Need advice on covers other than Evolution including OEM cover...

[oldjeep]

I'll go ahead & say it & will probably get an earful. I am not impressed with the evolution cover especially at what it costs. I like my cover & I like the pull thing I have that attaches to the tower & I pull the cover up & water just drips right off, no poles

the pictures I have seen, it looks like they fit really poorly and are much looser than the stock cover

[jgates237]

I have been very happy with my Great Lakes cover, it is also Sunbrella and is waterproof. After checking out a friends Evolution cover in person there are actually some features about the Great Lakes that I prefer over the Evolution, even though the Evolution is also a great choice.

Brett B,

I just looked at the Great Lakes site and it appeared that they didn't make a VLX cover for anything newer than a 2003. How'd you get one if that's the case? Also, do you still use poles?

[racer808]

Brett B,

I just looked at the Great Lakes site and it appeared that they didn't make a VLX cover for anything newer than a 2003. How'd you get one if that's the case? Also, do you still use poles?

Check bald mikes. You can buy poles or you can order this thing that attaches to your cover with a pulley that attaches to a piece of rope that slips over the tow point on your tower, then pull it up & rain rolls right off. I think it was $45.00 extra. I love it

[Sliderfiii]

I bought a cover from Great Lakes for my 99 Sportster....fit great and even came with the Malibu logo

[Brett B]

My Great Lakes cover came with the boat when new, my dealer orders Great Lakes instead of the Commercial Sewing covers since they think they are a better cover and I would agree. And yes mine does have the Malibu logo on it as well. Their website isn't the greatest so it would be best to give them a call. It does come with 3 poles. I leave the poles out when towing, and when sitting outside with the cover on I put the 1 pole in the bow and 2 in the main cabin.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Brett B

[racer808]

Here's a shot of my cover on. I don't tow with the cover pulled up, we just got back to camp & it was about to rain. You can see the draw strings dangling, you just pull those to tighten it down

[MalibuTime]

the pictures I have seen, it looks like they fit really poorly and are much looser than the stock cover

they? context? are you saying Evolution covers fit poorly and much looser than stock, or something else? The post you quote mentions Evolution, but fits perfect and taught is the desscription for how Evolution covers fit.

[MalibuTime]

I'll go ahead & say it & will probably get an earful. I am not impressed with the evolution cover especially at what it costs. I like my cover & I like the pull thing I have that attaches to the tower & I pull the cover up & water just drips right off, no poles

Might be impressed if you had one, but fair enough opinion. Sounds like for your needs you have a better price/value solution that is working great for you, can't ask for more than that.

[oldjeep]

they? context? are you saying Evolution covers fit poorly and much looser than stock, or something else? The post you quote mentions Evolution, but fits perfect and taught is the desscription for how Evolution covers fit.

my post was overly negative, based only on pictures I have seen of the evo covers not covering the sun pad and having what looks like a fair amount if slack in the pictures with hangtites installed.

Edited - spelling

Edited July 4, 2014 by oldjeep

[Bill_AirJunky]

well my interior is bone dry. Cover is grey fwiw

I'll have to take a look at his cover & see who made it. Obviously it's not the same across the country.

BTW, this particular boat owner is ready to tell the dealer to keep their covers & go back to the company who made his old cover....... yep, it was an Evolution. He specifically said it was work a few extra bucks to get one that worked right.

[racer808]

Might be impressed if you had one, but fair enough opinion. Sounds like for your needs you have a better price/value solution that is working great for you, can't ask for more than that.

No, what turned me off was a buddys boat with an evolution was left out side with a big snow storm coming & it stretched the hell out of it. Otherwise I like the feel of the material, I like how how it ties down.

[Bill_AirJunky]

No, what turned me off was a buddys boat with an evolution was left out side with a big snow storm coming & it stretched the hell out of it. Otherwise I like the feel of the material, I like how how it ties down.

I don't think these covers have any kind of real snow load rating. Have you ever seen a cover supported by poles that has a lot of water or snow on it? The poles poke thru the cover & all the water drains thru the resulting holes into the boat. For this very reason, all my old boat covers when I lived in Seattle had PVC supports that spanned the entire width of the boat rather than just 1 or 2 little points.

[racer808]

I don't think these covers have any kind of real snow load rating. Have you ever seen a cover supported by poles that has a lot of water or snow on it? The poles poke thru the cover & all the water drains thru the resulting holes into the boat. For this very reason, all my old boat covers when I lived in Seattle had PVC supports that spanned the entire width of the boat rather than just 1 or 2 little points.

What's funny about that to me is the people who sell the poles tell you not to use them. I am surprised the setup I have is not more popular with more covers. It is so simple & is almost impossible for any snow / water to accumulate once it is pulled up. One thing I do hate about my cover, not sure if this is a problem with others is if I put the boat away wet it will be wet underneath it the next morning. If the boat is dried out though it never sweats.

[oldjeep]

Well, made it back - another 200+ miles of towing. No idea who makes the OEM cover, but it looks like this.

[jonredcorn]

I figured I would update this since I stumbled upon this post... 

Cory does now have 2001 VLX plans, so he can make properly fitting covers.  They are as great as you would expect from Evolution Covers!

Although I have now parted ways with the 2001 VLX, He is in the process of making my new cover for my 2005 VLX, so I'll post pictures when I get it! 

[ilovetrains]

On 7/3/2014 at 11:24 AM, racer808 said:

Check bald mikes. You can buy poles or you can order this thing that attaches to your cover with a pulley that attaches to a piece of rope that slips over the tow point on your tower, then pull it up & rain rolls right off. I think it was $45.00 extra. I love it

do you have a picture of this option?  Sounds like a great idea.  Putting the poles in place with OEM cover is always a PITA.

[racer808]

17 minutes ago, ilovetrains said:

do you have a picture of this option?  Sounds like a great idea.  Putting the poles in place with OEM cover is always a PITA.

I'll do you one better:

http://hangtyte.com/

 

I only have one position for my cover

Edited April 14, 2016 by racer808

[ilovetrains]

cool - I am probably going to buy a new cover and just have not been able to stomach the 1K for the Evolution.  I am also afraid b/c of the few people who have had problems with Evo covers - most have an LSV, like mine.

[racer808]

Just now, ilovetrains said:

cool - I am probably going to buy a new cover and just have not been able to stomach the 1K for the Evolution.  I am also afraid b/c of the few people who have had problems with Evo covers - most have an LSV, like mine.

I edited my response, found a vid link for you to check out.  I paid 500 for both cover & pulley thing & its been a great cover.  Might actually sell my cover if someone doesn't give me what I want for my boat & I am forced to sell just the boat & keep all the goodies

[Bill_AirJunky]

I believe it's called Hangtyte. Cobe Mikacich's company actually got a patent for it. Even though other cover manufacturers have been doing it for years.  I'd have a tough time paying an extra $45 for it.

I just use a bungee cord, hooking it anywhere on the tower.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Bill_AirJunky

[dalt1]

Couple dollars worth of rope and sew in a couple D rings. I have done it on my last 2 boats, works great. I throw the rope tied to the first ring over the tower and hook it to the 2nd ring.

[ilovetrains]

went ahead and ordered the sharkskin cover.   Now just need to get boat ready for season...

[Bill_AirJunky]

2 hours ago, ilovetrains said:

went ahead and ordered the sharkskin cover.   Now just need to get boat ready for season...

The problem we had with sharkskin was that it doesn't breathe, so if you cover the boat when the interior is damp at all, it'll never dry out. So vents had to be installed in the cover & Dry-z-air dehumidifiers setup inside the boat.

Hope it works well for you.

[ilovetrains]

As it is I usually have to run a dehumidifier in the boat (drain through the bottom) everytime it is parked at the house.  If this cover will keep additional water out, I will be happy.

[oldjeep]

I had sharkskin plus on the last boat, held the water out fine.  Never had a problem with it breathing because it came properly vented.  The issue I did have with it was that it was blue and if it got to flapping in the wind hard enough it would transfer blue to my bright white seats.

Edited April 15, 2016 by oldjeep