Snap-on cover vs. Mooring cover

[SCSX190]

Interested in hearing arguments either way as I am undecided on whether to go with a snap-on cover or a simple mooring cover. Boat is in a covered wet slip so manly looking to keep the bugs outs and the interior clean. Snap-on would be nice as the bow could be closed for cooler weather and cockpit left open. A custom bow and cockpit cover is about $950. Or I can have a custom cockpit cover that connects to the Bimini for all season boating for about $1300 for bow and custom all season cockpit cover similar to the pics below.

I really don't like snaps as they are not aesthetically pleasing but it would be really nice to have an all season cockpit. The mooring covers are nearly as much as the custom snap on covers and offer less versatility.

 

[Speedling]

Love the snap on cover for the bow but hate for cockpit. Stock Yamaha.
Had the oem mooring cover until the tower. Works great and would highly recommend if it is the same design and quality as mine was.

 

[Bryan L]

I trailer my boat and store it outside. Since I trailer, I went with a custom snap cover and love it. The stern doesn't have snaps, but straps instead. Snaps are not in the way. When storing, I put a tie down cover over top, which covers the gunwale. Snaps don't chafe while trailering, but don't protect from the sun as well as a tie down.

Your situation is different than mine, because you aren't trailering and have it protected from the elements. The snap cover is easy to remove and easy to store. I never had a mooring cover, but I hear they are more difficult and cumbersome to remove.

Good luck!

 

[Jwiley]

i can't believe there has only been three comments on this thread.... well i am bringing it back up for conversation. This is our 3rd summer with our 2014 sx190. Past two years i have kept it in an enclosed storage unit (with a fan blowing 24/7) about 5 minutes from the boat dock. During the winter months we keep it at home in the garage with the crappy white OEM shipping cover. This weekend a wet slip has finally come available at our local marina which we will now utilize. A lift will be coming in the near future... however now we are needing a nice cover to use while our boat stays in the slip all summer. I like the idea of the individual snap on covers but not necessarily the idea of hot snaps on the boat while floating around in the sun. Options Options Options... what does everybody use?

 

[FLBulldogger]

I will be watching this also, we are starting to go to different parts of the state now and the inside of the boat can get really grimmy from the interstate, I am looking at the mooring cover but having never used one would like to know what folks do when trailering over distances...

 

[biffdotorg]

Factory snap on cover while on the lift. Factory towing cover while on the road. I could be wrong, but the snap on covers are not the best for road use as they come loose and dirt/rain blow under. Keep in mind, I am only referring to the factory covers.

The towing cover works great on the highway and helps in the wind. But I would hate to put that on a boat while in a slip or on a lift. The snap on covers are true mooring covers as you can put them on easily while in the boat. None of those late night gymnastic sessions on the lift for me anymore. I did that for years with our previous SeaDoo.

Good luck!

 

[Matts18]

Any issue with the factory mooring (towing?) cover scratching the hull while driving from buffeting? Any issues with the seats blowing out on the interstate if towing without cover?

As to the question asked, I have a cheap universal cover I throw over the boat to keep dust off. It goes over top of the collapsed tower. I put the black mooring (towing) cover on once to test it out and agree it would be a hassle to put on while we slipped unless you had access to both sides of the boat .....like in a u shaped slip. BUT, I don’t like snap on covers as the snaps always seem to break and the coverage is as good.

 

[Jwiley]

i have towed with and without the 'towing' cover... i don't believe i have seen any 'buffing' abrasions. also regarding cushions flying out... i mostly tow my boat without a cover because of the greater visibility and i haven't lost a cushion. And i am bummed on the mixed reviews regarding snap on covers. I was hoping it would be a unanimous YES becuase it definitely looks the best and would be easiest to install while on the lift. Hmmm.... options options

 

[UpNorth]

I wet slip my boat and use the snap on cover. It’s a piece of cake to put on and take off. Less than 5 minutes to take off and put away. Maybe a minute or two more to put on. It is a lot easier and less cumbersome than the mooring covering and takes up a lot less space.

 

[AboveTheBest]

When I wet slip my boat (on the weekends) I use my mooring cover with a non U-shaped slip.
It’s not too difficult to put on with just one side, you just have to do the non-dock side from inside the boat... I actually did it from the water once, wow was that dumb.

 

[swatski]

Factory/shipping cover for towing for me, it does not scratch or chafe as it has fleece underlining. Just tighten the ratchets and make sure those aren't lose, as they can do a lot of damage if bouncing around.

The premium cover towing long distance - chafes/scratches the hull pretty badly especially if not tight/snag.
@Majorsmackdown had a whole thread on it at some point after towing across the country.

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[zipper]

I use our mooring cover for winter storage only now. I used to tow with it, but the bow area pole or no pole moves too much for me. Now I only tow 10-15 miles to the lake, so no long distance hauls. If you wet slip with the mooring cover, backing into the slip is best for access to the ratchets. If not, you may have to step on the cover to access the ratchets if the dock finger is not on the starboard side. I now use our custom made bow and cockpit covers, made of Sunbrella for towing, it does not move. We also use it while wet slipping. The custom bimini also has zippers installed to accept the custom side shade curtains. We did not go with a full camper cover, but there has been at least one occasion, caught in a rainstorm, that I missed having a vinyl windshield between the bimini and boats windshield. A few pics.

And the snap on cover

Covered at the slip, last year

Covered on the water

Now that I put "Mega Fangs" on the boat I back in against a prevailing crosswind.
It makes it much easier to close up the boat.

 

[Rick Russler]

Zipper - great post. I like your custom Bimini underneath the tower. Can you elaborate a little on that? How much bigger is it than the standard tower Bimini? How much headroom do you have? Is it lower than a standard off-the-shelf Bimini? Pros and cons? I live in south Texas and shade is a valuable item on the lake, particularly because my wife is a red head with sun-sensitive skin.

 

[biffdotorg]

When we bought our boat, I noticed a fair amount of rub rash on the gel from the towing cover. This was fixed easily with some buffing compound by hand. It truly was a non issue when I saw how easily it came off. Since it was black on white, I was assuming it was probably dirt.

Either way, I will many times leave the bow filler cushions in, and one ski tube inflated. This provides very even support of the snap on, or towing cover without the use of poles. My guess is the snap on would tow, but I tried it when the cover was new. And had not stretched out. It was nearly impossible to get all the snaps down. It is quite a bit easier now.

I have had one snap pull out of the cover material, that should be an easy fix. The snaps in the gelcoat are holding for now. But if one were to pull, I would fill and drill with marine tex or the 3M product 5200? It should not be an issue as well. The easy of use far outweighs the potential issue. Especially since we have a canopy over the boat while on the lift. The cover is just keeping crap from blowing in, and honest people honest.

 

[zipper]

@Rick Russler The bimini frame is stock, from the factory in size/height. The only mod. I did to it was to replace the "push buttons" on the telescoping front section, used to momentarily collapse the frame while putting up/down to clear the tower, with SS pins. The rest was the canvas shop. She did a great job and she will be used again for canvas work on the Beneteau. Features include zippers on bimini to remove from frame. Zippers on bimini to attach shade curtains. "Boat vents" at telescoping support poles on bow and cockpit covers to let hot air out. Rubber sealing gasket on bow cover to channel water off the windshield to the side and not go in the boat. All made with Sunbrella which is a heavier grade fabric than the factory Surelast fabric. We are very happy with this mod/purchase, especially the shade curtains.

 

[2kwik4u]

Covered on the water
View attachment 76553

I'm totally stealing this picture to show the wife. This is 90% of what I'm wanting to have mad for our 190. I'm hoping to get essentially a 3/4 camper canvas. clear vinyl snapped to the windshield, then some mesh along the sides with solid clear panels to cover in case of rain. The rear I want to leave open for now, or devise a methodology to allow attachment of the cover to the rear tie-down straps so I can avoid snaps.

Snaps don't look great to me. They are 100% useful, I just don't like the look. The caveat to that is when they are on things where they are inconspicuous or won't ever have someone "sitting or sliding" across them. Like the windshield, tower, etc. The rest of the fiberglass I prefer devoid of snaps. Had a bad experience on our last boat with someone getting cut by a snap on the bow when "sliding" off the edge into the water. Completely NOT the place to be getting in the water, but it's hard to tell a 10yr old that as it's happening. I think with a little creative strapping I can make a cover that doesn't have snaps on fiberglass and still conceals the cockpit from rain/weather.

 

[swatski]

I'm hoping to get essentially a 3/4 camper canvas. clear vinyl snapped to the windshield, then some mesh along the sides with solid clear panels to cover in case of rain.

Would that be w/front/sides zippered up to the bimini top canvas?
Please keep us posted if you do something like that.

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[2kwik4u]

Would that be w/front/sides zippered up to the bimini top canvas?
Please keep us posted if you do something like that.

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Oh, I'll definitely post along the way if something like that happens. ....I've already sourced a local canvas shop, and have stopped by to talk general prices and ideas. Owner/manager/Sales/Whomever I was talking to seemed to think it was doable, but we didn't discuss exact pricing as it was quickly developing into a pretty elaborate system.

The idea would be to modify the existing AR190 Bimini top with zippers all around the perimeter. Here's the breakdown that we discussed looking into.

The "front" of the cover would be 3 panels of clear material as a sort of windshield extension. These would snap to the windshield, zipper to the bimini, and then zipper to each other. They could be installed for rain/cold weather, or left out for airflow.

The "sides" of the enclosure would be a thick mesh of some sort to allow airflow, but provide some level of shade when used. The would zipper to the bimini, snap to the windshield, and then tie/clasp/snap to the tower base. They would have larger zip in panels of clear material to keep rain/cold out if wanted.

The "rear" is the harder part as I don't particularly want snaps anywhere on the fiberglass. The thought was to make a set of straps that would hook to the rear tie down points, come around the back of the swim platform, over the bimini and attach to the tower through the existing anchor light/tow point opening. This strap setup might have some small panel to snap onto the existing bimini over the tow point to cover that hole up once secured, I'm still working that part out. Another strap (this one with a longitudinal zipper on it) would run from the tower on each side, down around the rear platform under the rub rail. This would be used to secure the bottom portion of the rear panel. The rear panel would then zip to the bimini, and zip to the sides, and zip to the previously mentioned strap. It would be mostly mesh with solid and clear panels to zip in inside for cold/wet days.

All of this would end up being rolled/folded into some sort of carrying bag/case. No idea how large/small it might be though. Another consideration might be to make it from Ripstop Nylon instead of canvas to keep weight/size down. and essentially just make it a big tent that zips onto the bimini. Lots of things to consider and plan out, and even then I suspect I will find things to do differently once I have it built and installed.

 

[zipper]

@2kwik4u My bimini and shade curtains use no snaps. The snaps on my boat are only for the bow and cockpit covers. I have never sat or slid across them. With their placement, that would be difficult. I have however stepped on the carpet snaps and that was not pleasurable. The shades zipper to the bimini on top and the bottom is held to the tower using "bungie balls".

 

[skbishop90]

Is there a factory snap on cover for the AR192's? (2015?) I would love one. I only have the mooring cover and it scratches every time I tow it... Really would like to price one versus getting one made, if theyre available online some where.