temporary boatbuilding shelter ?

[eastern270]

is anyone familiar with the temporary shelters that are offered all over the internet. galvanized steel framing with fabric backed poly covering. if so are you happy with it and are they as strong as advertised. most vary between 10mil and 18 mil thick. any info appreciated.

[JimD]

Eastern, how temporary are we talking about? You can buy one, use it temporarily, and then what? Sell it, presumably. Vs how much money and extra time to build your own out of possibly cheaper materials. Seems to me it comes down to time, money, and possibly resale value.

[Doug B]

Eastern,
I got one for a winter cover for my 25' catboat.14w 12h 30l They (coverit) offered two cover weights; I chose the cheaper and it has held up resonably well,but there has been chafe at the peak. It's very windy here though, and a smaller shelter might hold up better in a less windy location. The frame is similar to automotive exhaust pipe. I'd shop around there seems to be a wide range in quality. They are probably more expensive than building something yourself, but quicker and easier to put up. Also it can be the boats home in the winter and it sure is nice to work on a boat indoors in New England.
Doug

[Concordia..41]

The pipes from the ones ordered on-line are cut into 5' lenghts to ship and then assemble using a sleeve joint. That is precisely where ours failed.

You can order just the parts (corner sections, bungies, and top) from www.snapcanopy.com (http://www.snapcanopy.com) and then buy the pipe in whatever lengths you need from a local chain link fence company.

Their bungies are definately better than the ones we get out at the flea market, and as far as the tarps go, the more mils the better. Also, gray is better than blue, and white is best of all.

Happy building. You can see some of our 3x built-on structure at www.sailingwithsarah.com (http://www.sailingwithsarah.com) (in the projects section)

[Barrett Faneuf]

I have a 14x30 foot shelter made from poly tarp over EMT tubing with prefab joints. My kit was the type where one buys and cuts the tubing to length on site. It holds wind well, but 6" of snow collapsed the back half of it. THe tarp sagged enough to allow pockets to form in the roof, trapping snow/rain. The short peak-to-hip tubes then bent like hairpins. I fixed it by inserting black iron pipe into the short peak tubes, and reinforcing the gabrel spans with tensioned wire rope. It has now withstood another 6" of snow and 60 mph windstorm intact. Overall I am very pleased, though I wish i had reinforced it before it collapsed the first time smile.gif . Stil, for the cost including repairs, it is less than a quarter the cost of an open-sided aluminum carport of the same size.