Covering Kayaks

Covering Kayaks Outdoors

The following is from a set of emails generated by Dennis Nord's question: "I did a little search on the web for kayak covers. I want to keep ol sol off my yaks. I found one company in Maine. There covers were expensive and a long ways off. Any alternatives anyone knows of?"

Mike Kory wrote...
I have my plastic sit-on-top kayak stored outside and wrapped in one of those big blue plastic tarps. The boat is 15' long and the tarp is about 18'X12'. I set the boat on one end of the tarp and rolled the boat over and over, and then tied the ends. I then hung it from a cinder block wall using hooks and nylon straps (the kind you use to strap the boat to your roof rack). Works great, very cheap!

George Miller wrote...
I do the same as Mike. Bought a big reinforced plastic tarp from West Marine to use for the Performa. It works great.

A while back, Southwind told me they can have custom covers made. These would fit real nicely and probably breathe much better than the tarp. I remove the plastic tarp periodically and clean the kayak to make sure that no mold is growing.

Taylor Burch wrote...
Similarly, I bought a reinforced plastic tarp at Harbor Freight with a reflective silver finish. It was just a few dollars more than the standard plastic tarp. Keeps the sun off and keeps heat from building up. As for wrapping, I have a free-standing rack that I just drape the tarp over. Tie it down with rope through the tarp grommets to keep the wind from taking it away. Keeps the sun off and allows ventilation.

Just a bit off topic... I didn't have a trustworthy fence or wall to screw hooks into, so I made a freestanding rack out of Home Depot wooden saw horses and a 2x4. There is a sketch of it at WWW.SCSK.ORG Works really well and the saw horses make a great work stand for the kayak when you pull it down off the straps. Just an idea in case anyone has a similar situation.

Bill Becher wrote...
The place to get the custom kayak bags is xstreamline in Wilmington, click on accessories and then bags.

I have a couple of their bags and they are nicely made. I store my yaks in the bags on a rack behind my garage. But they are not cheap. I had to install big grommets in the bottom of the bags left outside so they wouldn't collect rainwater. Shouldn't be a problem with a tarp..

Some advocate using 303 uv protector on the bags (and PFDs as well) if they will be left out in the sun.

Alan Johnson, a certified Master Fabric Craftsman wrote...

Beyond the plastic tarp: things to consider for a cover used in Southern CA environment

Having been in the boat cover business for over 30 years, here are some things to look for in a kayak cover.

Materials: Polyester vs. Acrylic

Material Pro Con

Polyester Lower price, better abrasion resistance, water proof if coated (usually with vinyl or urethane) Less UV resistant although some coatings have UV inhibitors, less color choices, less fade resistant, will not breathe so should have some venting or risk mildew growth from water trapped inside cover.

Acrylic
(common trade names: Glenraven Sunbrella, Dickson Diklon) Water repellant but not waterproof it will breathe, excellent UV resistance, many colors that do not fade, long life - many covers will last more than 10 years More expensive, less abrasion resistance- have reinforcing patches sewn over rudder and any other sharp edges

Fabrication

Stitching Polyester thread size V-138 or better Goretex Tenara thread if there is going to be lots of direct sun on the cover and you plan to keep the cover more than 5 years

Straps Nylon or Polyester webbing, polypropylene webbing will quickly degrade from UV if stored outside

Zippers Size #10 (teeth are about 3/16" wide) looks beefy. Coil or tooth chain are both acceptable. Plated slider better than painted slider for rust resistance

Usage

Cartop Polyester is better as it will resist the damage from flapping at highway speed

Storage only Sunbrella is better as it will keep almost all of the water out and what is inside will dry out. If you store your boat right side up have a method to elevate the cover in the cockpit area so that water will not puddle. Better yet store the boat upside down

Donna Holtz wrote...
I was planning to sew covers for outside storage and started to research recently. They sell sunbrella at Foam 'n Fabric in Bellflower and Evan's Upholstery in Torrance.

Dennis Nord wrote...
I did the tarp thing for my two kayaks for several years, but wind is intense where I live and I am tired of re-covering or collecting my well-tied-down tarp.

Updated on May 30, 2007

Material	Pro	Con
Polyester	Lower price, better abrasion resistance, water proof if coated (usually with vinyl or urethane)	Less UV resistant although some coatings have UV inhibitors, less color choices, less fade resistant, will not breathe so should have some venting or risk mildew growth from water trapped inside cover.
Acrylic (common trade names: Glenraven Sunbrella, Dickson Diklon)	Water repellant but not waterproof it will breathe, excellent UV resistance, many colors that do not fade, long life - many covers will last more than 10 years	More expensive, less abrasion resistance- have reinforcing patches sewn over rudder and any other sharp edges

Stitching	Polyester thread size V-138 or better Goretex Tenara thread if there is going to be lots of direct sun on the cover and you plan to keep the cover more than 5 years
Straps	Nylon or Polyester webbing, polypropylene webbing will quickly degrade from UV if stored outside
Zippers	Size #10 (teeth are about 3/16" wide) looks beefy. Coil or tooth chain are both acceptable. Plated slider better than painted slider for rust resistance

Cartop	Polyester is better as it will resist the damage from flapping at highway speed
Storage only	Sunbrella is better as it will keep almost all of the water out and what is inside will dry out. If you store your boat right side up have a method to elevate the cover in the cockpit area so that water will not puddle. Better yet store the boat upside down