Hobie Cat Forums

I was wondering if anyone here has tried to make their own cover for their boat? Currently I am using a huge grey tarp that works pretty well but I want to try something a little more fancy while I'm in for the winter.

I was thinking about cutting the tarp with scissors, fold and hem the edges, and then to secure it, sew on some buckle straps for quick on/off. Something like this:


I was also thinking maybe doing the banana peel design instead of a 1 piece design. Might be quicker/easier for one person to put on.

I have never used a sewing machine but I figure it can't be that hard

My yellow hulls are just too shiny to bear the thought of them sitting out in the sun 24/7 365!

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-Zach
West Lafayette, IN (school)
Melbourne, FL (summer)

Hi Zack,

I realize this post is over a month old now, but what did you end up doing? I am looking for a similar solution, and don't want to buy a cover for hundreds of dollars for a boat that I paid $800 for. During the summer it will be stored outside, and I would love to protect it from the UV with something. It will be exposed to plenty of wind, so it has to be able to withstand that.

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Steve
1979 Hobie 16 "Orange Crusher"

I haven't done anything about it yet. I might try working on something over spring break in 2 weeks.

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-Zach
West Lafayette, IN (school)
Melbourne, FL (summer)

I'm in a similar situation too, my 20 year old cover is on its last legs. Before I take on the task of building my own cover, I'll probably drop the $5 for these instructions to find out what's really involved in building one.

http://www.sailrite.com/Boat-Cover-Inst ... wnloadable

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I was thinking I want 3 separate parts: 2 banana peel covers for the hulls and one tramp cover. This would make it easy to install instead of dealing with one huge cover. Second, I would put a grommet in the middle of the tramp cover so I can attach rope to make a tepee sort of thing (for mast-up storage the main halyard would be the line).

As for the actual construction, I just figured I would hem all of the edges and then sew on some plastic buckles to keep it on the boat.

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-Zach
West Lafayette, IN (school)
Melbourne, FL (summer)

I have individual hull covers for my 17 and a one-piece full cover for my 18 (well had, its basically done now). The one piece is a little more of a pain to put on. I wouldn't say that either one is particularly easy to install though. They both require some degree of lifting the boat and crawling around to put them on. They certainly go a long way towards keeping the hulls shiny. That said, for my beach boat this year I may just make a tramp cover and throw an extra coat of wax on the hulls. Its a pain in the butt when it takes more time messing with the cover than it does rigging the rest of the boat.

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What's wrong with a giant tarp? I just take a 20 x 30 tarp and make a tent over the mast. I use bungie cord and tie the loose ends up under the trailer. The shock cords keep the top tight so water does not pool on it.

Might not look cool (well, kinda looks like a hobo lives in my back yard) but it protects the whole boat very well.

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Garrett

94' H16 - 100403

There's nothing wrong with a tarp...I'm just dreaming here.

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-Zach
West Lafayette, IN (school)
Melbourne, FL (summer)

Nothing wrong with that.

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Garrett

94' H16 - 100403

I am thinking that just a tarp would get torn up by the wind. I will start with just a tramp cover. I can work on hull covers later.

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Steve
1979 Hobie 16 "Orange Crusher"

After some quick web surfing, I found that Top Gun may be a good material to use. It is very UV resistant, waterproof, and mildew resistant. It is similar to Sunbrella but much cheaper. I've read that you can find it for ~$11/yard. I'm no expert on fabrics but it looks like it comes in 60" widths so to make a tramp cover we would need ~5-6 yards (seam lengthwise down the middle of the tramp).

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-Zach
West Lafayette, IN (school)
Melbourne, FL (summer)

Fabric and accessory suppliers...

http://www.beaconfabric.com/vindex.html

http://seattlefabrics.com/

http://www.sailmakerssupply.com/

http://www.sailrite.com/

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