winter covering

[eric]

Hi all,

My new (to me) CD 25 and I are wondering whether shrink-wrapping is a good idea on a 1978 model with lifelines. I've heard stories about the shrinkg-wrapping putting too much pressure on the stanchions causing leaks in the deck.

Any thoughts. Also suggestions on building a simple cover skeleton for canvas or blue plastic would be appreciated.

E



ewoodman@lycos.com

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Eric,
Hanalei came with bows made of 3/4" electrical conduit to support the blue tarp. The previous owner used wooden stringers, and last year I replaced them with conduit stringers. To set it up, I just "tie-wrap" the pieces together(and to the lifeline stanchions) and viola!, a nice strong frame for the cover. To make one, all you need is a tubing bender, about 15 dollars at the hardware store, and some time. bend a piece of conduit in the middle first to establish the pitch of the roof, then bend the ends down to form two legs. If the legs aren't long enough, add straight sections to make them reach the deck. The ridge pole should be straight fore and aft. I put crutch tips on each leg, and you're done.

[Chris Reinke CD330 - Inni]

Eric - I created a frame system from 2 1/2" PVC pipe. I utilize several straight pieces and connectors to form a center ridge pole, and then run pieces off each side at 45 degree angles (a combination of X, T and straight connectors). The side pipes are spaced to coincide with the stanchions and are joined to a vertical piece of PVC which is tie wrapped to each stanchion. The vertical PVC is approximately 8" higher than the lifeline cables to avoid the creation of pooling areas, and the subsequent weight is not applied to the cable or stanchions. The base of each vertical pipe is capped to prevent damage to the deck surface.

When I first made the frame I purchased about twice as much PVC and connectors as I needed and then just returned the extra. The overall cost was about $50.00. I have made the connections at potential stress points permanent with PVC cement, and the remaining connections are held together by a machine screw through the connector and pipe. This allows me to easily dismantle and erect the frame system in sections year after year (Note - mark the connections once you get it together or you will hate yourself next year).

Another trick is to fill water jugs with a bit of antifreeze and water to create weights. These weights are then hung from the tarp to assist holding down the tarp and reduce flapping. Remember to tie the tarp to the boat and never to the jack stands as wind motion may pull the stands out.

I elected to have a canvas cover custom made by a local canvas shop in New Jersey. The cost was reasonable considering how long it will last and the comparative price of poly tarps or shrink wrapping.

Good Luck,
Chris

Hi all,

My new (to me) CD 25 and I are wondering whether shrink-wrapping is a good idea on a 1978 model with lifelines. I've heard stories about the shrinkg-wrapping putting too much pressure on the stanchions causing leaks in the deck.

Any thoughts. Also suggestions on building a simple cover skeleton for canvas or blue plastic would be appreciated.

E

chris.reinke@transamerica.com

[Mike Everett]

The two previous suggestions are excellent.
If you'd prefer to work with wood, however, you can make an inexpensive frame from two-by-fours and drywall strapping (which is one-by-three lumber), and two-inch drywall screws to hold it together.
I'd guess the ridge for a 25-footer could be made from two 8 foot 2X4s and one 10 foot 2X4. The ridge should be straight, supported by a 2X4 crutch for each section, with the sections held together with small screwed-on sections of strapping.
Then a long section of strapping is fitted along each lifeline, tied to the bow and stern pulpits, and to finish, sections of strapping are cut to fit from the ridge to the edge of strapping along the lifeline, about every sixteen inches or so. Care must be taken to avoid sharp edges at the joints. A wood rasp is handy to smooth out any rough edges that might pierce the tarp, and the screw holes should be pre-drilled and countersunk.
This takes a few hours to build, but if the pieces are labelled and stored in a dry place, the frame will last for many years.



everett@megalink.net

[Kurt]

When laying up my CD26 'Alerion', I remove the stanchions and lifelines..it takes no more than 10 minutes to do with an allen wrench and stubby philips screwdriver...then I lay the mast down on the bow pulpit and stern rail with a third plywood support at the mast step.
Finally, I cover the boat pup tent style with a heavy canvas tarp



kjlgpw@aol.com

[Paul R. Mitchell]

I've sold my Typhoon and am undergoing Cape Dory withdrawal symptoms so I still check this bulletin board from time to time. During my web surfing I came across the following Pearson 26 web page that contains excellent descriptions and photos of a poly tarp and PVC pipe frame cover. It's worth checking out.

http://www.en.com/users/danp/boat/cover.htm

While you're there, check out Dan's othr Pearson 26 pages - WOW - a great example of the information that can be made available on the internet!!!

Paul



prmitch@ix.netcom.com

[Duncan Maio]

On Remedy, we have a similar set-up to the one Dave describes, but at the ridge is a "spine" of conduit, and we use 4" square electrical boxes to join sections of spine and ribs. Each box also has a standard cover plate with a 3/4" hole in the center, which holds a connector and another length of conduit running from the spine to the deck. I can assemble or disassemble the entire setup, with tarp, in about three hours working solo.

Duncan Maio
S/V Remedy
CD27 #37
Bristol, RI



dmaio@meganet.net