Initially the only item I needed to purchase from a Marine supply catalog was a 25'x12' tarp. I also bought some framing lumber, mostly 2x4s and used the circular saw to cut them up and build a frame to support the tarp. If I had the table saw on site that day I would have ripped some of the 2x4s to make more supports where less strength is needed and if I had the time and the tools on site I would have used wood screws rather than nails for the first iteration of boat frame. As is it was hastily tossed together and survived a season or two.
Regardless of having left some tools at home that would have been handy, the first iteration frame came out reasonably well. It was constructed as three interlocking peices, each designed to be light enough to be carried on board easily by one person and set into place. The tarp is then draped over the frame.
The first iteration frame had some shortcomings. I ran a short on time and could have used at least one more support near the stern to help shed water. As is a puddle formed in the last few feet of the tarp before it drained over the transom. The weight of the water ripped the tarp slightly over the furthest aft pair of stancions that supported it. An attempt was made to correct this but puddling still occurred.
Two years later I completely rebuilt the frame using bent strapping made from framing lumber rip cut from 2x4s and using a small amount of plywood, mostly scraps. This frame was made of 11 interlocking peices and is shown in the photo above without the cover. This second iteration boat cover was a complete restart from scratch. I was built very tall to make sure puddling could not occur, even with snow.
In late January 2005 "the 2005 blizzard" brought 24-30 inches of snow to Cape Cod. This proved too much for the cover. The snow was a wet snow, the type that sticks to things. The weight of the snow snapped a frame member in the bow and the whole frame was twisted forward. This is shown in the third photo where the cover has piles of snow on the bow and stern and a huge sag in the bow. Some melting and refreezing occurred resulting in giant ice blocks where the cover had puddles due to the part of the frame that collapsed.
Out of the wreckage was born the "newer and more improved" model. This third iteration was only a slight change over the previous, really more of a repair job. The strapping was reinforced all over using 3 or more layers screwed together to form laminated members from just under an inch thick to an inch and a half. Peices were added to reinforce the lower frame and keep it rigid fore and aft, so that even if a bow or stern member snapped, the rest of the frame in less likely to move. In the last photo this frame is shown after another two or three snows and some 8-10 inches of accumulation. There is only a pair of snow puddles at the stern. These can be avoided by pulling the cover tighter in the stern. A full year later at the time of writing this there have been no further problems.
This is a case where I tried to buy something and couldn't find it and ended up making something. A long tiller extension made of two pieces of aluminum bar stock worked out very well. The little bit of leftover bar stock came in handy for a few other projects.
NEED PHOTO
Markings on hoses and seacocks need not be pretty, just clear. I finally got around to doing this using permanent marker on the white hoses. The writing is sloppy but readable. The seacocks are identified by writing on the hose going into it. I didn't bother taking any pictures of this artwork.
NEED PHOTO
A waterproof bad is good insurance for expensive and water intolerant items such as a digital camera, particularly when ferrying these items back and forth on a wet dingy or on a kayak. We have two kayak bads, one small and one larger. We also have some large storage bags designed to keep clothes dry when stored in the cabin. It is unlikely that we will get a Pelican waterproof laptop case due to the cost, though I've considered it.
As can be seen in the photo if you don't get your boat cover on the boat on time, you will need to shovel snow. Its a bad idea to use a metal shovel on a fiberglass boat. You also want a shovel that is small enough to shovel the sidedecks and the cockpit footwell. A plastic kiddie shovel does the job nicely.
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