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Tough time with playpen cover

T

TexBoater

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Received my new 2274 GL in early November.  We've only had it out 4 times but it's great so far.  Everything works and the fit & finish is better than I expected.  It has a 150 Yamaha and moves along well.

I find dealing with the playpen cover to be a very major hassle.   Taking it off is OK but putting it back on the 4 times I've done it has been horrible.  I have slightly arthritic hands and some of the snaps need a sledgehammer to engage the snaps. 

My boat stays in a covered slip.   Since the boat is in a slip I must handle the snaps from the inside of the boat which makes body positioning tough as well.   

Do you feel the need to install the playpen cover every time you dock the boat for a week or two?

What about just covering the most of the boat and engaging half the snaps or just enough to keep it in place?

Any advice will be helpful.  I plan to make my kids do the heavy work when they are with us but when just the wife and I, it's a tough job. 
 
I keep my boat on a covered lift but I still put the play pen cover on every night. The canopy keeps it dry, the cover keeps it clean. I see it as ou can spend the time putting the cover on, or you can spend the time cleanign up bird and spider doo doo before each use. As for snaps if the weather is going to be calm I'l skip every other or skip two and leave the poles out. If we are expecting heavy winds all the snaps get engaged and the boat goes all the way up to fully protect it. My seats still look as clean as the day we got the boat.
 
I use candle wax on the snaps to lubricate them and makes them much easier to snap.  I too am in a covered slip and do not leave it uncovered in the slip for more than a few hours (like if we go out skiing in the morning and come back with the plan to go out again later in the day) to help keep it clean.

Jack
 
The first few times my wife and I put on our cover it seemed to take a long time; however, we developed a system that seems to work well for us.  When taking the cover off we start from the front and work backwards (she is on one side and I am on the other side working back) but when installing the cover we do the opposite (start from back and work to front).  After a few tries we found we got down to about 8 mins to install the cover and bimini cover and about half that time to take it off.  We have found that snapping it is easy until you get to the last one or two snaps when it can get difficult.   I like the suggestion of using chapstik and I plan on doing that when we open the boat in the Spring. 

As to covering the boat each time -- we have gotten into the habit of fully covering the boat even if we plan to come back in a day or two.  We have others at our Marina who do not cover their boat each time and I can see a difference in the wear on their seats.  The biggest thing you need to protect against is the UV rays and not covering it will expose the seats. 

Good Luck and I hope you can find a way to install the cover without it being a big chore as I believe it will keep your boat looking nice for a longer period of time.
 
Thanks to all for good comments.  As expected, I heard confirmation it's wise to cover it as much as possible.  Not surprised.  I was hoping someone would say "sure, buy one of those fake Owls to scare off birds and leave it alone for 2-3 weeks".  I suspected better.

My wife and I do think we'll evolve to a system of sorts. We have not yet and it's a hassle. I think I am trying to have my poles extended too high and am complicating the problem.  Another problem is my "crew".  My crew is my wife and my dog - neither of whom take orders very well..... ;)

How do you apply the chapstick???  Do you put a dab inside the opening?  The snap tool looks great for removing snaps, but it's not obvious how it works installing them?????

Thanks for all the comments.  
 
The hook on the handle end goes under the outside of the snap to push it on.
 
How do you apply Chapstick? Rub it on your lips and kiss each snap base! ;-) I kid, I kid.

Have you considered a generic cover (w/o snaps) that you might use when conditions are right? Like one of those trailering covers you see on flea-bay? Those look like they might work for favorable conditions. When you need beefy, you can go with the factory cover.

Just a thought.
 
Poles go in last when I put my cover on.
 
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I think this has been "covered" before, but i'll go through it again. To make quick work of getting the cover on and off, it all starts with the removal.

Remove support poles, unsnap all the snaps, fold cover lengthwise starboard to port, first fold in half, then in quarter. Now fold or roll the cover bow to stern, and stow it under a seat.

When putting the cover back on, place the rolled cover at the stern, unroll, unfold, and voila! it all falls into the proper place, stretch and snap, and lastly install the support poles, not too tight though, just enough to hold the cover taught.

This works well for me, i hope it does for you as well!
 
Thanks again.  I said this once before but this forum was one of the reasons I went with Bennington.  It's been a huge help.   Thanks.... D.
 
This is by no means a product endorsement. In fact, the mere posting of this link does not imply endorsement, recommendation or suggestion. It is posted only for informational and comparative purposes.

Your mileage may vary. No shirt, no shoes, no service.

http://www.vortexdirect.com/boat-covers.html
 
I recall a couple time putting my cover on completely while I was in the boat. I did it once to see if I could, and a second time to weather a storm. It is possible and I thing with practice could be done consistently.
 
Start at the front or back, do a couple snaps on one side, then the other, put poles in as you get to them.
 
My routine is to uncover from back to front and roll the cover as I go (easier with help on the side) and also remove the center poles as I go (mine are numbered and I keep them at the proper extended length to reinstall at the end of the day).  Then i cover in reverse - starting at the front by doing a few snaps on the nose to hold in place as I pull it tight as I unroll towards the rear and insert the pre-marked poles in the proper positions as I go.  My boat is accessible from the sides in my slip and I do the side snaps last.

Jack
 
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