to build a winter cover in Maine

[gregleeber]

My efforts to get Milky Way into my father's barn met with expensive failure.

Now she is in Yarmouth at the Royal River Yard for the winter. I have to build a cover for her within the next few days.

ITS GONNA HAVE TO BE CHEAP !

anyone out there have some advice? Can I use Poly instead of a tarp?

[CundysHarbor]

Winter covers need a ridgepole and rafters. The way I have done it is to support the ridge on a compression member in the mast hole and a saw horse on the cockpit bridge deck. The ridge pole should extend about half the beam of the boat above the deckhouse. Bend the ridge down at the bow and stern. For rafters I use two pieces of stock joined by a line over the ridgepole. These are padded at the rail and at the ridgepole. The former padding to protect the boat and the cover; the latter to protect the cover. The rafters need to be tied together (at their outer ends) all around the hull. Then it is a poly or fabric tarp well secured to the hull. It is important to provide plenty of ventilation area at the bow and stern and to insure that the ridgepole entends well beyond the boat so that rain/snow does not get on the deck. I use poly for one year only and have never had a failure. Age and flogging in the wind are the enemies of tarps. To tie the tarp to the boat, I do not rely on the grommets that come with. A trip to the local golf driving range will set you up for life in golf balls. I push the ball into the tarp and secure the tarp around the ball with a slipknot. Never had a failure. For a 30 foot boat, I have used spliced 2x4s (padded at the splice) for the ridge and 1x4s for the rafters. Good luck and don't scrimp on the job; it gets pretty gusty on the Royal River in Winter and old man North wind has fingers that can get exploit any weakness in the cover. An excellent source of padding is the local dump...used carpet makess very effective padding.

[gregleeber]

Geezer,

thanks but I dont understand the golf ball thing. Can you elaborate on that?

thanks

oh, I just got it. Smahht. the balls are just a way to grip the tarp.

So if you use poloy do you adhere it to the hull with duct tape or use balls here too?

[Ian McColgin]

I like a ridge pole, straight or bent does not matter, above the "rafters" which I make of PVC pipe as it's cheap and bends easily.

Use real gaffer's (duct) tape or flat webbing in a square lashing tied underneath to hold the pipe against the ridge pole. That will prevent chafe. Putting the pole on top makes a ridge line that helps break any snow buildup.

If you've no lifeline stauncheons, use PVC pipe longer than your tarp is wide. Get them set up and tied under the boat and along the ends horizontally to each other. When you spread the tarp, it will be easy to lace up the bow and stern - the advice on overhang is good - and lacing under the boat from one side to another can also be used to take up slack, essentially making darts, towards the bow.

The bow shape is amazingly strong - I usually use 1/2" PVC which is nicely flexable and relativly cheap. Get them too long rather than too short. A bit of padding at the gunnel like old rug gaffer's taped to the pipe is wise.

G'luck.

[LakeErieSailor]

Ian, I am indebted to you. I'm planning to cover my boat today (I know, I know, wait until it's 20 deg. F and snowing) and had all sorts of elaborate schemes involving 2 x 4s, indoor/outdoor carpeting, etc. You've just eliminated all of that; much cheaper, too. Being a belt-and-suspenders type, I think that I'll use 3/4" pipe rather than 1/2". Do you also make your ridgepole of PVC?

Also, I'm planning to attach wooden "feet" at the ends of the pipe, braced against the toerail, in addition to cross-tying the bows across the boat. The tarp should keep all in place.

The boat's previous owner used water-filled plastic detergent and milk bottles to keep the tarp down, and it seems to have worked very well.

He used a silver tarp which is much more durable, but more expensive, than blue tarp.

[gregleeber]

Ridge Pole ?
Rafters ?
Ridge Line ?

what are these?

thanks

[Todd D]

I just put my frame on the boat today. The tarp will go on Thursday morning. I will take and post a picture tomorrow morning when I have a bit of light. For multi-year use, I use a black/green tarp. If you are only looking at a single year, then a green tarp will work fine for about $50. Get your tarp at Hamilton Marine.

Mt frame, which is about 8 years old, is made from 1x4 pine and is screwed together with galvanized sheet rock screws. It holds up fine. The fame cost about $100-$150, but has lasted 8 years or so. I am on my third tarp for the same period of time.

[Stu Fyfe]

I made a tent using a set of 2x4's to make a 4"x4"x24ft ridge pole. I used a 4"x4" about 5ft long with a crutch on top to put in the mast hole. I made another 4x4 crutch with a base to hold up the aft end. The picture below shows the system using the mast as the ridge pole. I later abandoned using the mast and went with the 2x4's as a ridge pole. After securing the pole, I laid a 24x12 poly tarp over it and secured it to the ground using stakes, line and bungie cords. I left it open at the ends for ventilation. Cheap and easy.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SHBgt6toQvQ/R6JSLn_FNGI/AAAAAAAAAFo/UQ-hJDqUxPY/Redwing%20Storage1.jpg

[PaulC]

One thing to watch for is areas where there might be a sag in the tarp along the deck before water can get smoothly over the side. The sags will fill with water/ice and seriously distort the whole works.

[StevenBauer]

Swing by the house next time you're in Portland and I'll show you the setup I have for Talisman. It came with the boat and worked fine so I haven't changed it. The huge canvass tarp that came with the boat was developing some big holes so I replaced it with a white polytarp I got online. They are coated on both sides and have give UV protection, something the blue tarps won't. Also not so ugly. ;)


Steven

[Todd D]

Here is the picture of my frame I said I would post. It is made from 1x4s. It took an afternoon to build. After the wind dies down a bit I will put the black/green tarp on. This will be the tarp's third winter.

http://www.todddunnmicroyachts.com/temp_files/cover_frame.jpg

[gimmellsmom]

We used an instant garage/shed "kit". It was called http://www.2x4basics.com/ bought at the local Home Hardware, though it was hard to find up here (more retailers in the US). Basically its a box of plastic brackets that you use with 2x2's to make the rafters and sides/walls. We simply placed the feet right onto the deck - we were going to secure them to the rigging & such but didn't find it necessary. Zip tied it to the bow & stern and where ever we could find a suitable spot. But mostly its freestanding. Used the mast & mizzen blocks to hold additional vertical supports - necessary, probably not - but some people (me) are paranoid... We used 3 kits on an H28, probably didn't need quite that much, but it's certainly not going anywhere.

We then covered her with a giant white tarp. We've now added a second layer of tarp under the original one... long story. We have had issues with securing the tarp down. We tried tent pegs - didn't hold. Grommets - ripped out. Weights - coming loose. For now we've tied her around the waterline with double layers of rope and then weighted down the rest. I like the golf ball idea - that might be the next attempt. What I found has been the biggest issue is the tarp not the structure - it was too big and too thin. I would go for a heavier tarp or canvas next year. And not so large - bigger isn't always better!

[SMARTINSEN]

Roessel in Boatbuilders Apprentice has some thoughts on plastic sheds.

[Ian McColgin]

I've done ok attaching the pvc hoops to lifeline stauncheons but otherwise I take them over the rail and tie them under the keel. Whether V roofed or arced, the lee side develops some serious lift in a storm.

One my early experiments with the boat in the water and the lower hem of the plastic cover rolled in slats and then nailed to the hull, came adrift in a gale blowing across the dock. I tried to nail it back from the dink and almost got lifted into the air. Eventually cut the whole mess loose from the weather side and expected to clean up the wreckage somewhere in the parking lot. In the event, never found it.

So I'd not count on the cover to hold the frame down as it will, no matter how you tighten it, lift and flutter a bit sooner or later, likely damaging the deck.

I like the arced shape better than the V roof because it sheds severe wind better and almost never sags or loosens in a way that will hold ice on the deck.

G'luck

[Todd D]

I tie my tarp down with lines under the keel from side to side. I have had a couple of grommets fail, but never more than 1-2 a year. The trick is to get the tie downs tight and keep them that way.

[JimConlin]

To prevent sags in the area between the ridge and the lifelines, I did a zigzag lacing of any handy line from lifeline to lifeline over the ridge.
I held the tarp down with a combination of lines under the keel , lines to the keel blocks and gallon jugs of water. The keel block lines kept the tarp from shifting and the jugs maintained steady tension. Don't tie anything to jackstands. It'd be a bad thing if a gust dislodged one.

[Thad]

and wait til the wind dies down. Howling today.