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How long do cratch covers last


Detling

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mine is 14 years old and I am sick and tired of re-sewing zips, and other stitches, holding together bits with tape, most of the elastic bands are perished to buggery   along with the fact that most of the press studs are either ripped out/ are bent after numerous replacements or only hold in a 3 knot gale.

I am buying a new one this Summer.:lol:

The canvas is still quite good.

  • Greenie 1
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Though not  cratch cover as  such my canvas on my last boat was replaced after about 8 years old. As has been said it was the stitching that failed, although the windows had also faded.It may be worth trying one of the canvas cleaning products such as Renovo, Fenwicks or Autoglym .

I recently used a steam cleaner on my canvas which , with help from some detergent and a little scrubbing  has done an acceptably good job.

 If re-proofing try Fabsil Gold (rather than the ordinary Fabsil) . More expensive but longer lasting - my canvas has remained waterproof since treated over a year ago ,despite later cleaning.

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The original covers on our boat lasted 9 years but only with some work to them replacing zips and windows. They were pretty knackered when we bought the boat at 5 years old and in hindsight we would have been better replacing them when we bought the boat instead of chucking money at them.

Our current set are much better then the originals. They have been on for five years and are still as good as new bar a few minor scuffs on the windows. We make sure that we clean and reproof this set a couple of times a year to keep them waterproof which in turn keeps the mould and mildew growth at bay. 

 

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I believe that better material is available for the stitching now .I was using fine fishing line until i got new cratch and stern covers fitted over existing frame work £1650 a year ago .

 

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The First Cratch cover we had made for Helvetia was by AJ Canopies of Braunston, and lasted something like 11 years. The second one also made by AJ Canopies was still in very good condition at eight years old when we sold the boat.

We did have some issues with the stitching on the first cover, but AJ Canopies undertook repairs for a very modest fee. The second one used a synthetic thread and was showing no signs of fatigue after eight years. When we ordred the first cover, we took the decision to have no zipped flaps, as observation of others suggested that this was always the weak spot and prone to wear, we took the same decision with the second one.

Edited by David Schweizer
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4 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

We did have some issues with the stitching on the first cover, but AJ Canopies undertook repairs for a very modest fee.

I have made tent-like covers for the back and front of my boat for use when moored at home for weeks on end. They last about 3 or 4 years before the fabric and stitches rot in the sunshine to a point when holes atart to appear and seams come undone.

Still, at about £12 for plastic tarps and cutting them to shape it is no big issue, but over the years I have found the tarp fabric and thread must be UV resistant.

Surprisingly UV info is not normally published in ads for cotton or plastic threads.

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On 6/14/2017 at 22:10, Detling said:

As title my cratch cover is looking tired and I think is 9 years old. Is this the norm or do they normally last longer.

 

Depends where you moor the boat. If Walsall top lock then about 24 hours.

:)

  • Greenie 1
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Not sure how old ours is but we had it restitched last year and some reinforcements added to the corners where it had started to wear thin.  This was less than £150 and as the canvas is in good condition it was much cheaper than getting a new one made.

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