. It won't fit the boat like a glove, but it will certainly work better than a tarp.

[OnthePotomac]

I have to store the boat in the nearby state park storage yard, so it has always had a decent general fit regular cover and over that I have always had a Lowes $40 tarp bungied down.  I keep mouse blocks on the deck (TomCat) during the winter and this arrangement has kept the deck and bilge totally dry for the last 19 years.  Yea, I get about 18 months out of the Lowes tarps.  I do a monthly inspection during the winter storage. The general fit cover is still like new stored this way.

[wis bang]

Ollie's good stuff cheap has one winter and done tarps as cheap a $8.00 for 12 x 18...

 

After two winters I bought a cover and tented the old tarp over top.

[camman]

when I first got my boat I used tarps to cover it as its parked on the side of my house.  As mentioned above if you go the tarp route, get a thicker/commercial grade one and will save you some trouble in the long run.  I ended up moving away from a tarp and ended up shifting to a cover.  I found that a cover (one of the universal fit ones) was easier to put on and take off the boat which was nice as I use it maybe ever 2 weeks.  I also run a section of rope between my front/back seat posts which lets the rain drain straight off.