I have read several times that the generic tarp is not a good choice for a beach cat.

WHY?
Is it the flogging that can occur, the fact they only last a year or 2, or other reason?

Thanks

For a sail or for a cover?

I used to cover my H16 with one. Better than nothing, but a pain when it snowed. You have to take the snow off the tarp, or it will tend to pull on the tarp and make it rip sooner.

They don't last more than one winter.

Mike

They're not terribly good with UV exposure...In a cover situation, that's usually what does them in.

That is really the only thing you should ask of a cover is UV protection.
Having made 10 covers or so, the main thing is making them easy to put on (so you actually put it on) and making it so it doesn't flap AT ALL. Even a blue tarp should last you a long time if it doesn't flap.

Haha.. i meant as a cover..

but u got me thinking - and wouldn't ya know...

I have found the key to keeping it from flogging is to add more grommets and tie offs.

I made one out of a $30 tarp treated for UV protection, added more grommet holes and it has lasted two years so far. Easy to put on, but harder to secure due to all the ties at each grommet. I also coated the boat-facing side of the grommets to keep them from scratching the boat.

when I make covers I sew webbing tabs on the cover because they won't scratch like grommets will. I guess they wont last as long, but they will last long enough.

They could use a little more draft

I like the tabs idea. Do you have a heavy duty sewing machine?

I just used rope whipit because it dries to a rubbery consistency. It has started to come off, though.

it is a sailrite lsz-1 that has paid for itself about 5 times over (would have paid for itself 10 times over if I actually charged captain cardiac for all the covers I made for him!)

Small problem with the tabs of webbing is that they degrade too, and might go faster than the cloth, but even the smallest webbing is way stronger than it needs to be so some loss of strength due to UV is fine.

I like the bowsprit

As mentioned, the more ties, the better. I used bungees, and even using just the supplied grommets, was able to reduce most of the flogging.

Up here, the snow was the real killer. They would rip from the weight of the snow well before flogging or UV became a problem.

Mike

thanks for the input everyone.

So it seems to me there is no real good reason not to use them if a. properly secured b. snow isn't an issue and c. that ugly blue mono needs battens (and Dacron sails)

I have been using 1 or 2 very large tarps for years with no real issues, besides they degrade.

I just wanted to see if there were any reasons I hadn't thought of, or any "war stories" of death and explosions from tarps

Maybe 1 day I will get a machine and make some real covers.

Be real careful of water pooling. If the tarp is too loose, it will start a puddle and that puddle will continue to grow until your mast is bent like a toothpick. Whenever I use a tarp to cover a boat, I cut a few drainage holes in it so it can't collect excess water.

Custom hull covers are definitely the way to go if you can do it. They'll keep the hulls in pristine shape and it's like unwrapping a present every time you go sailing.

sm

Completely agree on putting the drain holes in. Water builds up quickly.

For UV(Florida) the best are the silver tarps. A little more but multiple years.

I had a blue tarp at one point and the color bled into the gelcoat where it touched the hulls.

I have a heavy duty silver one now that works great. 5 bungies hold it on with one at the back attached to the mast to keep the flogging down.

+1 well worth the extra $ for the silver tarp

How well a blue tarp will work as a cover, depends on where you live and where you store your boat. I live in Houston. In my back yard, a blue tarp will last about a year. In the boatyard, it will last about 2-3 months in the summer. The boatyard has no shade and is the middle of the largest concentration of petrochem plants in the world.

Don't go by the color of a coated polypropylene tarp. Look at the thickness or the weight. The thinness I remember was 2.3 mil and the thickest was a 15 mil white one from Australia(it lasted almost 2 years). I messed up last year, I grabbed a silver/back tarp on sale. I was halfway through making a cover when I checked the package and found it was only 4 mils. That cover lasted until July.

This year I am trying something different. When my my cover feel apart last year, I whined and complained finally said "those yellow Naugahyde rudder covers and storage bags are 25 years old and have been in direct sun for at least 15 years".

The yellow Naugahyde cover for the A-Class has been working great for the last month. The rest of the material came in Tuesday, so I will start on the Wave cover and a mast cover for the A.

I will let you know how Naugahyde works. The bottom is open so I shouldn't have any condensation issues. It's waterproof and with the cover fitted to slip over the bows and sterns, it only needs 4 ties. It's just too heavy to move.