OEM (commercial sewing) cover question

[BSUBU_Kris]

I have the "Commercial Sewing" cover that came with my 23 LSV. This cover has the ratchet system to tighten the cover as well as two rain poles with vents and another vent toward the top of the windshield. The cover appears to be of very high quality and fits really well. The documentation indicates you can tow with the cover but I have read here otherwise. The boat and cover is new ( Dec 2010) so I would rather not replace it. Everyone seems to swear by the evolution covers. So here is my question. Can the commercial sewing cover be modified to be a good cover for towing? I really don't want to replace a brand new cover as I am certain the street value of the commercial sewing cover is not significant.

The other question would be, who tows with the commercial sewing cover and has this caused any problems?

[Bill_AirJunky]

Several issues with this type of cover (in my book).

- the side straps will flap in the wind. You can put a twist in them to help keep this to a minimum. ALL straps need to be secured on any cover.

- we've heard here that the ratchet in the rear has cut loose at freeway speeds & managed to beat the boat pretty badly. Obviously this may be a setup issue when the cover was secured on the boat. I'd wrap it with something just in case. The Rankin/Evolution cover has a large piece of leather/naugahyde that wraps around the buckle that secures this rope.

- the poles can punch thru the material, especially with any pressure or weight on the cover (eg; wind, rain or snow). This too can be modified to be better, by spreading the load from a single point to a wider area. Overtons sells a strap system that does just this. We used to make a PVC support system on our older boats.

- The Rankin/Evolution type covers have some padding in various places to keep the cover from wearing on the windshield &/or fiberglass.

What is the cover made of? If it has vents in it, it sounds like it doesn't breathe very well, which can cause problems when the boat is drying out.

I'm sure it can be done. Especially at slower speeds or shorter distances. But you'll need to take some extra steps to make sure it will work.

[BlitzedVLX]

We towed ours 100 miles in bad weather with the standard Malibu covers with the 3 rain poles in place at the same time. The cover has a pull ratchet on each side near the towers. I loop the other tie downs under the trailer and then twist and tie them in such a way so they do not flap. The cover did a great job staying on at high way speeds and did not flap at all. The only problem we have with this cover is that it is tearing where it goes around the tower. I am actually taking it in to a local guy who does alterations to be sewed next week and he is going to add an additional padding around this area.

[skyskier]

I towed my 2008 23 LSV with the CC cover for maybe a total of 1000 miles at 100 miles a clip and I had no issues. My dealer told me I should not tow with the poles in place. He said the poles will interfere with the "suck down" design of the cover. My cover did not have the side straps others have refered to. Just the strap with the ratchet. I always cinched the ratchet down tight to make sure there was no rubbing. Because that boat was black and I had heard of some rubbing issues with darker colors, I got a little paranoid the last few times I towed it and I ran pallet wrap around the boat below the rub rail before I put the cover on. Pallet wrap or not, the cover did not leave marks on the boat.

So, the direct answer to your question would be yes, I towed with the CC cover, and no, I did not have any issues. I went with Evolution for my 2010 23 LSV because I could not find a way to keep the CC cover on my 2008 from collecting water. I leave my boat out of state for a week at a time, so any cover that allows water to pool is a big deal.

Here is a shameless plug for Evolution covers..........a cover from Evolution will put to rest every concern you have ever had about covers.

[LS-One]

I don't know where you heard they are not a "towable cover" the cover is especially designed with towing in mind. It has vents on top that cause the cover to suck tight to the boat This is my fourth bu and fourth cover, I tow with it all the time and have no marks on my boat .My favorite things about this cover are the zip pockets for the gas fills and the slots for the pop up cleats to come out.

just my dos pesos

[BSUBU_Kris]

My cover also has the openings for the cleats and the zippers for the gas fills. It also doesn't have any straps that attach to the trailer. The ratchet system also has a cover that zips around it once secured. The cover fits very tight right below the rub rail so I don't really see how it could rub underway. It also has additional reiniforcement at the top of the windshield and in the back. I plan to try it on some short trips before a long trip to Idaho this summer.

The vents actually work well in the cover. There is a vent assembly where both poles attach to the cover and a vent near the top of the windshield. With the poles in I don't get any pooling of water but would get pooling of water without them. As stated here I have been advised not to use at least the bow pole on the cover when towing. I will not attach either pole when testing it out.

[Hydrofoil]

http://www.commercialsewing.com/vids/vh_malibu.wmv

[Bill_AirJunky]

Looks like things have changed at CS. The video makes it look great.

It's funny the different philosophys & materials used in that cover & Evolution's.

I've had terrible luck using poles. The punched thru the material when the cover got to be a few yrs old & we had a good hard rain, or a light snow.

[cwkoch]

I have a CS cover for my 2010 VTX, and I've towed with it a few times (only tow with it in rain to keep the interior clean). I've never had an issue. Mine doesn't have straps to the trailer, just the ratchet system on the back. It gets really tight. They are made for towing.

I talked to CS about towing, and they had told me the poles are supposed to be used while towing.

Also- if you're worried about rubbing- use the shrink wrap trick. I use some 18" pallet shrink wrap, and put 2 or 3 layers on the boat, from about 2 inches below the rub rail, and up. This covers any gel coat where the cover contacts it, and will keep it from rubbing.