Trailering covered?

K

kohldad

New Member
May 28, 2013
2
Charleston, SC
Boat Info
2000 BR180
Engines
Merc 135 I/O
Can the factory bow and cockpit covered be safely used on my 180BR? I'll be towing it behind a truck camper and only running 55 so the slower speed should help, trips can be up to 250 miles.

I planned on hauling it uncovered, but weather may change bringing heavy downpours and I would like it to stay reasonably dry, but not at the expense of the cover.
 
I have never had any problems trailering my 180 with the cockpit and tonneau cover even when doing 70 mph. I put about 8000 miles on the covers and they held up fine. The blizzard of 2010 destroyed them in short order though.
 
I always trailer with my bow and cockpit covers on. I did 250 miles last weekend at speeds up to 70 mph. I always make sure the support poles are adjusted to keep the covers pretty "tight" which keeps "flapping" to a minimum. I'm still using the original covers that came with the boat and I trailer with them on at least 500 miles per year. The covers are still in great shape. Perhaps it reduces their life expectancy somewhat, but I'd rather replace the covers than have the whole interior ruined from all the road grime/tar.
 
I always trailer with my bow and cockpit covers on. They are the originals and still look great. I also keep the support poles right and lower the bimini top if I'm going very far.
 
I used to pull a trailer boat. Short term - no issues. Longer term - I always felt there was a good probability of the covers moving enough to rub the Gel Coat. I never worried about the 10 mile trip to the lake, cover on, cover off, whatever was convenient. The times I did do long pulls - always with covers off.

Don't think you would see anything in a year or two - but if you plan on keeping the boat a longer term - you might see something.

With smaller snapon's covers I would be worried about a snap being loose, little wind, then a second snap, then a third. Next thing you know the whole cover fly's off and lands on the car behind you on their windshield. But then I guess that's what insurance is for. Just a couple of random thoughts.
 
I trailer mine with the mooring cover. I lower the Bimini, put the half inflated tube in there and crank down on the straps. It's very tight and barely moves while driving. Works great!
 
I use the original snap cover any time I'm traveling more than a few miles. The covers keep the interior out of the sun and also allow me to pack stuff inside the boat and not worry about it flying out. 9 years later and no issues at all.
 
My bow cover has like a tongue shaped piece up front that goes up where the anchor and ladder are. This section has been known to unpop a snap and start flapping. Once that happens, if I don't see it, it can start unpopping other snaps. My southern fix for that is duct tape. Now, it's not just any duct tape, but I've got a roll of Sea Ray arctic white duct tape that matches the gel coat perfectly. I run a strip across the front, half on the snaps, half on the gel coat and problem solved. It leaves a little sticky on the boat but that's a whole lot easier to clean than it would be to repair a ripped cover. Around here we get popup thunderstorms just about the time you think it's going to be a nice sunny day. Just a few miles down the road without covers and you've got a big mess to clean up.
 
I have been looking for a good trailers me cover. Once a year we take a 3 1/2 hour trip to lake George. Last year once of snaps came undone and air got under the cover and it blew off. It was held on by one snap so we did not lose it but it was torn and had to be repaired. It can also stretch the cover. Still looking for a solution I don't like traveling with it uncovered in case of a thunderstorms.
 
I ALWAYS travel with the factory snapons in place. They still look like new and have never had a problem with one coming loose.
Looking in the rear view mirror, they barely flutter.
The cover keeps your interior clean, keeps all your gear in the boat, even protects the windshield from rock chips, just to name a few.
 
I always remove my cover when trailering, if it gets wet-it gets wet. I can dry off most of cockpit with a towel. My friend lost his brand new cover off his brand new boat (a Wellcraft, though) and it costs a bundle to replace. Not worth it to me.
 
I always cover when trailering. I read where others didn't and had seats blowing out on the road. I travel ~ 60 mph to the lake for years with no prob.
 
What should I do with the bimini? I have a 330 mile trip next week.
 
In my opinion, Bimini top should be all the way down laying flat. Last trip I took it all the off and put it in the bed of my truck. Just my thoughts.
 
Should I lay it down and strap it, or can i take it off and put it under the snap cover?
 
For long trips I take my bimini all the way off and stow it in the engine compartment. I have the smaller bimini though that's integrated in with the wakeboard tower. I do this because in has some velcro straps that secure it to the tower when not in use, if left up, thes straps are bad to flap in the wind and fray somewhat. Learned that on the first long haul.
 
mperlst216 said:
Should I lay it down and strap it, or can i take it off and put it under the snap cover?
Click to expand...

I either lay mine flat in the bed of my pick up, or I lay it in the boat under the cover. I usually don't bother though unless I am travelling in a tight overhead space or more than 200 miles.
 
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