Do I need to cover my boat???

I keep my boat outside and not on a trailer. It just sits on a boat slip on my lake (see pic)...



You can actually see the frost from this morning on the benches. I plan to add seats and was wondering if I need to keep it covered so it wont be in the heat and cold weather. I'm wondering if the weather can effect the trolling motor and other electrical wiring, etc.

Do I need to cover my boat or is all the electrical stuff and future seats made to endure the weather?

Thanks guys!

the weather will cause the seats to fade and may cause the covers to crack
the wiring may corrode faster when exposed a cover is a fairly cheap wy to protect your investment

I say yes a cover makes everything last a little longer. The sun and weather is harsh on everything a bare boat not so bad but with modes it just make your investment last.

Yes ! I think you ansured your own question.
The Frost will kill the seats + if you fish in the am it will be mopre confortable if the seat is dry.
I live next to the ocean in Calif the sun, salt and yes we get frost as well is very destructuve. I like to cover everything I can!

John H

Welcome jmed, Protect the investment. Cover your boat. It will keep things from being ruined to soon.

Of course in a perfect world, you would just put a cover on it and your done. But as soon as the cover goes on, you will need bungee cords to tie it down. It will also create a "swimming pool" in the boat, water collecting on the cover. You may just want to consider covering your seats and trolling motor instead. That wont keep the leaves and twigs out though but you already know that, don't you.
Tim

A little PVC and the Cover make a huge difference

In addition to preventing UV rot of plastic components and fading of paint, a cover will also keep leaves and other trash from accumulating in the boat and clogging the bilge. A pile of leaves sitting in a bilge will hold moisture, and can cause corrosion.

I have a tin and a fiberglass boat. I cover both of them with a plastic tarp which keeps the sun and rain off of them. The tarps last a little over a year before needing replacement. They cost about $25 a piece which I consider cheap coverage (pun intended). I do have a better quality canvas cover (way more expensive) but I only use it when I take the tin on long towing trips for a week or more because it is fast and easy to put up.

why not flip it over and block the corners?

Oh, BTW, from the photos, it looks like you have the boat sitting on a piece of carpet (correct me if I'm wrong)

That's a BIG no-no. The carpet can hold moisture and will promote corrosion. You might want to think about using some UHMW or some other type of plastic, something that won't hold moisture.

as opposed to sitting in water? i've never come across a tin boat that is vulnerable to miosture :LOL2:

bcbouy said:

as opposed to sitting in water? i've never come across a tin boat that is vulnerable to miosture :LOL2:

Click to expand...

I've welded quite a few holes in aluminum boats that were the direct result of sitting on carpet bunks, having excess dirt and leaves in the bilge, and other factors that were a direct result from moisture. I will say that most of it has been from salt water, but moisture is moisture, and it will take its toll. Set a piece of aluminum plate on the ground, or on a piece of carpet out in the elements, at some point it will begin to deteriorate.

I don't think moisture is the word you are looking for...therein lies the confusion. The idea that a boat being in contact with water ie moisture will corrode it is a little funny.

The technical term is "crevice corrosion"

It happens between 2 layers of metal, but it can also occur between a layer of metal and another non-metallic surface.

Probably has more to do with the dirt/other contaminants/different metals than with the moisture, would it not?

It's dependent on a lot of factors. But especially so in saltwater, or if the water is alkaline or acidic. Dirt and other contaminants definitely help accelerate the process of corrosion.

Aluminum is the third most reactive metal, excelled only by zinc at #2 and then magnesium as the most reactive.

And just because it's a painted aluminum surface, won't guarantee it being corrosion-proof. As I said, I've welded on more than one painted boat that suffered from crevice corrosion from sitting on carpeted bunks, or from having leaves or dirt in the bilge. Things like lead sinkers, or some steel BB's from a shotgun shell sitting in the bilge will make it even worse, as it sets up a battery, with the aluminum being the anode.

I think it's sitting on rock.

Yes, cover it. The quick and easy frame is a couple of 5 gallon buckets sitting upside down on your benches and a 2 x 12.

Good eye...it does kind of look like crushed rock maybe that it is pulled up on.

Good eye, y'all. Upon closer examination, it does appear to be gravel. But, at first glance, I thought it was a wood structure covered with carpet.