Playpen cover every night?

Hawklakebenny

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I'm new to a pontoon boat and we bought the best brand ! We own a 20 SL with a 70 hp Yamaha.

My question is whether we need to cover the boat every night when we are at the cottage? Obviously it gets covered when we leave it at the marina, as we are water access. If it's going to rain, it will get covered, but on a nice night will it hurt the boat to leave it uncovered?

Adam
 
Most here will probably say yes, but I would say no.  It is a boat.  Of course, at my age and health, I am not able to do the covering thing.
 
My boat is always covered when I leave the lake but when I am there and it looks like a nice night with no threat of rain I leave the bimini up and do not put the mooring cover on.  Additionally if there is a small possibility of rain in addition to leaving the bimini up I add this Ford bed truck cover I bought at Home Depot.

http://club.benningtonmarine.com/index.php?/gallery/album/388-helm-cover/
 
Always covered .  I get enough presents from the spiders ,let alone the birds  
 
Cover it! You won't be sorry in the long run!
 
Covered also helps to protect your furniture from the sun 
 
We keep our in covered dry storage and still use individual seat covers. Love them, just remove the ones needed at the time. Only takes seconds to put a couple back on.

Steve
 
If it is a nice night, no need to cover it.  Like said above, if it is going to rain, I cover it.  If I pull in at night and it is a beautiful night, I leave it uncovered, I know I will be using it again the next day.  I guess I don't have the problems where I am with spiders and bird crap.  You will do no harm in not covering it all the time.  It is a boat and made for the weather, even if it happened to rain, you will be good.  I just would not make it a habbit to not cover it if I think it may rain.
 
We ALWAYS cover ours. I've seen what a Heron does after it eats and that was ON AND DOWN THE SIDE of our cover. I can't imagine if it was on the seats/carpet. I personally just don't see the value in saving 8-10 minutes vs. spending 1/2 hour plus cleaning bird crap out of my carpet.
 
I always cover mine! I even throw the cover on it when we dock to go grab a bite to eat. Pterodactyls crapping on my seats after they eat 47 lbs of blueberry and pomegranates pisses me off!
 
My mooring cover goes on in November and comes off in April.  It's a pain in the rear to get snapped down and tough to unsnap.  It takes a strong grip to deal with them.

I'm fortunate that my boat lives inside a fully enclosed boathouse on a rack 3' out of the water.  The reason my last pontoon boat lasted 28 years was keeping it dry and out of the sun.

But I too fight those spider droppings. I have a set of seat covers made out of Duralast to protect them.
 
I decided that when I spent the money on a Bennington it would always be covered. Now I agree that one night will not hurt it but what about the sun exposure until you use it. In addition, if you are like me, one night can turn into two and maybe three. If covered and I decide not to use it i am fine. My policy is, it does not spend a night without putting the cover back on. Just me. As for the snaps, best advice I heard on this forum is take a stick of chapstick lip balm and put some on each snap. Much easier to take on and off.
 
Always cover. If one night left uncovered Moisture or dew will cover everything, The next is mold. It'll start in the corners and seams.  Taking 5 minutes to cover will save heart aces 3 or 4 years from now when the vinyl looks like its 8 or 9 years old. If nothing else lay the cover over the playpen and snap a few corners. Out side of the sun the worst enemy for vinyl is moisture. Don't  be lazy You paid a lot for the best  you'll want it to look the best. Like a baby it can't protect itself. That's where you come in. You bought a "SL"  next you'll want a "G" or "R" or maybe a "Q"  The better the "SL" looks, the better the trade.

"FIVE MINUTES" I WOULDN'T EVEN ASK THE QUESTION.
 
I always cover even if coming back the next day. I will leave uncovered if going in the morning and then returning in the afternoon. It keeps the spider crap (which is like black tar) and the birds from doing their buisness all over the boat. It also deters people from walking onto your boat to check it out while you are away. I am in a covered slip at the marina so the rain and sun does not affect me as much. I usually snap the back and leave the front unsnapped except one on each side. This makes it a little quicker. The under rail hook system is quick to put on and take off. I left my old boat uncovered in the covered slip at the marina and I spent too much time cleaning it and ended up with stains I could not remove.  
 
We have a cottage too. Just bought a 20SL. Cover it if it's going to rain, otherwise leave it open...it'll be fine. They don't make these things out of paper...it's a solid marine grade finish and construction from top to bottom. Don't be a slave to your boat...enjoy it.
 
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Bad idea. It may not rain but there is something lurking about that are much more harmful called "UV". It'll rot the rug, eat up stitching, attack hidden material, Leave dampness at night, and welcome mold the next day. I'll bet you don't wash or wax the playpen, or make use of 303. your one that takes real pride how the Benny looks.  Glad I won't be buying your boat down the road, or for that matter sitting on a bench with good pants on. getting the lose oxidation all over my cloths. How about motor service more slavery?
 
Not to mention, sun damaged upholstery (if proven) is not covered under warranty. We have a GCW owner that was warned by the dealer as they never covered theirs.
 
Use 303 weekly...wipe down seats daily. Don't have to worry about mould as we got the designer vinyl ). I take care of it real well. Just don't need to cover it at night....don't think there are too many harmful UV rays when it's dark outside.
 
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Furthermore that 303 can make anything come alive again. Just cleaned and out it on my 7 year old hot tub cover...and voila....brand new. 303 is a must no matter what you do.
 
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