Pontoon boats are your prized possession and must be cared for and maintained well. Weather conditions are one of the biggest factors that tarnish and blemish the appearance of the boat. To improve the life of the boat and ensure that it looks sparkling and shining, it must be covered when not in use especially while mooring. Covering the boat helps to keep it clean and dry by protecting it from rain, sun, dusty winds, and sometimes even snow. Covers of different types are available that may be bought with the boat itself from the manufacturer or aftermarket. Some companies manufacture pontoon boat covers with snaps that are easy to install and cover the boat well.
Advantages of Pontoon Boat Covers With Snaps
Compared to conventional covers, pontoon boat covers with snaps are easier to use. These covers fit into the snaps that are installed on to boats generally in the gunwale area. The snaps might either be pre-fitted by the boat manufacturer itself, or maybe installed by a boat dealer who also sells boat covers. The number of snaps and the distance between snaps may vary depends on who makes the pontoon boat cover with snaps. The higher the number of snaps, the more tightly fitting and secure the cover will be. The distance between the snaps maybe as less as a couple of inches. These covers can be used for both mooring and travelling.
Conventional covers are secured with bungee cords that are wrapped around the boat to ensure that the cover stays secure. However, some part such as the ends of the cover will generally be loose and the cover will flap about with wind. This can be problematic as the repeated flapping due to winds may cause the cover to be abrasive and scratch the boat surface or even peel off the paint. The pontoon boat covers with snaps are not prone to flapping in strong winds as they are not loose enough to flail around and hence will not harm the paint. This allows the boat to be towed on the highway without damage as well as the perfect fit of these covers minimizes wind drag or wind flapping.
Bungee cords used to hold the traditional covers may also come off or even break especially on highway and in windy weather freeing the cover and leaving the boat exposed. Even while the boat is moored, the cover with snaps stays on in strong winds. These covers also look aesthetically pleasing as they don’t have any cords and even the snaps installed on the boat can be hidden under the edged of the pontoon deck if you desire, otherwise the look of a “snap” cover can actually be kind of cool anyhow, so no need to hide them! Another advantage to using pontoon boat covers with snaps is that the snaps can actually last a really long time, and if they do fail, they can easily be replaced either by yourself if you have the right tool, or taken in pretty quickly to a cover maker or even a seamstress or tailor may be able to assist.
Disadvantages of Using Pontoon Boat Covers with Snaps
The only couple of disadvantages that may come with boat covers with the snaps that we can think of is:
- If there is a snap receiving an unusual amount of stress (i.e. if the fabric is too tight or loose at that particular snap) then the fabric may end of ripping right at the snap and that is a little more difficult to repair than an actual snap.
- If your boat doesn’t already have the “female” end of the snap installed on the boat then you (or someone you pay) will have to install those through the boat and will have to place them at the exact correct location.
- If a snap does break free in strong wind or especially while trailering your boat then the snap can cause some pretty serious paint damage if you don’t stop and fix the problem right away. Many people actually recommend removing pontoon boat covers when trailering to prevent this potential issue but you really can’t help when a strong wind comes through your area.
Manufacturers of Pontoon Boat Covers With Snaps
A variety of pontoon boat covers with snaps are available in different levels of quality and price from multiple manufacturers.
Canvas Craft
Canvas Craft is known for manufacturing world class and perfect fitting boat covers since three decades. They customize and design pontoon boat covers with snaps as per the specification of boats. While designing the cover they consider all the bulges and curves, motors and ladders to ensure a perfect fit. Their covers are backed by a two-year warranty.
Permatop
With over four decades of experience, Permatop is another manufacturer of pontoon boat covers with snaps. The covers include adjustable tentpoles and can be fitted to match the existing snaps. The covers may also be customized to shield the bow area of boat by extending the snap line. The materials available for the covers include Aquatime, Sunbrella and Top gun. The best part about Permatop (other than their high quality and custom covers) is that they also remake old covers for their customers by using their actual old cover if you send it to them. This means that you don’t actually have to live near Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota to get a custom pontoon boat cover with snaps from them! Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that Lake Minnetonka is a fabulous place to live – during the summer. I just have been to Minnesota during the winter once and I am not planning on coming back anytime soon!
A regular cover from a manufacturer may also be installed with snaps after being purchased as long as that cover from the manufacturer is for the exact boat model that you are looking for. Additionally your local boat dealer who you bought your boat from or whoever sells the brand of boat that you own should be able to either create a custom pontoon boat cover with snaps for you or I am sure that they know someone who could do it for you!
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