Boat covers

[pabs]

Hello all.
I have a Honwave t40 which I curently store blown up on its side in my mother in laws garage, I now need to keep the boat at my house but I don't have a garage. I will need to keep the boat at the end of the garden.
My question is does the boat need to have a special boat cover or can I use a tarpolin to keep the weather off. I'm worried about mould so I don't want to keep it rolled up in its bag.
Does anyone else use a tarpolin or am I going to have to fork out for an expensive honwave boat cover.
Pabs

[The Black Pig]

A tarp will do but not as good as garage storage

I blame the mother in law

No but I do have a soft spot for my MIL, it's behind my garage!!

Rip L Dawson

[Fenlander]

The Honwave covers are brilliant... well tailored and nice material... but pretty well every SIB cover is too tight to allow decent ventilation for permanent storage unless you sort the way it fits so it's held up (by a rope or length of timber) along the centreline like a mini pitch roof shed. If you do something like this with the cover a bit longer than the SIB then the ends can be left open to keep it ventilated.

If you fresh water rinse and dry the SIB before packing it won't go mouldy packed in a small shed if you could put one up.

[Nightfisher]

I used a really good cover for winter outside winter storage here in Ontario. But, after the first couple of years water began getting through or forming large pockets of water where freezing/thawing eventually stretched the cover fabric and it leaked like hell.

Now, I turn the stern wheels up and lock them and store the boat upside down on the ground during winter months. As always, I store the outboard inside the house on a stand I had made for doing tune-ups and barrel tests.

[humberrib1]

Hi "pabs", as you can see there is always plenty of good advice from members on the forum and I too have had the benefit of good advice in the past. If I can just add to what has already been posted which is to frequently check that you don't get any rodents (mice) taking a fancy to the shelter of your SIB under cover. They are well capable of ruining your boat and insurance cover I doubt will cover such damage!
Rgds
humberrib1

[steco1958]

Originally Posted by The Black Pig

A

I do have a soft spot for my MIL, it's behind my garage!!

Rip L Dawson

Behind !!! or Under ?

[Starovich]

maybe a daft question, if your feet under snow and ice, and not able to use the boat for a while, is it not easier to deflate it and store it under cover?
I had a honwave with the inflatable floor, would have taken me less time and effort to inflate the boat than fight with covers?