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| ...Coolaroo Full Sun Cover.... |
We decided this year to store our boat down south so that in October or November we can get a head start to the Bahamas and then on to the Caribbean Sea. With that all in mind, we were lucky enough to get on the storage list at the Hinckley Yacht Services Yard in Stuart Florida. We set our haul out date for Monday May 9th and then planned and installed a full yacht sun shade cover Monday and Tuesday. We were hauled out first thing Monday morning and we immediately started working on the cover. We used 1,200 sq. ft of Coolaroo heavy, 90% UV sunshade fabric and covered the entire boat.
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| Two Rolls of Coolaroo |
This fabric is made by Gale Pacific and it is sold in 6' x 100' rolls and 12' x 50' rolls. We bought one of each. The plan worked out well with the 6 foot piece hanging from the top lifeline to the waterline and the 12 foot piece spanning the deck from top lifeline to top lifeline. The fabric is a knitted fabric and it can easily be connected together using plastic zip ties. I also added the coolaroo clips that clamp onto the fabric and allow the addition of ropes to pull the fabric down tight under the boat. This project took a day and a half to install. The rolls cost $130 each and I also used about $30 of rope and wire ties. The cover will be protecting the boat from the intense hot Florida sun and it will allow the cover to breath and ventilate as well. We are expecting this to last all summer and into the fall. We will remove the cover the end of October and relaunch Nov 1. We are really happy with the way this
"Project Coolaroo" all worked out.
Here are some photos of the process.
(Note: All photos copyright by Hayden Cochran, all rights reserved)
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| The 10 foot AB Dinghy was lifted to deck |
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| We bought a digital dehumidifier with auto restart after a power outage |
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| Coolaroo clips to tie rope to the fabric |
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| The boat is stripped of dodger, bimini, halyards, sails, lines, etc |
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| We pre rolled the coolaroo fabric and put into place |
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| Full sun deck temps at 116 F |
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| Under the coolaroo deck temps 87 F, that is 29 degrees cooler! |
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| Hinckley Haulout |
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| Powerwash |
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| Notice the scale of the lift and the boat to the person! |
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| Radeen walks next to Island Spirit as we go to the storage |
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| Stored and ready for the cover |
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| The 6 foot roll by 50 feet is hung off the top life line |
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| Zip ties the coolaroo to the lifeline |
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| The two side pieces are on |
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| Top Bow piece 12' x 22' goes from mast to 1' past the bow |
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| Roll the bow closed and wire tie to the boat |
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| Second deck piece, 12' x 28 feet connected behind the mast |
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| Zip ties the aft piece to the bow piece |
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| Using clips the top and sides are pulled down tight |
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| The top is zip tied to the sides as well |
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| Full view of the entire side |
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| Lookign from the stern to the bow over the top |
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| Whisker pole is extended from Base of mast to Davits lifting the center |
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| Back deck cover tented over whisker pole |
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| Tenting allows you to get under and back into the boat |
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Aft deck cover extends out and flaps down over the stern making an access area
This is tolled and tied down to the ladder |
Overall, we are really happy with the project. It did take more time and effort than expected to offload the boat and plan the cover. This is all a practice run for when we store in the Caribbean next June, again, we will plan to shade the boat from the hot tropic sun and UV damages. Now, we need to pray for no hurricanes to hit Florida this season. Until then, we will return home to work on our property. Rest up Island Spirit because next year, you will sail the Caribbean Sea!
