OCD about road grime

[Johnny Maxwell]

I had my boat about as pristine as it can get till yesterday morning. The rain ended Friday night so I felt a little road trip to fish Pickwick and I'd return with a still "almost pristine" boat and trailer. Oh heck no! Nasty as a garbage dump. I hate getting my boat dirty. LOL. I may be the only one but it drives me nuts.

[rocketmanjp]

I hear ya Johhny! I can’t stand towing my boat on a wet road.

[kybluebullet]

And ,the worst part to me this time of year. When I wash it then it's clean and frozen.

[Johnny Maxwell]

And ,the worst part to me this time of year. When I wash it then it's clean and frozen.

Ya'll do have that darn consistent cold weather. I have a floor drain in my garage so I can wash it inside if I absolutely have too. I'm feeling I'm about to have too.

[xb03]

I run a full size rock/mud guard that bolts to the truck’s hitch and it does a great job of keeping the boat clean. But if you run in the rain even it’s not going to help much.

[Jwolff]

The dirt in the textured portion of the top cap gets me the most spun up. Cant just wipe it off. I have to use a brush to penetrate the grooves.

[AllyFishing]

I have the rock tamers as well and they do provide protection from throwing stones up against the hull but sometimes I think its worse during rain storms while trailering as it blows everything everywhere. And the roads up north here suck to begin with.

[Tim Powell]

I hate pulling in the rain or salt...even worse, wet salt!

[NOTGSXR]

I hate pulling in the rain or salt...even worse, wet salt!

Yes indeed....

[Johnny Maxwell]

I once tried to beat the system by putting my cover on as I towed on the rain and road grime. I ended up with a nasty trailer, half a nasty boat, and a filthy and wet cotton cover. LOL. Twice the work to clean up.

[AllyFishing]

Speaking of trailering with the cover on, do any of you ever get scratches on their hull sides where the cover fits tight against?? I did twice when trailering and had to have them buffed out. Since then I've purchased a kinda tape that is 6" wide and came on a roll about 500 or 1000' worth. That roll has lasted me for years now but it takes time putting it on before laying the cover on.

The tape is made to protect areas when either servicing a boat/motor or in the process of a build so that the gel does not get scratched. Darryl at the factory showed me the product and where to get it.

[Johnny Maxwell]

Speaking of trailering with the cover on, do any of you ever get scratches on their hull sides where the cover fits tight against?? I did twice when trailering and had to have them buffed out. Since then I've purchased a kinda tape that is 6" wide and came on a roll about 500 or 1000' worth. That roll has lasted me for years now but it takes time putting it on before laying the cover on.

The tape is made to protect areas when either servicing a boat/motor or in the process of a build so that the gel does not get scratched. Darryl at the factory showed me the product and where to get it.

I had a cover do that once too. I had to buff it out where it beat the side of my boat. The last cover I bought, the one from Allison this year, did a good job of not marring my boat gelcoat surface on a trip to JP Coleman but it ripped in one spot. First time ever used. I'm wondering if there is a good cover or if they are mere unicorns.

[Jwolff]

[QUOTE=AllyFishing;9880461]Speaking of trailering with the cover on, do any of you ever get scratches on their hull sides where the cover fits tight against?? I did twice when trailering and had to have them buffed out.

That is why I don’t trailer with a cover.

[kybluebullet]

There is a guy up here that makes covers that custom fit . They are the only cover that I've ever used that works as intended. He reinforces certisn areas and installs non marring cloth in rub spots . They are very tight fit and work flawlessly. He keeps your boat in his shop during the build and custom fits around every curve .

[hooken203]

I have towed from home in snow storms. I hate doing it but sometimes it’s what you have to do. I don’t want that brine they use on the hiways here in every nook and cranny of my boat so I tow with the Allison cover that came with the boat. I have used the plastic wrap Allyfishing uses and it works well. You really have to use caution putting the cover on tie up your strap ends so they don’t rub the boat. And adjust the cover during travel. I have also found some sandpaper called tricut that works well when wet sanding those cover rash spots. Then buff it with compound. But I am with Johnny about the road grime I bet I wash my boat 4 to 5 times before I really get it clean after towing in the rain without a cover.

[River Rocket]

I have the same problem with my cover. It rubs spots. I plastic wrapped my boat on the last trip and it wore through it in 4 hours and I had to pull the cover. I'm the same way, sometimes I wash the boat multiple times to get it all off. The textured coating is a pain in the butt.

Wash the boat too many times and the carpet comes off........ LOL

[Props4u2]

The tape Craig speaks of is static cling that is mainly used in the shrink wrap process but does work well in other circumstances.
I have never seen a cover yet that didn't scuff the boat somewhere no matter how much padding or how tight it is installed especially in snow conditions when grit gets in between the cover and the boat at the bottom edge of the cover. I have always felt that it is better to wash than to buff.
I did tow a new Allison 650 miles to Jasper, Tn. in October in rainy weather with static cling wrap in contact areas with zero scuffing. It does work, you just have to make sure the straps around the perimeter of the cover are as tight as possible.

[AllyFishing]

I have been using the static tape on my hull right below the rub rail from the transom all the way up the side to my registration numbers since 2010 with ZERO scratches. The tape is 6" wide and does an excellent job. I trailer form Pa to the rally in TN and from Pa to Hartwell in SC and many other long trips each year.

I'll get the name of it later.

[Johnny Maxwell]

There is a guy up here that makes covers that custom fit . They are the only cover that I've ever used that works as intended. He reinforces certisn areas and installs non marring cloth in rub spots . They are very tight fit and work flawlessly. He keeps your boat in his shop during the build and custom fits around every curve .

I remember you and Chris telling me about that guy. If you were closer I'd be leaving my boat with him. After dropping about $900 on a cover you would expect it to work flawlessly but the 3 I have had thus far for my Allison's have not done anything for me but keep the dust out of the boat when it is garaged.

[Johnny Maxwell]

I have the same problem with my cover. It rubs spots. I plastic wrapped my boat on the last trip and it wore through it in 4 hours and I had to pull the cover. I'm the same way, sometimes I wash the boat multiple times to get it all off. The textured coating is a pain in the butt.

Wash the boat too many times and the carpet comes off........ LOL

The next good clear weekend I get, I'm going to have to shampoo my carpet. It is gray and it don't look dirty but there is no way it isn't full of dirt/grime. The grime when walked on repeatedly acts like micro sandpaper and will wear out carpet if not removed regularly. It's a job to do it right though.