We took our 38 tg cockpit cover and just went to the local fabric store and bought a really soft fleece and then had our local apholstery guy sew it in place. It was relativly inexpensive and has worked great. If you end up doing this have them sew it over the spots that rub on your seats as well. That is the reason we did ours was to prevent the cover from rubbing on the seats.

Guy's I am worried about the Flannel and/or Fleece holding water,I would assume its not breathable and want dry out quickly,that it would mildew easy??? it may not be as bad as the Sunbrella canvas that the cover is made of.The factory cockpit cover has sown in white vinyl, the back side toward the paint,its not that soft:eek:

Does anybody know anything about these materials?? con pros

My boat is not stored inside,its outside all the time.

Thanks for the sugestions.
Rob



tonypo8 thanks for the sugestion,my seat tops get blue on them from the cover now.

Sunbrella has a few different fabrics,dont see anything with a backing
http://www.glenraven.com/marine.php?lang=en

I have been fightin this problems for years, sumbrella has a new fabric out but it is not 100% waterproof, i had a cotton liner sewn in but it rots and has to be replaced every two years. there is a new fabric made by a different company that claims it is 100% waterproof, so you could have the cotton sewn on underneth it, and withe water gettin in it should last for years. the guy who found me the fabric is Canvas Experts 410 213 8766 ask for mike, tell him i told u to call. good luck Wild Bill

Rob, fleece will not hold water and will dry quickly. Most is made from polyethylene (PET), often recycled from milk bottles. Polartec, for example, is a very well known and trusted manufacturer of fleece products for the outdoor industry. They have some good info on their site about the different types of fleece and finishes. www.polartec.com I'd start looking at the "Classic" fleece.

If you were to go a step farther, some fleece has an anti-microbial coating that was designed to control body odor after wearing for a long time in damp climates. This would go a step farther in preventing mold/mildew, but I wouldn't go that far for a boat cover. I would think 3M has a spray-on product that has similar properties.

Most technical fleece (outdoor clothing) is produced in three different weights, usually 100, 200, and 300. I'd go with the 200 or 300 levels for a thicker product thick. I have fleece jackets that I have been used and abused for years that do not have damage or thin spots. It's really durable stuff.

It can stretch, so I would look into stitching the fleece to the cover in multiple locations, like a quilted pattern...but that may lead to water intrusion. A seam sealer made for tents would fix this.

Whatever you do, make sure that the thread used is made especially for use on Sunbrella, or it may rot and disintegrate. Gore Industries (GoreTex maker) has a good product.

Brad.

You could also go with a totally seperate fleece cover (or the like to go under your regular cover, and use gypsy snaps on the fleece. That way the fleece and the canvas are seperate and could be cleaned seperately if need be.

There are marine vinyls that have fleece type backing, sew on cover up side down. Marine vinyls are mildew proof, thats what I used when in the bussiness and had no problems.
Good luck

That's a good idea :eureka:

I just talked to them they have the parachute material,and a canvas material,that has a plastic backing for waterproofing.She said in the wind they will flap.I ordered the 2 test fabrics and I going to rub them on the paint company test truck:eek: to see how bad it scratches.

They also said they used the flannel years back and it would stay wet and mildew,they said they want use it anymore.They will not sell the material either,1700 for 38ft.I just don't see it being custom fit with out the boat being there?

Redline let me how ya engine project come out,I would be interested in the before and after.:)



Rockfish71 it said it was vinyl,is that like the vinyl seat material???? most Ive seen is not smooth on the back.Hustler put it under the cockpit cover in high spots as a padding for the paint,it left some chafe marks in the paint,

c_deezy i think it would be better to get a new cover made instead of having 2 covers?


BradH I wonder if its cost effective anti-microbial coating ?? I have a locall canvas guy he has the thread,but its coarse and feels like it would scratch the paint,doing a quilt/zig zag like in the center hump?

looks like I may have to set my standards alittle lower,it took 7 years the wear thru the clear on the front part of the hump,and I could of helped it with all the polishing I did:rolleyes:.

thanks for the suggestions,keep them coming,I determined to find the best way.I guess it could be like the Outerlimits back cover comes un snaped when towed.that the factory want tow this with a cover on them,but the interior with wet road grime cant be good.

picks are were the cover rubbed it the worse.

Rob:drink: