Okay boat owners, if you are like me you probably didn't want to spend a lot on your boat to self winterize your boat. I live in Maine and we have had one pant load of snow this year. I knew the cover I bought was going to need to be able to hold up against anything a Maine winter could throw at it. This cover has held up very well indeed.
1) The material is rugged yet flexible, breathes and is remarkably water repellent.
2) The color I choose was gray, because I have enough blue tarps floating around in my neighbors yards! Go with the gray.
3) The tie down straps are stong enough but may be the weak link over the long haul. They are nylon and have good clips to fasten under and through the hull of your boat. You can crank 'em down tight to get a good fit and this helps to shed the water.
4) The elastic band that hold it close to the hull once installed, seems good and able to last for several seasons (that said this is the first season for me)
5) One of the worst things you can do to a boat , or any other mechanical device for that matter, is wrap it so tight it cannot breathe! This cover has two ventalation holes at the top of the cover in the stern. They seem to work well.
You might as well just throw out the little plastic tarp stand they provide with the cover.It us useless which I didn't mind because I knew I wanted to make my own out of wood any way.
One other thing about this tarp, there are a gazilion merchants selling this particular "Classic" brand. I happened to call the one who had the best price in Seattle and was glad I did. He recommended that I get it larger than the measure indicated on the description if there were any doubt about it fitting my 21' bow rider. BEST advice I have gotten in a while as I needed the extra material to get a really good tight synch for winter. GO LONG man if you can. You can always bind the extra to your trailer or some other anchor point.
Hope this helps those out there that want to maintain their own boat in a cost effective way. Classic Accessories StormProTM Boat Cover (Grey, Model D)
Receiving this product I was pleased to feel the thickness of the material. The internal elastic around the bottom edge helps keep the cover on and also helps when installing it. However it didn't fit my boat. I did return it and purchase the same cover in a larger size. Your situation may vary but I urge you to think about buying a larger size than you think you might need.
I purchased the "E" version of this cover. The Amazon site said it was for boats 20-22' in length and proper for a V Hull Runabout. My boat is a 21' V Hull Runabout. The length was actually just about right. However there were no "width" indications on the Amazon web site page so I went to the Auto Barn web site where there was a more detailed chart. That chart indicated the "E" size would handle boats up to 106" wide. My boat is 96" wide. It didn't fit the width by a wide margin, more than a foot short of the needed width. I spoke with a representative of Auto Barn who said the width was meant to be the actual beam width - the widest part of the boat. I believe they do not properly allow for the height of the boat above the bond line nor do they properly account for the windshield.
I asked to exchange the cover for the next larger size. Auto Barn does not do exchanges. I had to RMA the cover back to Auto Barn and go back to Amazon to order the next larger size. It cost me $40 to ship the cover back. So I've now paid $40 for a product that didn't meet the stated size chart. I'm not happy about that at all.
Now that I have the "Model F" cover for 22-24' boats with up to 116" it is longer than needed and still just barely fits the width. I will not be able to use this boat for trailering on the road because it will not fit tight and would flap in the wind and perhaps scratch the boat. For me this is okay though because I have an official custom designed Yamaha cover (very expensive) that I use for road travel. This cover is just for storage. If you want to use a cover for road travel you may have to look elsewhere.
Bottom line. The cover is great, Auto Barn policy not so good, buy a larger size than you think you need if you have a taller boat with a tall windshield.
For reference I have a 2006 Yamaha SX210. I don't think it is much different than other brand runabout with standard windshields.
So far, so good. Received the cover a few days ago and installed. Not as thick as my original factory cover, but its also about half the weight, so relatively easy to install by myself. I have a 17'-8" V-Hull I/O runabout and Model D (17'-19') fit great. Its a tad too wide, but nothing a few tarp clips won't fix. Overall good fit for a non-custom cover.
The steel gray color looks great on my black boat and I like how the straps run all the way across the width of the cover. Like other reviewers I found that yes, the pole included was a bit flimsy, but once tied down it worked fine. Then again, in California mine won't have to stand up to 100 lbs of snow! Now, let's just see how the cover holds up in the summer sun!
WORD OF CAUTION: Make sure you put foam or something soft like microfiber cloth along any sharp edges as you install and before strapping down. It straps down with force and will probably tear along swim-ladder hinges, bimini frame and other metal hardware -- I almost learned that the hard way!
I bought this on the strength of the reviews. My husband didn't want to spend the money and thought our patched boat cover was good enough, but it leaked one too many times when he got sloppy with the supports and rain pooled on it. This cover was a lot thinner than our old one, so my husband was skeptical, but it looked very nice. We put it up the day we got it, skipping the pole because of the reviews and putting our own supports under it. It was a great fit. We had no rain overnight, but the next morning, the cover was soaked through with dew. This is a nice-looking dust cover, but that's about it. We let it dry then repacked it and did an online return through Amazon. UPS picked it up the next day, and we promptly got a full, hassle-free refund. Way to go, Amazon! Can't say the same about this cover. I rarely write reviews but wanted to warn others.'
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