Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

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dan214
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:09 pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by dan214 »

Hi everyone,

The time has come where I need to invest in a decent mast up cover for my enterprise. I want to keep it as close to £100 as I can.

Some that I have found;

E.b.a.y, £60. Does cheap equal bad quality?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enterprise-Di ... mbymdaYqJg

Kwik covers, £92
http://kwik2me.com/enterprise-over-boom ... oduct_info

Sail register, £140 (enterprise boom up cover p.v.c)
http://www.sailregister.co.uk/individua ... Enterprise

Any recommendations?

Thanks for your help
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neil
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Location: Plymouth

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by neil »

Dinghy cover advise is like asking for car insurance recommendation on FaceBook, you'll never get *the* answer, just some opinions.

In the past I've had good service from

Sail Register, Sun & Rain, Waveloft and R&J sails.

You need to think about what you want - breathable? deep skirts? boom-up? colour? all will have an impact on price.
IC: K26
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Zenith's rebuild - www.pegasus18.com/zenith
Mikey
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:27 pm
Location: Earith, Cambs. United Kingdom

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Mikey »

As Neil says you need firstly to decide if you want PVC or breathable (usually canvas but other more exotic materials available). Certainly if hull is wood would recommend breathable, well worth the extra. Have recently used Goldfinch Covers of Whitstable for breathable cover for a Merlin. They have been going for many years - my first cover from them was in the 50's. They have Ent. boom up PVC - £129, Breathable boom up £173 - boom down £165.
Cheap can mean thin PVC - most makers will send you a sample - likewise canvas.
dan214
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:09 pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by dan214 »

Thanks guys, Mikey how do you rate your cover from goldfinch? I have been reading lots of good reviews of rain&sun covers but there breathable over boom cover is £214 .
Mikey
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:27 pm
Location: Earith, Cambs. United Kingdom

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Mikey »

Really good strong canvas cover (blue) with good skirt, Dutch lacing from mast to stem, Velcro at shrouds and under-boat straps with quick release buckles and draw string round hull. Only problem were about 10 days late on original delivery date but did not matter as ordered over winter and boat was in garage. So bear in mind if you order.
STEVEB
Posts: 247
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 3:07 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by STEVEB »

Hi,
I have also been a Goldfinch customer for many years and their plastic covers were thick material and good quality.
However the company is now under new ownership and has relocated, my last cover was thinner and delivered weeks late.
I will not buy from them again.
Steve :cry:
STEVE
Mermaid 137
Laser 41420
Streaker 1331
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Rupert »

I've usually bought Sail Register, but just bought 5 covers for club boats from Rooster. They are using the Sailing Solutions Topper cover material, and are far thicker, and cheaper, than the other covers shown at the Dinghy show. These covers were for Fevas, Laser and Tera, so may not suit a wood decked boat, but worth a look at what else they do. Arrived next day too, amazingly, but then they would keep these classes in stock.
Rupert
Michael Brigg
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Michael Brigg »

I had a Firefly cover from Goldfinch. The Canvas breathable one.

I was so pleased with how my boat looked that I even let them use a picture of my boat and cover for their website. :oops: The garden looked pretty nice as well!
Image Image

Very smart and nice texture cover, but ruined because they made it 1-2 inches too small. You can see how in the stern shot, it is not fitted to allow for the boom overlapping the transom and I think the skirt really should have been deeper as well. Also on the side shot you can see how the bow flaps are not long enough to stay clear of the deck all the way to the bow. Seriously needs to address the design/fitting aspects of different boat class/shape. These problems were partly I think because they hadn't factored in the new firefly rules on boom height (which I did tell them about), but also I feel the material shrank after getting wet. In hindsight I should have sent it back.

After 4 years the loops started to rot and after 7years it had had enough and disintergrated from sun and rain exposure. The bad fit contributed to both problems.

5/10 from me. Looked great and worked well for a few years (though as said, the wrong sizing really hacked me off.) A better fitting and simpler fastening system. + better durability should be factored in as they are much more expensive. The company needs to invest in some design/fitting research. If they did it would be a 10 from me, but its not. :(
Michael Brigg
STEVEB
Posts: 247
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 3:07 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by STEVEB »

Hi,

I think that the problem is the new owners, the are running the company using the archive of templates so the covers still look good and might fit well.
But! the quality of materials used is not what it used to be.

Interesting tip about the Rooster covers though, I had a friend bought a laser cover off them
years ago, it shrank rapidly and did not last long. Hopefully they are using better materials now.

My thin Goldfinch cover lives under an old home made black plastic one that protects it very well :roll:
STEVE
Mermaid 137
Laser 41420
Streaker 1331
Pat
Posts: 2555
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: West Wiltshire (Wessex)

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Pat »

Kwik 2 me covers are cheap and plastic material - we've had them for lasers and they're OK so far, after a year or so, but I wouldn't use them for anything special and certainly not for wooden boats that need breathable fabric.
(Half Cut and What a Lark Removals Ltd)
Garry R
Posts: 856
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:01 pm
Location: Chapel Allerton Somerset

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Garry R »

Rain and sun did a great breathable cover bespoke for my Merlin. Have had it for a long time and it still looks good. You get what you pay for and if you have spent a lot of time and money on a wooden boat restoration you don't want it to sweat under a cover.
dan214
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:09 pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by dan214 »

So I'm thinking about going for the sail register poly cotton 'breathable' cover at £173. Anyone have anything bad to say about these?

Anyone know a rough turnaround for them? Are they ready made ready to post or are we talking about a few weeks wait? I might give them a call tomorrow.

Thanks for all your advice,

Dan.
Rupert
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Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by Rupert »

I've never had to wait more than a few days, and have had several.

The Firefly cover lasted a decade at least, then I bought another. They do go liver spotted, though, and are hard to clean well. But then I only think about it every decade or so...
Rupert
sam mason
Posts: 215
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 2:18 pm

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by sam mason »

I wouldn't use anyone else. We turn a few covers round each year . Never a problem with Sail Reg covers or sails. Highly recommended
Sam
.
dan214
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 8:09 pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Re: Please help me choose a dinghy cover?

Post by dan214 »

Thanks guys, also do they accept other payment besides PayPal?
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