My father always used his boat cover when trailering his boat anywhere - even local lakes. I rarely use it but for when I'm traveling more than 1-2 hours to a lake. However, my boat is a single console and notice when I'm at hwy speeds, the side with no console is sort of swept upwards and seems to be catching wind. I'm guessing this isn't exactly helping my gas mileage.

On one hand, it does offer extra protection for the upper portion of the hull (I have a separate cover for the Merc.) However, most rocks/etc are going to hit the lower hull not the deck. Plus, how different is hitting bugs at speed when boating vs. hwy trailering?

Any downsides to towing with no boat cover for extended trips? Heading to KY Lake next Tues night and I'm debating what to do.