tarp rub

[Paulus]

Visited the boat not long ago and noticed the terp is picking up some of the blue paint....

The tarp is very tight arounf the hull and I am surprised it can move at all - it does, however, and it seems to be rubbing on the paint.... How worried should I be about being able to bring the paint back to a rich shine come Spring?

[Quetzalsailor]

Winds and resultant chafe by tarps and the tie-down ropes can easily damage paint, varnish and gelcoat. Better answers involve padded frames and keeping tarps and ropes clear of the surfaces - not all that easy or reliable.

[Paulus]

Woulda, coulda... but right now I am contemplating whether or not I have major repairs or just a tough buff and wax job ahead....

Next year I will definately take measures to keep the tarp from rubbing on the paint...

Anyone have this happen to them and if so, what were the consequences?

[Hirilondë]

It doesn't necessarily resolve the issue completely, but using a tarp that goes past the waterline makes a huge difference. There is a rubbing on the bottom paint, but that just saves you some sanding in the spring ;>)

[Shark]

It's a perennial problem for me as well. My boat's hull is original white gelcoat, not painted.

At first my tarp material was too light and not tied down hard enough. I had lots of abrasion and ground-in dirt to deal with in the spring. I now use heavy silver tarps which I strap down hard using rubber tie-downs and ropes. I still get some scuffing and marking but not as bad as before.

I can't use stand-offs, like Tim, as I store the boat in a commercial marina so I can't peg anything down to the ground. I also cannot check the boat very often as it's not near my home.

I usually apply a coat of wax, not buffed, before putting the tarp on. Basically, I've resigned myself to some heavy cleaning and buffing each spring. I, also, would welcome some alternative suggestions for covering and storing.

[Case]

I thought those custom canvas covers were insanely expensive but as the years go by, I suspect they're the best way to go. Less chafe and the fabric breathes, too. Most seem to last 20 years or so before replacement. Divide the high cost by the years and the price doesn't seem so bad then. Shrink wrap has less rubbing problems but on the other hand, they trap water which can ruin paint.

I haven't used wax so I will try that in the future. I do know of one way to 100% avoid chafe. This method is just about the ultimate for any boat. It's... indoor storage!

- Case

[Shark]

I've seen custom covers which are made of a plasticized material similar to a silver tarp. These covers fit over the top of the boat covering the cabin, cockpit and all the decks BUT they only extend down to just below the rub rail. All of the freeboard is left uncovered except for the top 2 inches approximately. I suppose they do keep water out of the boat and decks. Also having the freeboard left uncovered eliminates any chafing issues. However, complete coverage shields the whole boat from UV for 5 to 6 months of the year.

Is it OK to leave the topsides exposed all winter like that?

[Chris Campbell]

As far as the damage to your paint goes, it depends on what kind of paint it is. If it's an LPU like Awlgrip, it may be impossible to completely repair it, since LPUs shine is right on the surface of the paint, and once you've worn that away you can only get a waxy shine on what remains, which is quite a lot duller than the original. Small areas aren't that noticeable except close up, though. If it's one of the Acrylic (?) ones, like Awlcraft 2000, then you can buff it out and it should be fine - that paint has it's shine all the way through, but is not as shiny or as durable from the start. If it's gelcoat then as long as you haven't gone through it to the underlying fiberglass (which would be serious tarp damage!) you're fine, since you can buff gelcoat just fine (until it's worn away).

There are several tarp threads already on this forum, and I've at least once (and probably more than once) written of my series of unsuccessful tarpings, leading up to finally building a metal frame and using shrink wrap over it. My intention was to sew myself an acrylic canvas (Sunbrella or other) cover the next year - but I sold the boat. The frame was easy to make, much better than any previous effort I'd made, and not much more expensive; the shrink wrap for the first year (it was cold when I finished the frame) was great - coming down to the toerails meant that it didn't chafe the topsides and let the boat breathe in the breeze. Putting the shrink wrap on myself with a heat gun was a mistake - it took ages, looked horrible, and put a bunch of holes in the plastic which I had to fix (fortunately fixing is easy, but it looks awful). I even made my own door which was effective but an embarrassment as well! Sewing a tarp is rumoured to be a perfectly achievable project - you just measure out from the centreline on each of the ribs to where they turn to go vertical. Make sure you measure to the same point on the curve on each of them (since the pipe doesn't do an instant 90 degree turn), then cut the fabric to make a cover for that part of the frame, and sew on a skirt to drop it from there to whatever height you'd like. I think I would take it down the topsides and not worry about chafe - I've never seen a hull damaged by one of those cloth covers - something about their weight and softness seems to protect boats really well.

Seems like most of those on this forum would be capable of both of these projects (frame and cover) - and could do it for half or less than the cost of a professional job. Of course it's time-consuming and takes away from other projects as a result...

My solution is going to be to build sheds, one large for Luna and one small for Stella - but I seem to like outbuildings...

[Paulus]

Interesting- I would love to see a link to that thread and hopefully some pictures of the frame...

I have been thinking of making a permanent tarp as well... perhaps not from sunbrella, but something that will last multiple seasons. The tarp I have now is a 10mil white super duty that should be around for some time... It's held up very well so far.

I made an A frame with a 25 ft rafter that runs the length of the boat and gives me about 7 ft headroom under the center. The tarp is bent over the A frame and comes down to about the water line on each side of the boat - I was able to do the entire bottom without having to move the tarp.

I had the same thought as expressed above - that cloth material is "gentler" on the paint than a poly tarp and was thinking to cover the hull with some cotton or other gentler cloth to take the rub from the tarp and keep it (the poly) from touching the paint. I have a bunch of old sheets and curtains laying around that I believe would do a fairly good job of putting a layer in between.

The PO always stored her in a barn so tarping was not an issue and the paint job was marvelous. I don't know what type of paint is on there, but since it is coming off on the tarp, I am suspicious that it is probably a one part enamel - probably Awlgrip.

I won't have time to paint the hull this year (too many other projects going on, including painting the topsides and varnishing the masts) so I will buff and wax for now, hoping there will still be some shine...

[okawbow]

This year, I used recycled billboard tarps on 2 boats. The material is so heavy and stiff, that they seem to be mostly unaffected by the wind. The old, blue tarps would rattle and flutter any time the wind blew. The heavy billboard tarps hardly move at all. I expect many years of use and less wear on the boats. They are rather hard to put on alone, however, because of the weight.

[Tom Young]

I'm getting lazier these days. I use 4 A frames and a 2x6" ridge. One set of X braces between the middle 2 A frames. All the legs are tied or fastened to the boat. I'm lucky too in that the bronze stanchions slide out of mounting bases.

Then I run a 30x50' tarp over. Having built pretty substantial frames, this system relies more on gravity and fabric than structure. I get the least chafing and the least problems with wet snow. The boat has been driest as well. Best of all, this has cut down my lay up time. It's easier on the tarp as well, this being the second season, I think I may get another.



I could use a longer truck.