2005 Sea Ray sundeck

mattias

mattias

Member
Jan 27, 2019
105
Powell, Ohio
Boat Info
240 SD

Tow Vehicle = 2014 Diesel Grand Cherokee
Engines
350 Mag
Bravo III drive
Couldn't stand it anymore, we brought our (new to us) 2005 240SD home today. It towed like a dream but front part of the the cockpit cover blew off the snaps - any tips or tricks on how others tow their boats and keep this cover on?
 
I’m curious as well. I’ve been debating a towable cover instead of the snap on due to potential damage to the cover/gel coat.
 
On long distance tows I have used the white tape from shrink wrapping. Holds the cover well and comes back off clean.
 
We towed our Sundecks from Indiana to Tennessee a lot and never had problems with the snaps coming off the factory cockpit covers. I bought a towing cover once it was a waste of money.... it was the kind that went down past the rubrail and had additional straps that went down to the trailer frame...it really buffeted in the wind...I didn't like that against the hull sides... it ended up being a good winter cover.

An idea might be to change out the snaps that come off first to new ones or use directional snaps.. they wont come off in the wind but are a bit more frustrating to unsnap. You should be able to make the factory covers work which is ideal..

one other thing we did is always closed the door between the bow and cockpit...it stopped the wind from coming thru and blowing up the aft canvas...we put a towel/rag between the door and frame on the latch side since the boat flexs a bit... it also helped the forward canvas with a bit of back pressure.
 
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Snaps in front should be no more than 5 inches apart. May need to add a few.
 
GREAT advice from everyone- thanks! Do the snaps just screw in to the gel coat / boat?
 
All good advice above as the factory covers should work just fine. I can't tell you how many 240SD's I've personally trailered... along with how many customer's I have with 240SD's. That model was EXTREMELY popular!

To add... make sure the poles are extended enough to make the cover nice and taught. If the cover is floppy/billowing, that could certainly cause the cover to pop off. The shrink wrap tape idea (or hull preservation tape) is an easy fix. Adding snaps (yes, they just screw in) is easy, too. Those "Pull the DOT" snaps that were mention(I think this is what Blueone was referencing) are nice and would be a direct replacement.

FYI, be sure to pre-drill and chamfer the hole so the screw threads don't contact the gelcoat if you drill new holes. But if you replace with "Pull the DOT", you won't need to add any new snaps.
 
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Lazy Daze said:
All good advice above as the factory covers should work just fine. I can't tell you how many 240SD's I've personally trailered... along with how many customer's I have with 240SD's. That model was EXTREMELY popular!

To add... make sure the poles are extended enough to make the cover nice and taught. If the cover is floppy/billowing, that could certainly cause the cover to pop off. The shrink wrap tape idea (or hull preservation tape) is an easy fix. Adding snaps (yes, they just screw in) is easy, too. Those "Pull the DOT" snaps that were mention(I think this is what Blueone was referencing) are nice and would be a direct replacement.

FYI, be sure to pre-drill and chamfer the hole so the screw threads don't contact the gelcoat if you drill new holes. But if you replace with "Pull the DOT", you won't need to add any new snaps.
Click to expand...

Lazy bet me to it. Make sure the pole is extend and cover tight. Towed all over the place and never had a problem.
Chuck
 
I don't tow with canvas on. If it comes loose in even one area, it whips around and beats the boat to death. I installed snaps for all of the seat cushions and engine compartment covers to keep the wind from blowing them away.
 
Leardriver said:
I don't tow with canvas on. If it comes loose in even one area, it whips around and beats the boat to death. I installed snaps for all of the seat cushions and engine compartment covers to keep the wind from blowing them away.
Click to expand...

Especially this one!


image.jpg
 
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