winter tarps

[Fuzzy]

Frederick:  That was supposed to be NOT nearly that nice.
Larry

[Indian Falls]

I too bought a winter cover from the Top Shop in Kingston...  $2,800.00 for an ill fitting mast up cover.
Over 10 years this is cheaper than shrink or indoor storage and is less work than making your own tarp experiment every year. 

A less expensive alternative had I known about it in time, was to have the local canvas guy make a cover for our boat on the spot.  It would have fit better, been easier to assemble, been less money and a local guy would be all over any "problems" with the cover.

The Top Shop "said" they had done many C34's and had all the prints, did not want to see pictures or visit the boat.  The first time we put it on it did not fit... not even close.  Being in Wilson NY, this guy (Mark) did not want to travel the length of the lake or take the cover back.  I gave this guy too many opportunity's to not do what he was supposed to do by working with him and trying to be a nice guy.  I waited until he was at the MD boat show and shipped the cover to his hotel... at my expense...  where he took it back to Canada, made adjustments and shipped it back
.
As you can imagine,  they just guessed and tried to follow the few pencil marks I'd put on the cover to locate the back stays.  It still does not fit properly, the patches look "patched", they added 18" to the bottom so it reaches the waterline and looks like it.  He never showed up to look at it, nor follow up on it afterward.  I don't have the desire to pursue Top Shop over this.  All I can do is recommend against them.

I should have went with the local guy... who by the way does top shelf work.

[Fred Koehlmann]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but yes, as you learned the hard way, going local is the way to go. We went with Topline in Midland, and they custom built it to the boat. I had to have the frame that I wanted already mounted and then they came and cut a pattern to my setup. Just put it up again yesterday and it fits fine the second season.

If anyone is in the Midland, Ontario region, Topline has now merged with JT's Top Shop (JT's Textiles), no relation with the previous mentioned Kingston outfit. I don't imagine that they do work out of the area, unless you include in the travel costs. Speak with either Shane or Jari.

[Jim Hardesty]

Thought I'd come in with what many Erie boaters do.  A few guys will get together and buy a shrink wrap gun and supplies, then go from boat to boat shrink wrapping.  Generally the boat owner does his own frame, then with 3 or 4 working it's about an hour a boat (if the mast is down) much more if the mast is up ( 3-4 hours).  A few years ago (I had a 30 footer) it cost me about $60 a year for shrink wrap and supplies.  Still think that it would be less than $100 to do Shamrock.
I'd suggest the first time to step the mast before shrink wrapping.  It makes it easier the first time.  And you can reuse the cover (I once got 3 years from the same cover).  Compaired to maintaince and projects that sailors from this site often do, shrink wrapping requires much less skill, just a nice fall day.
Jim

[Fred Koehlmann]

Many marinas like ours do not allow you to do your own shrink wrapping. There is a concern that someone could start a fire and put other boats at risk, and they don't want the added risk or insurance costs... so only they can do it.   

[Jim Hardesty]

I lot of "amature" shrink wrapping goes on here.  I've done quite a lot myself.  Only had one problem, was next to the oil recycling station, a gust of wind put the shrink wrap onto to oily drum, got a little oil on the shrink wrap, burned a big hole, about 3' before it stoped on its own.  Never did that again.  Now I warn about cutting the shrink wrap on a driveway or garage floor with any oil on them. 
Never known of a boat burning due to shrink wrapping. 
Jim

[Ed Shankle]

Ron,
I don't have any pix, but when I haul out and wrap for the winter I'll take a couple and post, it that's not too late for you.

Ed

[lazybone]

Have been shrink wrapping ours for the past 5 years.  Very inexpensive compared to all the other methods and bullet proof weather wise.

There is a learning curve of course, the first year I set all the halyards at the mast on fire,  melted them right through.