Tow with cover on or cover off?

[46Harley]

Towed my boat 2400 miles to Canada and back from Colorado last year. Used my travel cover both ways. Had some paint rub off the edges of the gunwales from the friction of the canvas and the wind. Didn't make me real happy.


I know if that you run into rain that the cover will keep the inside of the boat clean and dry and probably should be covered overnight at the motel so I have seats to sit on when I get there.


What about towing with the cover off? Will it cost me at the pump?

Any other hazards I should be aware of?

[Phil T]

If the cover is rated for towing, tow with the cover on. Decades ago, GM measured the effort needed to tow boats with and without covers. Towing without a cover was like towing a boat 2 feet longer (therefore heavier).
If boat cover rubbing upsets you, I'm not sure I want to be around when you get your first "dock rash".

[REW]

46
I never tow with the cover on, and many of my friends don't either for the reasons mentioned.

If you have a windshield on your boat, I doubt that you will notice the difference in gas mileage with the cover on or off.

As was explained on myth busters last year. When they ran gas mileage test of running a pickup with a tail gate on the truck or off the truck, they found that they actually had better gas mileage with the tail gate on the truck than with the tail gate off of the truck. The wind tunnel tests proved that the reason was that with the tail gate on the truck a burble of air was left circulating in the bed of the truck, which acted as a slide for the oncoming air to slide over smoothly.

If you have a windshield on your boat, the same thing will happen. i.e you will get a burble of air filling your boat that the air will slide over and on out of the boat.

I expect that the same thing will happen for pulling an open boat with no windshield. i.e. the boat will fill with a burble of air, and the oncoming air will simply rush smoothly over this burble.

At any rate, I have never personally seen a fuel mileage difference in towing with a cover on the boat, or a cover off the boat.

One reason that many folks use a cover, is that for going on a long trip, they end up using the boat for a utility trailer and fill it to the gunnel's with supplies for the trip. If this is the case, then a cover is certainly a good idea to keep the contents from prying eyes as well as any potential weather or wind issues.

Good luck
REW


But - no cover - no cover rash from towing.

[jokerjim]

A good cover will have a softer material added anywhere the cover contacts the boat. This will stop the cover from rubbing the paint off the boat. Also a good cover will have vent holes, built into the cover to help prevent air building up under the cover while on the road. Also the cover will keep most folks from checking out anything you may have loaded in the boat.

[Phil T]

It may also protect the windshield from rocks from oncoming or passing vehicles.

[1860Angler]

I don't travel with the cover on very often, about the only time I do is when I leave the house when it's raining just to keep the inside as dry as possible. As far as gas mileage goes, I have a Chevy with a 6.0, so I don't get good mileage no matter what I am doing!

[bloodman]

After towing lots a miles with the cover on and off I can tell you that there is a definite mileage improvement while the cover is on. As long as you have a tight fitting cover you wont have any problems. Its safer when you stop too cause you dont have to worry about people grabbing things they shouldnt. Also keeps alot of unwanted dirt and debris out of the boat along with damage from flying rocks. If your cover does not fit tight, forget it. I had a soft liner put inside the cover on contact points to boat. Never any damage. Any upholstery shop will fix you up.
Save gas and be cleaner and safer. Leave the cover on.

[Lake Wisconsin]

I have tested this many times and I improve my fuel mpg by about 0.5-1.0 mpg. Not a lot, but I will take what I can. I have a walk-through if that makes any difference. I will also tell you, one trip back from Canada we hit heavy rain, and the roads were washing out a bit. Therefore, there was a ton of sand/dirt on the road. When I finally got home, my boat was covered in filth. A quick pressure wash and I was good to go. If I didn't have the cover on, I know the inside would have been very ugly as even the cover was filthy. Long runs, I have the cover on.

On another note, you mention rubbing. All the covers I own connect to the gunnel by snaps or something similar. No rubbing at all, but more difficult to get on.

[T Mac]

Somebody here @ WC once said: "Towing without the cover on the boat is like dragging a parachute".
Maybe not exactly accurate... but sure has some truth to it.

That having been said, if I am going to be a long ways from home and gone for a few days... I always use the cover.
If fishing locally... I don't.

As for the paint on the top of the gunwhales....that's going to take a beating..... from everything.
But...is not so hard to touch up.

[3M TA3]

Too many trips on unimproved roads for me to not have a cover on. I've seen too many windshields blown out from rocks yet not once have I ever seen a boat with a cover on with with a blown out windshild. I've seen it happen twice already with the group I travel with, those with windshields but without covers, that is.