Windstorm boat covers-gctid806174

[Guest]

I am thinking of buying a semi-custom cover for 22' Trophy cuddy cabin. I've been trying to decide between Sunbrella fabric vs. some other cheaper fabrics that offer similar UV and mildew protection for hot humid climate in coastal SC. I've just discovered the Windstorm name that has a 7 year warranty and a marine fabric that is supposed to be breathable and treated to be UV and mildew resistant (perhaps not as much as Sunbrella however). I really like the other features of this cover, and price is not too bad for one that has 7 yr. warranty and claims to be as good as it is. I am wondering if anybody has experience with this brand of cover. Please comment if you do, especially how they perform in hot humid climates; thanks!

[CptCrunchie]

"jkmullen" post=806174 wrote:
I am thinking of buying a semi-custom cover for 22' Trophy cuddy cabin. I've been trying to decide between Sunbrella fabric vs. some other cheaper fabrics that offer similar UV and mildew protection for hot humid climate in coastal SC. I've just discovered the Windstorm name that has a 7 year warranty and a marine fabric that is supposed to be breathable and treated to be UV and mildew resistant (perhaps not as much as Sunbrella however). I really like the other features of this cover, and price is not too bad for one that has 7 yr. warranty and claims to be as good as it is. I am wondering if anybody has experience with this brand of cover. Please comment if you do, especially how they perform in hot humid climates; thanks!

IMHO, as a boat cover, Windstorm is nice because it doesn't need to be stretched or held tight when out in the sun, wind and cold, where Sunbrella does. Most of the commercial awnings you see are lettering on Sunbrella, as are roll out awnings you find on RV's and sundecks. To use Sunbrella, you must have is the ability to tighten it down so it doesn't flap around. This will eventually cause the fibers to weaken. But as long as Sunbrella is tight or stretched, it will last years. Windstorm fibers are smaller and more flexible, so it will last longer when the wind blows, ....but I wouldn't use it on a bimini.

I wouldn't go cheaper than that, because cheap over time usually becomes expensive.

[706jim]

Years ago, my father worked for a canvas company that made tents. They made a boat cover for him out of some sort of heavy duty tent material. This would have been early 1980's. Well dad passed away in 1986 and the cover languished in a heap until two years ago when I resurrected it to cover my 246 and the fabric looks as good as new.

I found that Sunbrella got brittle after several years in the sun.