It’s not particularly difficult to do but not particularly easy to describe either, but here goes.
Most shrink wrap jobs I’ve seen are pretty much the same.
You start with a cover frame, most commonly using 2x4 uprights held in place with polyester strapping tape (I use ¾”). The uprights are spaced 5-6’ apart along the centerline of the boat. The uprights are.braced laterally using the strapping material and further reinforced by a moderately tensioned single run of strapping running fore and aft over the top of each upright. Finally, the tops of the uprights are padded to prevent the uprights from poking through the cover (I use wadded up shrink wrap for padding).
The cover itself is applied by first placing a perimeter band of well tensioned strapping material around the boat at the level you want the lower edge of the cover to be. The cover material is then draped over the frame and trimmed so that about a foot or so of cover material is below the perimeter band. The extra foot or so of cover material is then tucked under the perimeter band and shrunk with a heat gun or torch all the way around the boat. The perimeter band, which, by design is very tight, is then captive in the channel of shrink wrap material. Next 3-4 belly bands of strapping material are put on. These run from the perimeter band on one side, under the boat to the perimeter band on the other side and serve to prevent the cover from riding up when the final shrinking of the cover material is performed.
The key to reusing the cover is to loosen the perimeter band in such a way that it can be re-tensioned when the cover is reinstalled. The way I do that (and you only have to do it the first year you reuse a cover) is to locate or create a place where several feet of the perimeter band are exposed, then clamp the perimeter band to the shrink wrap material though which it runs on each side of the exposed section of perimeter band (I use small c-clamps). You then cut the perimeter band, tie on several feet of strapping material to each end of the old perimeter band. Then release the clamps, cut or untie the belly bands and begin loosening the cover by pulling outward along the bottom of the cover until it is loose enough to begin working it up and off the boat. Fold it up, make a note of the position of the frame uprights and heights before dismantling the frame and you’re good to go. I usually cut the perimeter band in the middle of the transom because I have a swim platform which affords good attachment points for re-tensioning the perimeter band. When reinstalling the cover, you’ll never get the perimeter band quite as tight as it was originally but, using trucker’s hitches, you can get it plenty tight, same with the belly bands.
You can patch any places where the cover wears through over a winter with shrink tape. I’ve been amazed with the performance of our current cover. Next month I’ll be installing it for the 5th time which means I’ll have covered the boat very effectively for less than $75/year. Feel free to contact me directly if you have specific other questions.
David Young
Bay Cat, 30U #402
Suttons Bay, MI
USA