Cover for 18' Uffa Fox Jollyboat needed

[SW Sailing Lover]

Hi

Does anyone know where I could get a cover for a Uffa Fox 18' Jollyboat please? For sale, new or old, free to a good home or even one made to measure.

We are picking her up on Saturday and need to find one before then if possible! (unlikely I know but you have to try hey!)

We are down in Cornwall.

Many thanks.

[Pat]

You'll probably have to get one made to measure. In the meantime a temporary cover could be made from one of those cheap plastic tarpaulins, putting a slit for the mast if necessary, and fastening with clips and ropes. We did this for the wide Merlin and it worked OK. The tarp cost a fiver from In-Excess.

Since you're in Cornwall don't forget the Roadford event (and AGM) at August Bank Holiday - just over the border into Devon!

[SW Sailing Lover]

Excellent, thank you for the advice Pat. We have a friend who is a seamstress - she mends sails for large yachts, makes sail covers for them and even makes bee keepers outfits! So I may have a chat with her and see if she can make us one. But will definitely do the tarp thing for the time being. The boat needs some work doing to her, varnish on the deck, bit of a spring clean and possibly stripping the paint off the hull and re-painting, but hopefully not! So it would be useful to have her on our drive for a few weeks to do the work, otherwise we've got to find some undercover 'storage' facility somewhere to do the work in.

Re Roadford - I noticed that on here last night, is anyone allowed to go to that? Or is it only for certain classes of boat? We've not done any dinghy sailing before (we crew on a very old Bristol Pilot Cutter and I did some sailing with the Ocean Youth Club and my family, many moons ago!) - so I doubt very much we'd be racing standard!

What happens there, do they race, potter round and have a nice sail?

Would be a shame to miss it seeing as its not too far from us and most events are normally 100's of miles from us down this end of the country!

[Graham T]

Cheap plastic tarp with gaffer tape reinforcement round cut edges is the way to go temporarily. For a varnished wooden boat I would get a breathable polycotton boom up cover so there is room for air circulation and you don't get damp cover laying on your nice decks or the sauna you find under PVC covers on a warm day.

http://www.sailregister.co.uk/ have always been very keenly priced, reasonable quality and will do a made to measure. http://www.rainandsun.co.uk/ made an excellent cover for my Osprey made to measure but were slightly more expensive.

[Rupert]

Roadford is for everybody!
The idea is to get as many boats and like minded people together as possible. The Saturday, I believe, is a cruising day, with racing on the Sunday and Monday. I wouldn't worry about not having raced before. Standards range right across the board, as do the condition of the boats taking part. Some are beautiful classic, others (my speciality when not sailing the Firefly) old tubs. All are equally welcome, though the beautiful ones do better in the pretty boat contest!
Neil should be able to tell you more.

[JB9]

Hi, Speed Sails did a made to measure cover for mine in a breathable material and I have been very happy with it.

I hope to bring J9 to Roadford too.

[Garry R]

Not the cheapest but Rain and Sun do made to measure covers and I have been very pleased with mine

[roger]

Roadford is for everybody!
The idea is to get as many boats and like minded people together as possible. The Saturday, I believe, is a cruising day, with racing on the Sunday and Monday. I wouldn't worry about not having raced before. Standards range right across the board, as do the condition of the boats taking part. Some are beautiful classic, others (my speciality when not sailing the Firefly) old tubs. All are equally welcome, though the beautiful ones do better in the pretty boat contest!
Neil should be able to tell you more.

Can I add to Ruperts comments re Roadford. You will be made very welcome. You dont need to feel compelled to race if you just want to potter about and cruise across to the cafe where they do excellent refreshments and dont seem to mind wet feet. However if the competetive urge takes you it is not to serious. Its more about boats on the water and enjoying ourselves.
There is a bar and I beleive a BBQ on saturday night with a band.


Rog

[neil]

I'm confirming Roadford arrangements on Sunday. Further details to follow

[Pat]

If your seamstress friend is making your cover you need PointNorth (aka Profabrics) for mail order supplies of the right fabrics. They do the breathable polycotton as well as pvc and all the necessary straps, buckles, pull cords, bobbles etc etc.
http://www.profabrics.com
Their nylon makes a good undercover too!

[Michael Brigg]

Talking about boat covers, I seem to remember Ed touting for orders as he had a supply of suitable material and perhaps the appropriate equipment. Ed's also a JB collector and lives down your way.

Here is his chapter and verse:-

Post subject: Anybody need a 'classic cover'?Posted: 16 Jul 2008 11:27


Site Admin


Joined: 01 Sep 2004 21:11
Posts: 1163
Location: Cornwall I am well overdue making up some boat covers.

The reason that I have taken so long is that buying the 'right' kind of cloth is so damn expensive! Some of the best breathable Poly-cottons are £15-20 a running metre. When a 5m boat can take about 10m of cloth, you can see why you don't see too many sailmakers running around in flash cars!! Their costs are really not so bad!

But I have found a possible source of some reasonably priced canvas, that might make it worthwhile. It is even more worthwhile, if I buy enough to make up a few covers in one go.

This canvas is a soft poly sailcloth, like would be used for large square-sails etc. I think that I can get it in either egyptian-cotton or a tan colour.

My intention would be to make up very 'classic' type covers - not much velcro or elastic.

They would have long side-curtains to keep sun-light off lower hull

In other words these would, like most old covers, be more for keeping sun off and UV out rather than being 100% watertight.

If you are interested in having a cover like this made - get in touch or come and talk to me at the Nats and we can discuss.

In terms of price - I am hoping to make them for about £50 plus materials which should mean they come out somewhere in the region of £90 - £120 depending on size.

cheers

eib

_________________
Ed Bremner
CVRDA

Jollyboat J3 - in yard
Jollyboat J335
Jollyboat J? - Fire shortly

I had one made by Goldfinch for my Firefly. The material and finish is superb but they havent got the measurments right. I'm disappointed that it has shrunk from @12ft to about 11'6" and doesnt allow for a boom sitting on and protruding over the transom horse. A few minor design modifications would make it best vfm.

I like Ed's idea of "curtains" to shade the hull, and with a drawstring all round this would double up as a bottom and top cover for trailing!

By the way Ed, if you read this might you be interested in making up a "bespoke" cover for a sculling boat? (Mainly to protect against sun and frost.) I might approach a sail loft to ask if they have any old mainsail covers to convert.

[ACB]

Thank you for reminding me of Ed's proposal.

As regards adapting a mainsail cover for a sculling boat, my elder son rows and I have a pre-war gaff cutter, i.e. she has a pretty long boom. Not long enough, though - the cover is 22ft and a single scull will be 26ft probably.

[Ed]

I am intending on making some covers.....

but this won't now be till the winter.

Sailmaking stuff is good for the long evenings. At the moment, any spare time I have is going towards getting my Jollyboat back on the water.

Found a bloody great big bit of soft wood which needed repair. That is now done, but still lots of work to do by Nats.

cheers

eib