How to Choose your Boat Cover

How to Choose your Boat Cover

While in transit or in storage, your boat will need the best protection from the elements. A cover helps to keep the rainwater out while also protecting it from UV rays during the summer that can be quite damaging to your boat. My point is that choosing the right boat cover is an important step that all boat owners will need to take. Let’s look at some of the best tips to help you along the way.

Measure your Boat Just to be Safe

When shopping for a boat cover, I highly recommend that you take your boat’s measurements. Write them down and keep them with you when you go shopping. You have to make absolutely sure that you’re buying the right size. Sure, local and online shops will provide you with a list of compatible covers but it’s such a significant investment that you need to verify that you’re getting the right size.

  • Measure the beam width of your boat. This should be the widest area of the boat.
  • Measure the length of your boat in a straight line.

Buy your Boat Cover Online

The answer to this question will depend on the model boat you own. Some of the more popular brands will have some amazing online prices for online retailers because they are in such high demand. So I recommend that you look online first. The reason is that online covers are going to be much more affordable. For example, I’ve seen boat covers being sold locally for over $1,000 while that same cover is online for under $600. That is a huge difference! Why would you want to pay 80% more for the exact same boat cover? It makes no sense!

Consider your Budget

Buying online is going to save you a lot of money but that option is not available for everyone. But I highly recommend that you at least try to find one online because of the substantial difference in price. We’re talking about a $300-$400 difference in some cases!

With that being said, always remember that you get what you pay for so if you try to save too much money here, you could end up with a low quality cover. So it will wear out much faster, forcing you back to square one. In the long-term, it’s always better to go ahead and invest in a quality cover. Just keep in mind that it’s going to cost more initially so plan your budget around that fact.

Understand the Use of your Boat Cover

Boat covers are used to protect your boat from a number of different issues. This list will change depending on where you live. Keeping out unwanted water is obvious, but here are some of the issues that most people don’t think of.

  • UV rays from the sun. This can damage any fabrics on the boat such as seat covers and carpet.
  • Airborne dirt or grime that comes from the road while in transit.
  • Keeps wildlife out of your boat during storage.

Check the Quality of Materials Before Making a Purchase

When you are shopping online, each cover will have a convenient quality chart to help you make a decision. The quality cover you want will depend on how you plan to store your boat. If you are storing your boat in the open, then you’ll need higher quality materials. However, if you have a boat shed that helps protect your boat, then you can probably save money by investing in a lower quality material.

It’s Time to Make the Purchase!

We’ve put a lot of thought into this important investment so once you have considered everything in this post, go ahead and make your purchase.