DIY - Boat cover, what's the best material?

[NickDK]

Hey guys! - I'm considering DIY'ing a boat cover for my small 320cm SIB. I'm not sure of the best material, when looking at what's on the market most ready made covers seems to be based on polyester 300D, and I did try to buy one of these in the past and after a year or so the material started to crack and get very strange/weak. I would like something that's more durable but still easy to attach to the boat.

My use case is that I have my SIB in the water for a few weeks at a time, and in this period I would like to avoid it getting filled with rainwater, so this cover should be something I can quickly attach/remove when going for a trip. if I could use the same in the winter it would be good but not totally important.
I have no center console, so the only high point is the outboard, so the design of such cover should be pretty simple, and in the middle I would put one of these cover support pillars to avoid water buildups.

I found something like this at amazon:
https://www.amazon.de/Tukan-tex-Poly...kitchen&sr=1-3

but not sure if it's the best as it seems similar to the fabric I already tried, but looking at the cost the materials for such a DIY project are pretty affordable.

The reason for doing this myself is that I want something with a better fit and durability compared to the ready made ones and that I can't afford a true custom cover.

[Wave Rider]

I have used the two materials below for club boats & members. The Topgun material will outlast the stitching. You wouldn't want to tow the boat with the cover on using the Odyssey material.

ODYSSEY COATED POLYESTER

Odyssey is a 100% polyester fabric which is strong, lightweight, with reasonable abrasion resistance and dimensional stability, designed for outdoor applications. Its acrylic impregnation-coating and an additional clear acrylic backcoat enhance its water repellent properties.

Weight: 217 grams per square metre.

Roll Width: 162cm

Uses: boat tops, travel covers, canopies, furniture covers and mooring covers and a wide number of other outdoor cover applications including BBQ grill covers, patio furniture covers, gazebo covers, backpacks,camping equipment and playground equipment covers.


TOP GUN POLYESTER

Top Gun is a waterproof, super strong 100% polyester fabric. An acrylic impregnated coating gives the material high strength and abrasion resistance. The acrylic coating makes the material highly water repellent, UV and mildew resistant. It also stabilized, maximum stretch or shrinkage is less than 1%

Approximate weight: 385 gsm (grammes per square metre)

Uses: boat tops, mooring cover, travel covers and any other exterior application where protection from the elements is important.

[Eric]

The other material to use is Sunbrella.

[smallribber]

Look at the Ducksback covers they are very good cost about £70 and last at least 5 years

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by Eric

The other material to use is Sunbrella.

I agree on Sunbrella. The challenge is what type of sewing machine you have since it will take a walking foot industrial, as will any heavier material folded three times. The thread you use is important too and must be UV resistant. There is also special double sided tape for making the edging.

Build into your design some type of tenting to keep the cover high in the center so zero puddles can form. Rope and some supports is easy enough, but every boat is different. Sunbrella is waterproof and breathable. Re-upping the DWR every couple of years keeps it that way.