How to choose the materials of boat covers?

Some boat owners find boat covers useful for trailering and storage while others use it for storage only. If you plan to use your boat cover for trailering, you will want to take a look at the material’s tear strength. Tear strength is the force required to rip or tear the boat cover. This is important because as you are traveling down the road there are several forces that can “tug” at the boat cover like wind and tie-down straps. If you plan to trailer your boat with the boat cover on, Carver’s Performance Polyguard fabric has the best tear strength. If you are using your boat cover for storage only, consider where you are storing it and the climate.

2. Climate

Climate can have a major impact on your boat cover material choice.  If you live in a hot, humid climate you will want to stray away from Sharkskin Plus as it does not breathe as well as Performance Polyguard or Sunbrella. Breathability is important in a hot, humid climate (or even cool, humid climate) because moisture can get trapped underneath the cover. Couple that moisture with a warm temperature and you’ve created a perfect environment for mildew to flourish.

3. Where will the boat be stored?

When storing your boat outside, we recommend a Performance Polyguard or Sunbrella boat cover for extra durability. Both fabrics have a better strength, UV resistance and colorfastness when compared with Sharkskin Plus.If your boat is stored inside your garage or any other protected area, you will not need to the same type of durability as if you were to store the boat outside. When a boat is stored outside it is exposed to harmful elements such as wind, dirt, rain, and UV exposure. If you store your boat inside, you will want to take a look at the next two deciding factors.