tarp when traveling

[jessyleafslandry]

i know i should be using my tarp when i travel which i do but is it waymore expensive on gas because the wind catches in it...i see lots a ppl traveling with bass boats without a tarp...any hints or let me know what you guys do...thanks

[HammysSkeeter]

Hey There,
Maybe put a couple of ropes around the loose parts, that is what i did with my old tarp. With the one i got from Canadian Tire, I have no loose sections, it is very tight to the boat and the trailer.

[merklerob]

i never travel with a cover. my cover is 18 years old and still going strong. if you must use a cover to travel rap rope around it several times. i've seen too many cover flap will moving. it really destroys tarp/covers.

[SkeeterJeff]

Aurora Covers.

http://www.auroracanvas.com/

Very happy with mine, does not catch wind when towing.

[AmesHusker]

I only tow with the cover on when the weather's bad - to keep out all the dirty road grime, etc. If it's nice out, no real need for the cover IMO, unless you have to drive gravel/dirt roads.

[Neilslure]

I have heard towing with the cover flapping can damage your boats' finish over time. I never tow with mine on.

[jessyleafslandry]

what about rock chips arnt you guys worried about it

[HammysSkeeter]

Its the dust I HATE!! Lots of the boat ramps around here are down dirt roads. We tried once without the cover, never again. I had the boat all shined up and vaccumed, by the time the boat went in, the carpet and the finish went from brown to beige!

I have the cover on pretty much all the time even when its in the water. We dont have a dock at our campsite so i built a little drive on: 2x6's covered with carpet on a base. keeps the boat off of the shore and in the water. i rigged up some straps that match the tarp connectors so the tarp goes on at night too.

Maybe some big mud flaps would help?




Modified by HammysSkeeter at 9:44 AM 7/16/2007

[CatFan]

The cover isn't going to stop the chips. They come from the bottom. About the only time I tow with my cover on is when it is raining or has been raining. The water isn't the issue: It's all the dirt and crud that comes off the road.

[AmesHusker]

What CatFan said

[billius]

I never tow with the cover on. I've got a Dean's cover. While it seems like a top quality cover, it scratches the top cap in three or four places on each side, no matter how tight I get it. I've heard of guys putting heavy duty saran wrap type material on the boat, then putting the cover on, but I've never tried it. You can always clean your boat when you get where you're going.

[LIMITS4ALL]

IMO the wear and tear on the cover is just not worth it. A bass boat finish is much harder than your cars finish so if you keep the finish clean, waxed, and stored out of the direct weather your boat finish will do well for many years. The cover will help with keeping rainy rode grime and dust out of the carpet but those come out at the car wash and will get in the carpet or build up in the carpet cover or no cover. Since I keep my boat in a boat storage shed the best thing a cover does for me is keep rain out of the boat when parked at the hotel and helps keep more things dry when you are not able to park your boat so it will drain properly.

[esoxjohn]

My boat is garaged kept in the winter, in the driveway in the summer. While in the driveway, I only cover it when heavy rains are expected. When traveling,it is always covered, as I do have some equipment in it, and stop overnight.

[Phoenix Ed]

Hammy, I like the idea of the drive on for the camp site. We camp in Arkansas every year and I hate to park mine on the bank. This was my first year with the Nitro, and thankfully I have a Keelguard on it. We may have to do a little engineering before next year though.

I used my cover this year when pulling to Arkansas from Houston. Mainly to keep all of my junk covered and to keep the bugs off. The last few miles are dirt and rock, so the cover was well appreciated.