Most people have come to realize that covering their boat is one of the best investments that can be made for their boat. Covering a boat can make it last longer, look better, and it ends up in you spending less time cleaning and more time sailing. However, when it comes to covering your boat, every boat owner is in a different position, some store their boats upside down, some trailer their boat, and some keep it in a slip, every situation is unique; that is why our little shop makes our boat covers from different fabrics depending on what you need.
Sunbrella
Sunbrella is breathable! If you live in a very mildew prone area and the boat is rarely trailered or you remove the cover for trailering, Sunbrella can be the way to go. Sunbrella is a woven acrylic fabric, and it uses the UV resistance properties of acrylic to last such a long time in the sun (easily more than 10 years). Since most of the Sunbrella material is acrylic, there are of course dyes in the fabric and other finishing chemicals for stain resistance and waterproofness, but the fabric itself is all acrylic. The dye is put into the plastic before it is spun into a yarn and woven into a fabric so you’ll often see Sunbrella imitations (”faux-brella” we call it) generically labeled as “Solution-Dyed Acrylic”. There are two shortcomings with acrylic fabrics: chafe resistance and ultimate strength. Ultimate strength isn’t really an issue as Sunbrella isn’t used for sails or very-very large structures, but chafe will very quickly wear a hole in Sunbrella – which is why I wouldn’t recommend trailering with a Sunbrella cover. If you think of trailering a boat on the highway at 70 mph its just like a hurricane, the cover won’t last. Sunbrella covers seem to do very well in the long term being exposed to regular storms with storm strength winds – just not hurricane strength winds. Over time the waterproof coating/finish on Sunbrella will begin to wear off after 3-4 years or so and you can purchase 303 Fabric Protectant brand spray to re-waterproof your cover. This is well worth the $15 bottle of spray and the fabric will work like new again, being both breathable and waterproof. Sunbrella covers are sewn in Tenara brand Teflon thread. This thread really does last forever, so you’ll never really have to get your cover restitched.
Top Gun
If you trailer the boat at highway speeds for any distance you’ll have to have a Top Gun cover. Top Gun covers will last for many thousands of miles of high-speed trailering wheras a Sunbrella cover may have holes in the first 20 miles… Top Gun uses a woven polyester (Dacron) base fabric which is somewhat similar to unfinished sailcloth – this is a very dense tough weave. However, for the same reason you shouldn’t leave your sails in the sun, the polyester fabric really doesn’t do very well in the sun, so with Top Gun the fabric is heavily coated with… acrylic! The polyester fabric provides the strength and toughness while the acrylic coating protects the UV fragile polyester from the sun. The only problem is breathablity. This cover is also sewn in Tenara brand Teflon thread, which has amazing UV resistance and will last nearly forever in the sun (which means no restitching the cover for you).
Polyester
Although polyester covers do not have all of the advantages that the Top Gun and Sunbrella covers boast, they are extremely economical. If your boat is not exposed to extreme conditions, then polyester is probably your best bet. Polyester covers will protect your boat from the elements for a number of years (think 3-5 years). These covers should not be trailered or exposed to high UV areas for extended periods of time (closer to the equator), but as long as you treat them right, they will do a fantastic job.
If you’re interested in a cover for your sailboat bottom, top, or a cover that can be used with the mast up, check out our SLO Sail and Canvas Store.
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