RIB cover for storage?

Follow-on to my thread about buying an AB 10 AL RIB - seeking suggestions for a cover for storage on boat-deck. Not sure Sunbrella is right fabric, but maybe! Also, source - I see many only providers.

Thanks in advance

Peter

mvweebles said:

Follow-on to my thread about buying an AB 10 AL RIB - seeking suggestions for a cover for storage on boat-deck. Not sure Sunbrella is right fabric, but maybe! Also, source - I see many only providers.

Thanks in advance

Peter

Click to expand...

Probably not very helpful, but I just had a cover made for our BlueWater Baby hardshell, a lighter version of a Whaler. I thought the canvas guy had a nice idea, running a ratchet strap in a pocket around the bottom edge, allowing the cover to be cinched down tight under the gunwale. This should be a more secure (and easier to deploy) method than an elastic cord or bungees. I guess a similar feature could be added for an inflatable.

The ratchet is concealed in the flap beneath the starboard edge. The “tubes” fore and aft are where the chains the dink hangs by pass through.

We did go with Sunbrella.

Sunbrella has worked well

Ahoy Peter,

We bought an off the shelf “pattern” cover from Bixlers inflatableboatparts.com for our AB 9.5 in January 2018. It has held up fairly well, except for a small area of stitching that our local trade repaired. We chose a neutral Sunbrella.

This cover has a seam down the middle, essentially sewn from two pieces of Sunbrella. It has an elastic drawcord and points to attach tie-downs. We put bungee cords and hooks on ours.

We would use this fabric again. It has held up very well for being outside for over 4 years. The breathability allows the AB to remain dry, and the boat tubes still look nearly new as they have been out of the sun.

IRENE had a navy blue tender cover previously, which made a large visual impression on the boat. With the old tender went it’s navy blue cover. The neutral did reduce the visual footprint, but it is more difficult to keep clean. I would purchase one again.

Best Wishes

Sunbrella is great. It will breathe and let the moisture out. It is woven so it can collect some dirt in the texture. The lighter colors will show the dirt more. I used Cadet Gray and it was a good match between shoeing dirt and not being too hot. Depending on where you keep the boat Sunbrella will last 7 to 15 years. But the thread will go in several years if you use a polyester thread. Instead make sure the shop uses Tenara thread. It will last the lifetime of the fabric.

Amazon
Seamax Inflatable Boat Cover, B Series for Beam Range 4.7' to 5.2' (FEET), 5 Sizes fits Length 8.3' to 11.5' (FEET)

Any AB dealer should be able to supply you a cover.

I've bought at least 2 covers from Boat Covers Direct.
They have a great pulldown menu system where you plug in your dinghy or small boat and model, and they typically have the exact fit for that dinghy.

https://www.boatcoversdirect.com/products/boat_covers/carver/

They typically have about three quality/price levels. I cheaped out the first time and picked the lowest quality. Understandably after 1-2 yrs in hot southern sun, it started to tear a bit- my mistake. However, when I contacted them again, they actually gave me credit for the cheap one under partial warranty and gave me a great price on the higher quality cover. The new one I think the fabric is called Sun Dura and its going strong. No affiliation with the company, just a satisfied customer.