Boat Storage, How to keep the dampness (mold) out

With the cover removed....

The back support pole....it fits perfectly over the rear seat post, and includes a right angle bend.

The middle support. I originally thought to place it on the upper deck, but decided to use the floor instead, hence the "extension" at the bottom. The top is a "T" connector.

The front pole is also on the front seat post....again with a "T" connector.

On the very front, I wanted a "ramp" for the wind to ride up while driving. The connector is a right angle/45° connector. The front end just sits on the front deck.

Oh, all of the green tape that you see is just to give each connector something more substantial to grip for friction so it doesn't come apart while driving. Works very well.

Using PVC makes a lot if sense. I noticed no side bars, assumed they're not needed. Your boat cover looks fairly snug so I'm assuming any snow will slide off the sides.

I'm going to design my winter cover with my Sunbrella cover on the boat (for UV protection) so my PVC frame will have to extend outside the boat perimeters to the ground. I'll cover the PVC shell with a regular "vinyl tarp" with the tension created by "stretch tie downs" like you used.
My ridge pole down the center of the boat will have to be faiirly substantial as I will not have supports inside the boat.
Love the idea of PVC, as it's so much easier (lighter) to work with than lumber, and you can easily disassemble it.

Thanks Goshawk,

This site is an amazing resource.

Cheers,

My pleasure Dave.

My centre beam could have been taller to create more of an angle for snow to slide off, but it wasn't needed. Every year that I've used this, the snow just slid off the sides and piled up around the trailer. The only area that had to be brushed off was the front side of the trolling motor and where the cover for the big motor starts (little valley there).

Yeah, I decided on PVC because it's so light and very easy to remove every time I want to head to the water.

This particular Sunbrella cover was purchased from Cover Quest in SC and I've received nothing but the best customer service from them, even replacing a couple of the tie-down straps that I mistakenly trimmed a bit too short. Love the cover, and I've only had to re-apply the waterproofing once in the past 5 years (it's still beading when it rains!). They will probably have a cover for your boat as well (not just bass boats).

i have pretty much the same system only i have ribs every couple feet and made of wood. No tools required after the first time I built it. Takes 30 minutes to put up and cover and about same to remove.. I just use tarps which last years before replacing. I use bungee chords to hold it to the trailer. First year I tied with string and the tarps lasted about a month. now with bungees the tarp is allowed to move with wind. also open at both ends so lots of air movement.

That's one reason why I like the Sunbrella top. It's porous enough to allow air to flow in and out, but not moisture.

My unorthodox system takes me about 5 minutes to remove to go fishing and about 8 minutes to secure when I get back once I allow the deck carpet to dry out. What makes it easier was when I learned to roll the cover forward to remove. Attaching it at the nose means just a quick unroll and attach the 14 straps.