Travel cover Yes or No?

[DragMan]

I just bought my fisher Fiberglass Fx Dv 18 Fiberglass Walleye Boat, Should I get a travel cover for it or not? Pros and Cons. Do you all cover your Fiberglass Walleye Boat with a Travel cover when trailering?

[Tom (Mich)]

I bought a Yarcraft 1895 Storm this last spring. I'd be as likely to trailer it without a cover as I'd let my kids play outside in January without a coat. It NEVER hits the road uncovered. Road grime, stones, possible rain, and even salt play havoc on the boat. Having said that, you spent plenty on your Fisher rig - spend again and get a custom cover specifically for your boat. Pad areas that might cause friction when traveling. I'd recommend against the catalog version covers - again, go for the custom.

[Terry/JNR]

A cover is a must, traveling or sitting in your yard. It protects the seats, carpet, etc. Without one the interior would look pretty bad in just a couple of years. A good inexpensive cover is a Harbor Master from Walmart.

[Ranger1]

DragMan,

I have an 18' Smoker Craft Pro Mag and I agree with the first reply, I would not put her on the road without a custom cover. I have no problem spending the extra cash on the custom cover and neither should anyone who is buying an 18' new or used boat. Every year when I put her in storage, I call the shop that made the cover and send it via UPS to them ($12.00 shipping) and have them reinforce any areas that have a small tear or is wearing thin from that years use. You don't need to do this ever year, but when you see wear, it only cost a couple of dollars for the upkeep as opposed $300 to $500 for a new one every five years. Spend the money, you won't be sorry.
RANGER1

[Smitty]

I don't have a glass boat, but agree that I wouldn't leave home with my Lund without the travel cover. I would spend the extra $ on a custom cover. They fit tighter, which means no rubbing on the paint like a generic one. Also means I can safely put clothes, etc in the boat and not worry about anything getting wet. The first custom cover I had made is still on my dad's boat and no signs of wear after 4 years. If you take the boat to have it made a good tarp builder will reinforce in all the right places from the start.

[KM]

Good Question, Simple Answer: YES

[Grampa_Joe]

Nice boat Dragman.
I hate to be the only guy who says no, but here's why. I used to trailer with a cover everywhere. I had super tight custom covers built that had nice pads on wear areas and everything. I don't care how tight that cover is, you are going to get some movement and subsequently you will get little surface scratches. They will be the most prevalent on your motor. I run Mercs so the black shows them worst than anything. I don’t care if you line your cover with silk, if the cover moving an inch, it will scratch it. In a boat as deep as yours, road spray and debris are basically non-existent.
I put my cover on when I get to where I’m going. When I sold my boat this fall it literally looked brand new. Easily twice as clean as any other of the same model I saw for sale and I couldn’t guess the amount of road miles it saw.
-Joe

[FJH1]

I agree with Grampa Joe in that your motor will suffer surface scratches with a cover. The place that makes my covers in northern Illinois has the covers designed in such a way that they do not cover the motor - i.e. no scratches. I have a travel cover on my Lund and there are cutouts so that my main motor and kicker are not touched by the cover. Personally I would not trailer without a travel cover.

Best Regards,

FJH

[eyewinder]

Grampa:
The only time I don't have mine covered is when traveling roads or on the water (of course). I'd considered changing my ways until I read your post--now I don't feel like I'm missing the boat (if you'll excuse the expression).
Good pullin'!
eyewinder

[capt_paul]

Covers are great investments for a boat such as yours. I have a similar boat and had a custom cover made for it. It worked great until on a trip to Erie the snaps came loose by motor and beat a brand new motor and boat all to ****!
Kind of defeated the purpose.

Beware of snaps, take extra time when securing the cover on the boat to make sure snaps or gromets can't flap in the breeze and beat on your boat. Best of luck!

[Chaz]

When I go to my local lakes less than ½ hour away I do not cover the boat unless it is raining and then I cover to keep the road grime out. When I travel longer distances I cover it up because I get better fuel mileage. I had a custom cover made without an attached motor cover because a cover will scratch that black paint.

[Ranger1]

DragMan,

I would not travel with out the cover like I stated with my first reply and I am not having any of these problems that everyone is speaking about with the cover scratching the paint of the motor cover. I had my cover custome made by Elburn Canvas Shop in Elburn Illinois
(630)365-9288 and have never had a problem with scratching. Give them a call.

[STCROIX BOY]

I would say Yes. Get a cover of some kind. Road grime can be a real mess. Especially if it rains, or you are forced to travel dirt/gravel roads. One big advantage is SECURE STORAGE. Use that space for all your gear. If you don't have a cover, sooner or later you WILL lose something important out of the boat!

[Terry]

I had a skeeter cover for my skeeter walleye boat
and used it most of the time, resulting in scratches on the gunnels wherever there was a seam. I talked to several pwt pros at Oahe last spring and the majority did not use covers because of the scratching problem. They said it was easier to wash the boat then try to fix all the rubs

[acp]

I have a Lund 1900 Pro-V, 200HP Optimax and Lund cover. The Lund cover material is quite abrasive.

I trailered this outfit 4000 miles last summer between Florida and Canada with the cover in place. I made sure the cover draw string was tight while travelling. For protecting the Merc my wife made a cover from a very soft old blanket to put over the motor before putting the Lund cover on.

I also placed soft material over the seats where the cover rested to prevent abrasion in this area.

After all this travel I could detect NO damage to either the hull or shinny black Merc paint.

Without a cover of any type over the motor it will be quite susceptable to rocks, bugs etc. at highway speeds.

Later....

Al

[Jim]

Keeps prying eyes out of your gear. Yeh, its easy to open it up, but I believe in out of site, out of mind. A good cover will not scratch the boat, unless you have gritand grime on the surface that may work like sandpaper.
Who wants to get into a filthy boat after towing in down a wet hiway? Buy one, you'll never be sorry.
Jim

[Gunga Din]

Yes! I posted this question several years ago and the response then, like now, was an overwhelming yes. After several years of trailering and storing with a high-quality custom cover, I'm convinced it's the best way to go.

[Dave G]

I don't like to take the time to put the cover on and take it off. Spending this time fishing is much more enjoyable. I do have a cheaper cover I put on when traveling more than 200 miles or when storing the boat for the winter.

[MP35]

Would leave home without one due to road debris and weather related conditions. I wax my boat prior to puting the trailering cover on to reduce scratching. Haven't noticed any additional surface scratches since waxing.

[Fritz]

I agree with Chaz. Short trips, no cover. Long trips always covered. Go with a Custom cover, it is surprising what they can do. Mine doesn't go over the bow mount trolling motor which is what I wanted. Good luck.

[Smitty]

My cover is also cut out so that the motors aren't covered. Others are right in that my experience with covering the motor is you will get scratches.

[MarkG]

Where in N.Illinois did you get your cover?? I may be in the market for a new one this spring.Am also
tired of the full over covers tearing up my motor
shrouds.Thanks

[FJH1]

I have my covers made by United Canvas in Antioch Illinois. I'm have had three covers made by them. All of my covers have been made out of a material called Top Gun. Of all the materials I have seen for covers Top Gun is the best in my opinion.

Best Regards,

FJH

[Wall-i]

NO and Yes. I have had 3 Ranger's and have used and not used a cover I pull with a large V8 and see no change in MPG. I put every thing in locking storage compatrments so theft is not a problem I also like to be able to get a cold soda out of the cooler. I like to pull my boat low on gas and fill when I get to the lake. I do use a cover at night to keep dew and frost out in the fall it works for me. Buy one and do what works for you

[Steve]

Yes, cover it. I have a separate motor cover so it doesn't get scrached in transit but it goes on between trips. Also custom covers with an attached motor cover is made with the motor in the up position. If you want to store the motor in the vertical position, to let water run out during early spring and fall freezing conditions, you will have to uncover the motor. Go with the separate boat and motor cover.

[Grampa_Joe]

I do the same exact thing. Put everything out of site at the landing, put the cover on for the night to keep dew out.
-Joe

[Cold Front(IL)]

Smitty is the cover from lund OK or would you recomend a custom cover. I have a pro V IFS on order thanx jim

[acp]

I have a 1900 Pro-V with the Lund supplied cover. I only have this cover as it was part of a special promotion last year and it didn't cost me anything.

The material is quite heavy and abrasive. I have towed about 5,000 miles with it and so far no problems. But I take several precautions.

I put a homemade cover made from a soft old blanket over the motor before installing the Lund cover for towing.

Also I place soft towels over the seats where they contact the Lund cover during towing. The abrasive properties of the cover will wear on the vinyl seats. I got that tip here on this board before I started towing.

I also make sure the draw string is pulled very tight while towing. This helps to stop scuffing the hull paint.

These extra precautions I described do not apply when the boat is just sitting, only on the highway.

As I said, the only reason I have the Lund cover is because the price was right. The best way to go is with a custom cover made of some lighter material like SunBrella.

Later....

Al

[Richard Mellon]

Hey Dragman,
I do 50,000 plus miles a year pulling that identical boat. I never use a cover. I quit using covers back when I was still with Ranger. No matter how good the cover is, if the roads are wet you get road grime on that tarp and it starts to mark up your ride. Half dirty or all dirty you still have to wash it when you get where your going. Just my opinion.
Tight lines, Rich