Ron,

I would suggest storing your boats upside down. This has alway worked for me.

Dan

Hi Ron,

It appears the one you have is made out of this material:
"These 100% polyester kayak covers are UV/water resistant "

I noticed the cover that I plan to buy for my dory says this:
"These covers are stitched from tan "Weather Max" fabric, which is specially formulated for durability in the sun and rain.  "

Dont know if those are different fabrics or not.

FYI

Curt

If ther's 4" of ice in it your probably not going to be using your boat for a while. I'd suggest taping a garbage bag over the cockpit under the cover. SEEYA Jack

These are all good suggestions, but what about the waterproof covers he bought that aren't? 

Chester, Yall

That's right, and it got me nervous because I'll be buying the Dory cover from CLC and didnt want soggy cloth, so I posted (above) the two different materials that CLC uses for boat covers and the kayak cover.

Ron,

You may want to call CLC to ask if the material in your cover ("These 100% polyester kayak covers are UV/water resistant ") should be more water resistant than what you are experiencing.

If you dont mind, ask them if the boat covers are more waterproof/resistant ("These covers are stitched from tan "Weather Max" fabric, which is specially formulated for durability in the sun and rain.  ")  and if you call them could you let us know what they say?

Curt

another vote for 'store it upside down'.....even if you have a cover.

if you can't store it upside down (potentially on a larger boat) then you need to tent it so that all the water runs off.

if it must be stored upright, it should have or be outfitted with a drain plug that gets taken out for the winter storage to prevent any opportunity for pooling water.

any time you create the opportunity for pooling water in the cover or the boat, you create a risk of substantial damage.

we have a lot of kayaks and shells at the local rowing house here that are stored outside.  every boat, covered or not, is stored upside down.   at the big boat boat yard, if we store a boat outside and right side up, we create structure to tent the cover and we remove the drain plugs from the boat.

not sure it makes a lot of sense to try an approach that time and time again has shown to not be reliable.....regardless of what the fabric manufacturer represents.

best,

howard

I saw a post once (might have been on this forum, can't recall) where someone made a small, but long shed with the door on one end. Slide the boat right in.  It was locked and didn't look unattractive.  It was snugged right up to the side of the house and hardly noticable.  It had a single slope, shingled roof and painted to match the house.  Reminded me of a wood shed but closed in and a door on one end.  It held two boats.  Something to consider if you have the room.

I have a Hobie Mirage Outback sit-on-top that I stored outside under a deck right side up. Even with hatch covers dogged down it was half full of water the next spring. The next year same place but upside down - no water.

If there is no support under the cockpit cover it will sag and collect water which will eventually get inside or cause condensation. In the cold Northeast that could result in a pretty good puddle.

The fabric could be "water resistant" over a 24hour period but if the water sits on it for a while - not so much.

Thanks for all the responses..some great ideas.

I lined 2 x 6's across the cockpits, this should keep the water running off instead of pooling up.

My intent is to raise the house in the next year to avoid another Sandy, So I will rack my 3  kayaks underneath.  Fortunately  I had them cabled together to a 50 lb cinderblock when the 5 feet of ocean water came thru that crazy day.

Ron

I have found that most fabrics are only water resistant.  Yacht Acrylic, like Sunbrella, eventually becomes less resistant and need to be coated.  When ever there is direct contact, water wicks through the fabric to the solid surface.  The only alternative would be a heavy mil plastic that would be waterproof, but that would lead to a myriad of other problems with a lack of breathability. Glad you didn't need the 'yak for a life boat.

There is a product, I believe it's called "Camp Dry" which comes in a can about the size of Rustoleum spray paint.  It is great for treating Sunbrella or any other fabric every time you wash it and water will bead up on the cloth after treatment.  However I don't think anything will stop puddles from eventually leaking through.  

I have used a vertical stick to keep the center of the fabric raised, so water runs off instead of pooling on the fabric.  Seems to work in mild conditions.

Alec

Many of the kayak covers are for keeping debris out of the baoat while intransit. Even on expedtions when a canoe or kyak  is stored on shore in most cases it is on its side or upside down.

I have had very good luck with Seals cockpit covers.  I have them on all of my kayaks and I have had no problems with water getting in them.

I don't have enough room in my garage or under the house for all of my kayaks so keep a couple of them rolled up in blue tarps from Lowes.   They stay dry and they cost a heck of a lot less than $120.