Hobie Cat Forums

I get so frustrated when I see a boat sitting out in the sun without a cover on it, knowing that exposure to the direct sunlight is taking years off life of that boat. Wal Mart sells truck covers for under $40 that will cover all but the top 6 feet or so of the mast on the trailer and add years to the life of a boat.

Just my Rant, but I'd love to see more boats out on the water instead of rotting in the sun on the trailer...

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"Spirit of 76" Hobie Sail #18515
2001 Hobie 16, Sail #105865
1981 Hobie 18, Project Boat

Which cover did you buy? I was looking on the website and they sell a million of them and the dimensions are all over the place.

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Garrett

94' H16 - 100403

Not sure what size it is anymore, I bought it six months ago. I'm know it was for a full size truck though and it will cover the entire boat including the rudders.

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"Spirit of 76" Hobie Sail #18515
2001 Hobie 16, Sail #105865
1981 Hobie 18, Project Boat

I'm tempted to buy the tramp cover for my boat.. it sits on the ramp with the mast up all summer long. Sorry, I'm not going to tarp it... I tarp it all winter.

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Which parts need to be covered? I understand the tramp will get eaten up by the sun, but that is easily replaced. Maybe the comp tip on the mast should be covered. The hulls will get oxidized, but you can rub them out and get them shiny.

The reason I ask is that I keep my H16 on uncovered all summer outside, and I want to learn what is most important to cover.

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Steve
1979 Hobie 16 "Orange Crusher"

As much as possible would be nice. I've used Hobie's Universal Cover for about five years and it's holding up and fits very well. You can protect the comptip without taking the mast down by capsizing the boat on the beach and slipping a cover over it.

Painting the comptip with black Rustoleum or Krylon will also help to protect it, so I've been told by several people. It should be repeated annually. I store my boats mast up on the beach and I'm too lazy to tip them over each time I want to take a cover on or off. The masts on my boats have been getting an annual coat of gloss black Krylon. I go with gloss rather than flat because gloss should reflect more light. I put covers on the masts when they are down for prolonged periods. There have been some threads on painting comptips on this Forum.

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Mark Van Doren
Division 9 Chairman
H20 #647
H14 #47787
H16 #112205

I don't have a comptip... so where does that leave me? Cover the tramp and call it a day?

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Well, a set of full hull covers are certainly a nice thing to have, they will keep your hulls looking the best if you store your boat out in the sun and/or on the beach. Most folks don't want to deal with the cost and hassle of using them, but they will keep your hulls looking practically new even after the boat is decades old. I had a set of full covers for my beach boat, but they pretty much fell apart after 20 years. This year I found a deck cover. It's a one piece cover that goes over the top of the decks and tramp. It seems like a good compromise and is much easier to install.

If you don't cover your hulls, at the minimum I would recommend a very generous coat of wax at the beginning of each season to help keep the gelcoat sealed.

For my comptip, I sprayed it with flat black grill paint three seasons ago and it still looks good.

sm

Hi, here is a pic of my boat cover. It might seem like an overkill but works great at keeping off the hot African sun.
Cost about $400
http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196620_10151020121316580_1338291084_n.jpg
http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/564618_10151020121621580_223630646_n.jpg

What kind of material is that? Some sort of vinyl?


I'm in the process of acquiring a used billboard vinyl sign to make into a custom cover for my Hobie.

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

Anyone have any thoughts on making a custom cover out of billboard vinyl? I'm concerned about moisture getting trapped underneath. Maybe some vents are necessary.

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

Not difficult and really cheap. Ten bucks but you have to replace it once a year. Works for me but I like Beefer's (BELOW) better.

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Happy Sailing,

David