Winter Protection For Your Boat
Take a little time to consider the one item that will keep your boat safe — the covering it lives under for up to six months a year.
Published: Friday, October 23, 2026 9:00 am
By: Bruce Kemp
I am writing this on a hot summer day and dreading the coming dark months. In about six weeks everyone is going to start hauling for winter lay-up. Now is the time to make some critical decisions about how you’re going to protect your baby from the snow and cold before spring launch finally arrives again.
Like all responsible boat owners, you’ve made a list of immediate maintenance and over-winter projects. Along with changing the impeller on the outdrive, it’s best to also consider what you’ll be using to protect your vessel. Boats should never be left exposed to the elements. Sure, snow can pile up on the deck and will melt away come spring, but au naturelle shouldn’t be an option. Cold temperatures that can freeze a moist spot in the deck coring can cause cracking that expands even further with the freeze/thaw cycles, and the problem only gets progressively worse.
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a major plague that shortens your boat’s life. Gelcoats with enhanced UV protection are a good start to combating this radiation. The type of resin used in your boat also matters, although that info is often hard to get hold of. The best resin for protection is vinyl ester; the rapid breakdown of the polymers in epoxy leaves decks, cabin tops, and other exposed bits and pieces about as strong as sponge toffee.
Fibers that make up fiberglass are especially sensitive to the effects of UV if the protective gelcoat layer and surrounding resin have been degraded. You can give questionable areas of decks and hulls the touch test. If they feel rough like sandpaper or your skin reacts to touching the area, then you are losing the integrity of the lay-up.
This isn’t as bad as it sounds. Polishing and waxing will help a lot on damaged areas and on undamaged sections, healthy applications of these preservatives will forestall damage for a long time. This isn’t a situation where you close the barn door after the horse has run away. UV and weather damage is a good case for preventative measures and the best of those is covering your boat for the winter.
Traditionally people who wanted to preserve the family yacht either stored them in barns or covered them with tarps. Storage barns are becoming fewer and further between. The alternative is the commercial indoor storage unit at your marina if they have one to offer. Tarps are a good alternative, but many marina owners are now requiring that boats be shrink-wrapped because the new, cheap poly-tarps home improvement stores offer tend to shred into strands in March winds.
In the early days of shrink wrapping, the process was an environmental nightmare and, to a large extent, still is. Tons of this single-use stuff plugs up landfills or finds its way into the water column in the form of micro-plastics. Although wrap works well, the continuous nature of the polymer is strong and survives the winter, it is still a problem and marinas seeking environmentalists stamp of approval either set up a recycling program with a company capable of turning shrink wrap into other products or they ban the use of it completely.
A more eco-friendly, longer lasting, and personally satisfying means of covering your boat is to have a custom fitted boat cover made from a UV resistant fabric. Right now, the state-of-the-art fabric for covering your boat is Sunbrella. This is a solution-dyed acrylic cloth that resists UV, and its weave allows airflow to combat mold and mildew. It’s a little more expensive than some of the other cloth on the market, but it generally lasts longer, eight to ten years usually, so you make up some of the price in longevity.
Another option is solution-dyed polyester. Testing shows it to be stronger and more tear resistant than the Sunbrella, but its life span is shorter and is not as UV resistant as the acrylic. Still not a bad option if you’re working on a budget. Companies like West Marine offer hundreds of different fabric covers for every conceivable design of boat from jet skis to pontoon boats to high-end sports fishing craft. These slide over the deck of your boat and are secured with either a drawstring or lash downs letting you thread a line from one side to the other under the keel.
Most of the commercially-made covers are designed for powerboats where a larger production runs drive guaranteed sales. Sailboats are a different story. Because many sailing yachts are produced in limited numbers, it doesn’t make sense for cover companies to stock large inventories that most likely will never be sold. Sailors are better off going to their local sailmaker or canvas shop. These guys will measure your boat and produce a cover that will fit beautifully. Think of it as a bespoke suit for your boat.
However, Sailrite is a company offering excellent products at lower prices than your sail loft. The catch is, you have to provide some elbow grease yourself. Sailrite covers (and sails as well) are designed by you using their material calculator but you have to cut them out and sew them together yourself. This requires a sewing machine (a good home machine like a Singer or Brother works well) and some elementary sewing skills. You could probably get mom to help if you ask nicely and I know a number of manly sailors (don’t forget sewing was a traditional sailor’s skill) who sat down and mastered the skills necessary while others have made the project a family affair.
The DIY option is a good-looking, custom-made boat protection system that you can brag about on winter nights at your boating club bar and it will save both your boat and wallet.
Sailrite photos courtesy of Sailrite.
tags: Boat Care, Boat Cover, Boat Winterization, Sailrite, Winter, Winter Boat Care, Winterization
