There was some concern from the yard staff about clearance from the road and conflicts with the snow plowing operations so I moved back the front frame about two feet. That leaves slightly less room up front but still plenty to work with and it makes the front more pointy which is probably a good thing since the boat faces in the direction of the highest winds (Northeast).
I ran a section of last year's strapping straight down from the front of the ridgepole and added a few pieces to hold it in position and give the tarp something to press against (and reduce some of the flailing).
Unlike last year I left the stern pretty flat. There are boats behind me to block the winds so I think I will be okay. The extra room under the boat is nice. I added some crossmembers at the stern to support the tarp too. They are only anchored by single screws at the ends which keeps the whole structure flexible. I don't want to create hardpoints anywhere.
Then I re-used a small tarp from a boat cover a few years ago and covered the stern end.
And then, with some help from a fellow boatyard neighbor, I pulled my brand new 40' x 30' heavy duty silver tarp and anchored it to the bottom framework. I will have more to say about that tarp in another posting.
I will left the tarp settle for a week and then tighten things up. I need to work on sorting out how I will get in and out too. Minor details.
And that is that. The boat is covered. This is boatcover version IV so we will see how this one works out. There is plenty of room inside. Full headroom at the foredeck and headroom and a half over the cockpit. The sides are tight but that is a restriction from the boatyard rules so I didn't have a choice there. A straight sided structure is the only way to improve that.
I have lots of dry storage room under the boat as well. Maybe I will even build in a workbench...
Now its time to get back to real boatwork. Winterize, finish that cabin sole installation, and then everything else.
5 comments:
Phew.
How do you secure the tarp at the forward end? Just curious.
I need to revisit the forward end next weekend but basically I use a full length piece of strapping against the outer edge of the tarp and roll the strapping around a few times wrapping the tarp edge around it. Then I clamp it with spring clamps. Its worked pretty well in the past and its quick to open up when I need to. I will take pictures.
Perhaps a silly question, but is it possible to induce more bend in the upper section of the bow than the lower, thereby achieving a narrower footprint and steeper walls from the toe rail down?
I'm thinking seriously about building something similar for the A30 before winter hits. I currently have just a standard ridgepole and pvc construction that works but doesn't give me much access.
Thanks.
David, does this mean you're itching to get back to work on the A30?
I'll only whisper such intentions lest she get her hopes up.
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