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Reasonable Boat Cover Recommendations


jclarkhall12

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Hi, I have searched the forums and cant find the exact answer I am looking for.

I have a 2008 VLX, and the cover is deteriorating to the point of disrepair and I need a new one. Because the boat is kept in a slip during spring and early summer, I am not looking for something bargain basement. That said, I plan to sell the boat at the end of next year in favor of a newer LSV, so I don’t necessarily want to go top of the line either. Sooooo……any recommendations for a good quality decent value “middle of the road” cover, something that wont break the bank?

Thank you.

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I think the Commercial Sewing cover would classify as 'middle of the road' ...... performance wise. But I'm not sure on pricing, and I've never known anyone to buy one as a replacement cover..... so I don't know about sourcing. (Have to go thru a dealer?)

Most people go with Evolution because of their performance. For your boat I believe you'd be looking at $800-900. One thing to think about though; when you go to sell the boat, because of Evolution's impeccable reputation, having an Evolution cover is a huge plus for a lot of potential buyers.... (Well, educated buyers anyway)

Good luck.

And FWIW, I have a used Commercial Sewing cover for your boat that I'd sell pretty cheap. BUT like I said, it's used..... And it's not completely waterproof.... It'd be great as a dust cover/sun protection.... But I'd give its water repellency a D grade. I don't know exactly what you're looking for...

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Thanks for the feedback all, any other thoughts keep em coming!

"-BS-" , I agree with you on resale, plus philosophically speaking I wouldn't want to sell something crappy to someone anyway. Commercial Sewing looks nice, but over $1k new on Bakes. I appreciate the offer to sell me yours, but waterproof is a must. The Evolution cover looks very nice (not a great website, obviously their specialty is covers ;-) ), and they seem to cost around or slightly less than Commercial Sewing covers.

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Thanks for the feedback all, any other thoughts keep em coming!

"-BS-" , I agree with you on resale, plus philosophically speaking I wouldn't want to sell something crappy to someone anyway. Commercial Sewing looks nice, but over $1k new on Bakes. I appreciate the offer to sell me yours, but waterproof is a must. The Evolution cover looks very nice (not a great website, obviously their specialty is covers ;-) ), and they seem to cost around or slightly less than Commercial Sewing covers.

For an 08 VLX an Evolution should certainly be less. If waterproof is a must then you're not going to find a "middle of the road" cover that will fit your needs. If your potential buyer has any experience with boats, flimsy covers, pita poles, etc. then it should be a great selling point and you could re-coop some of your money back, let alone the peace of mind that you didn't sell him a POS cover. You should certainly give Cory at Evolution a call before you decide on anything.

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I would look at a Westland custom cover. I had one for my Crownline, and it worked well. Had a drawstring under the rub rail with a cincher mid boat on each side to tighten it down.

The best prices and service I found was at Bald Mike's. http://baldmikes.com

Edited by RyanB
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Evolution all the way. No better cover and I can't believe how much the prices have come down lately.

Couple that with the MOTR Sunbrella covers coming up in price to the 500-650 range it's really a pretty easy call.

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Thanks for the feedback all, any other thoughts keep em coming!

"-BS-" , I agree with you on resale, plus philosophically speaking I wouldn't want to sell something crappy to someone anyway. Commercial Sewing looks nice, but over $1k new on Bakes. I appreciate the offer to sell me yours, but waterproof is a must. The Evolution cover looks very nice (not a great website, obviously their specialty is covers ;-) ), and they seem to cost around or slightly less than Commercial Sewing covers.

As long as there are no rips/tears in your cover, or BS's cover, a good cleaning and a bottle of 303 Fabric Guard will restore waterproofness.

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As long as there are no rips/tears in your cover, or BS's cover, a good cleaning and a bottle of 303 Fabric Guard will restore waterproofness.

I wish. I've tried cleaning, then applying AquaTite............then the next year I tried cleaning and applying 303. No bueno. Once the fibers separate, you'd have to coat the thing in plasti-dip to get it to be waterproof again. The fabric itself has a shelf life.......and UV is the worst thing for them.

Granted, the waterproof value goes from maybe a D to a C+ once you clean it and apply the 303, but it's still faaaaaaaaaaaar from waterproof. The rain drops actually fall right through the cover (or 40% of each drop) where the cover lays perfectly horizontal (bow and sunpad). Where the cover is at an angle, the 303 helps a lot. In those locations maybe only 2% of the rain drop finds its way through. But yeah, not waterproof.

FWIW: My cover is an 09 and has been exposed to the elements about 7.5 months a year. .........and looks* perfectly fine. You'd never know it isn't waterproof until it rained..

Edited by -BS-
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I wish. I've tried cleaning, then applying AquaTite............then the next year I tried cleaning and applying 303. No bueno. Once the fibers separate, you'd have to coat the thing in plasti-dip to get it to be waterproof again. The fabric itself has a shelf life.......and UV is the worst thing for them.

Granted, the waterproof value goes from maybe a D to a C+ once you clean it and apply the 303, but it's still faaaaaaaaaaaar from waterproof. The rain drops actually fall right through the cover (or 40% of each drop) where the cover lays perfectly horizontal (bow and sunpad). Where the cover is at an angle, the 303 helps a lot. In those locations maybe only 2% of the rain drop finds its way through. But yeah, not waterproof.

FWIW: My cover is an 09 and has been exposed to the elements about 7.5 months a year. .........and looks* perfectly fine. You'd never know it isn't waterproof until it rained..

Hmm. Maybe you're right.

My boat has lived on a lift 24/7/365 since 2006, but its a covered, east-facing slip. So, its only the rear end and transom/swim platform that is regularly exposed to direct sunlight, and, even then, only until late mornings. I'm still using the original cover, though I've 303'd it twice over the years. Interior stays pretty much dry, even though the roof over the slip leaks a bit at nail holes and seams.

Its possible, maybe even likely, that that portion of the cover that extends from the rear of the sun pad down around the swim platform has lost its waterproofness, but I really haven't paid that close attention back there when it was actually raining.

I have a NIB factory cover for my boat, picked up several years ago, at a price I couldn't pass up, when a dealership was dropping their Malibu line. I've been reluctant to use it because the original seems to still do the trick. Regrettably, as it would be perfect for the OP's boat, I'm not willing to part with it.

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I have a Westland semi custom cover made from sunbrella fabric, and water repellency is excellent. The water beads and runs right off. It's been through 2 hard rains with no noticeable water getting inside.

The fit is good enough to keep water from pooling, but not nearly as good as an Evolution.

Cost was $640 shipped, but that included the vented runoff pole option.

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Hmm. Maybe you're right.

My boat has lived on a lift 24/7/365 since 2006, but its a covered, east-facing slip. So, its only the rear end and transom/swim platform that is regularly exposed to direct sunlight, and, even then, only until late mornings. I'm still using the original cover, though I've 303'd it twice over the years. Interior stays pretty much dry, even though the roof over the slip leaks a bit at nail holes and seams.

Its possible, maybe even likely, that that portion of the cover that extends from the rear of the sun pad down around the swim platform has lost its waterproofness, but I really haven't paid that close attention back there when it was actually raining.

I have a NIB factory cover for my boat, picked up several years ago, at a price I couldn't pass up, when a dealership was dropping their Malibu line. I've been reluctant to use it because the original seems to still do the trick. Regrettably, as it would be perfect for the OP's boat, I'm not willing to part with it.

Yeah it's all about how much UV they see. Sounds like yours doesn't get much abuse at all.... almost serving as a dust cover really... That's awesome. I would LOVE to have that setup!

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/04-08-Malibu-LSV-21-Boatcover-custom-Fit-to-fit-around-illusion-tower-/252114532729?hash=item3ab3327979:g:4UcAAMXQ8OdRMZaY&vxp=mtr

This should fit. It fits my 2006 VLX. I would add an eye bolt thru the vent and hang it from the tower. There is a post describing the details. The seller will drop the price if you contact him.

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