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Fall 2024
page 58
TIP 5
Consider a cover that fits over your pedestal seats. When my factory flat covers wear out, I replace them with a cover that fits with my pedestal seats in place. These covers shed rain and snow better than a flat cover because the seats create a sloped roof rather than a flat roof. It is also easier to retrieve rods and tackle from under the cover without removing the cover.
The elevated canvas creates a gentler angle on your boat electronics reducing wear when traveling down the road and when parked.
While removing these covers is more challenging because you must lift them over the pedestals, overall, the process is quicker because you do not have to remove your pedestals and store them, then reinstall them the next time you fish. Some surmise a seats-in cover adds wind resistance and lowers fuel mileage, but my tests have proven otherwise.
TIP 6
Buy the best canvas material you can afford. Fabric thickness and strength is important, as is ultraviolet resistance. You get what you pay for… Good covers are breathable to help with temperature and mildew control. This also means they are water resistant and not waterproof.
TIP 7
Water resistance is maintained by a chemical coating. When your cover looks to be absorbing rather than shedding water it is time to treat your cover with new water repellent chemicals.
TIP 8
Covers provide a mild degree of security. They keep prying eyes from finding targets of opportunity, keeping honest people honest. In more than 40 years of bass boat ownership the only items stolen from my boat were when stopped at a restaurant without my boat cover on.
TIP 9
Covers help keep critters out of your boat. One night after fishing all
day on Lake Nacimiento I heard a ruckus by my boat and discovered a raccoon trying to make off with a topwater still tied to my fishing rod. I had not yet put my boat cover on for the night. Covers won’t keep mice out unless you seal off all entry points but covers work better than no cover.
TIP 10
Learn when and where to trailer your boat with the cover on. If I am driving a short distance of less than an hour on good roads and the weather is dry, I trailer without the cover for convenience. But realize there are risks involved. I once stopped to check my wheel bearings and noticed smoke, but it wasn’t coming from my wheel but rather inside the cockpit. Somehow a lit cigar found its way into my uncovered boat while towing it.
Twenty-plus years ago, I drove my new pro staff boat home from the dealership in Idaho. A road crew was busy chip sealing the highway. Once I got home, I spent hours pulling tarred gravel out of my new boat. That was the last time I traveled long distances without my boat cover installed.
TIP 11
Boat covers don’t scratch gel coat, dirt does. Take this tip to heart. You can trailer your boat at highway speeds across country like I have many times, and never scratch or
scuff your gelcoat, if you
practice the following.
TIP 12
Always keep the inside of your boat cover clean. Once dirt gets embedded in the fabric it will act as sandpaper to your gel coat.
TIP 13
When your boat comes off the water, take two minutes to wipe down the upper surfaces of your boat with a spray cleaner with polish and microfiber towel wherever the boat cover touches the boat. If your boat is dirty and you put a cover on it, you now have a dirty boat cover that will damage your boat’s finish. If you keep the boat and cover clean it will always look new and you will protect its beauty and value. Get lazy and it will cost you.