Cover Installation / Removal
Written by Rachel Dey
Installing and removing trailering covers can be a painful process. By using the steps below, you should be able to quickly and easily install trailering covers for the hull and for the mast.
-Place the cover over the bow by having one person lift the bow while two people slide the cover between the boat and the forward bunk. If you need extra help lifting the bow, have someone sit on the stern or just push it down.
-Pull the cover back until you reach the aft bunk.
-Now lower the bow using the front trailer wheel as far as it will go. This will lift up the stern of the boat.
<picture of the bow all the way down>
-Have one person position the crutch underneath the skeg of the boat. The crutch should be 27.5″ tall and created from 3 two by fours bolted together. The ouside two by fours should be 27.5″ tall and the inside two by four should be 21.75″ tall. The tops of the crutch should be covered in carpet.
<picture of the crutch being placed underneath the skeg>
-Lift the bow back up using the forward trailer wheel as far as it will go. This will cause the stern to lower and rest all of the boat’s aft weight on the crutch. There will now be space between the aft bunk and the boat so that you can slip the cover between the boat and the bunk.
<picture of the space between the aft bunk and the trailer when the skeg is rested on the crutch>
-Pull the cover as far back as it will go making sure there is not slack in the cover forward of the aft bunk.
<picture of the cover pulled taught forward of the aft bunk>
-Lower the front trailer wheel so that the weight of the boat now rests back onto the aft trailer bunk.
-Pull the cover over the stern and zip the cover shut.
-Before putting the cover on the mast you will want to tape down your shrouds to the spreader tips. This will prevent the shrouds from flopping out of the mast bag and will also keep the spreader tips from falling out of the spreader.
<picture of the shrouds taped to the spreader tips>
-Completely unzip the mast bag and lay it flat on the ground.
-Lay the mast on top of the bag and start zipping the mast bag from the top. If you do not have a zipper on the top portion of the mast bag, have someone hold the mast tip up while another person slides the bag onto the mast.
-Secure all of your lines and put knots in the ends of them so that they do not slide back into the mast.
-Zip the mast bag the rest of the way and snap the snaps shut in the middle of the mast bag.
