Sharkskin Supreme or Sunbrella cover?

I keep my boat in a carport year round and the old Westland Exact Fit sharkskin cover that came with it is dry rotten and sun damaged (From the previous owner). It gets sun for about 4 hrs a day on one side and doesn't get wet unless we get sideways rain.

My neighbor has a Sharkskin cover on his SAN and, dry rot aside, it seems a lot nicer than the material than my old cover. I could get the same cover that I already have in Sharkskin Supreme for $353 or in Sunbrella for $472. If his is Sharkskin Supreme I'd be pretty satisfied with that.

I know the Sunbrella is generally better but given that it acts as more of a dust cover I'm wondering if it's worth the extra $119.

Are there any other things I should be considering?

Sunbrella will breath more which helps with mildew and mold. Not to mention Sunbrella should last if you wash it with mild soap then treat with 303 protectant.

My father has an awning business and uses sunbrella exclusively for canvas needs. Both those prices are hard to beat especially if these covers are domestically produced.

Originally Posted by norcalrider

Sunbrella will breath more which helps with mildew and mold.

I'm in Southern Louisiana so mold is an issue. I'm actually surprised how willing it is to grow under my existing cover since it's full of rips and what not.

Did a boat cover for our old Tige out of some real high end waterproof Sunbrella the mill gave us and ended up having to add three vents as it wouldn't breath. Traditional sunbrella is good from that standpoint and will still shed water if you treat it annually and don't have any low spots forming puddle.

You can see one of the three scoop vents added in this picture:

I went with the sunbrella. Ended up being able to get it for $450 shipped.

I will have to modify it to clear my aftermarket tower legs.

Sunbrella is a good Awning material however isn't best for a Mooring Cover.
It is dimensionally unstable and weights too much which causes it to look sloppy over time and easily allow pooling to occur.
It also has very poor Hydrostatic water resistance (45cm)
Once the face water repellency wears off (and it will) the fibers will absorb water allowing it through into the boat.
Being water soaked makes it heavy and will stretch it further and it has little memory making the fit sloppy.

As far as "Breathable" goes, it's a fallacy because air cannot permeate a fabric unless it's under pressure and Moisture Vapor transfer only occurs under certain environmental conditions and even then at an extremely slow rate. Testing has proven breathing doesn’t occur and control of the air under the cover is dependent on what condition the boat was in at the time it was covered and what precautions were made to have it as dry as possible.

SurLast fabric was developed as a "Mooring Cover Fabric" addressing all the challenges of trying to protect the boat from Rain, Sun, & Dirt while staying snug fit to the original pattern.
It is made by Glen Raven Mills who also makes Sunbrella. The newest version is SurLast BW+ which is significantly better.
MasterCraft, Malibu, Correct Craft, Centurion, Sanger & MB Sport covers use this new SurLast.

In addition this fabric coupled with the VacUHold towing system keeps the cover shrunk-fit to the boat as it's towed at highway speeds with no straps required.

Hi, im looking for basically the same answer.

One question however, is that i was told that black sunbrella can leave a stain on white vinyl? Is this true?

Where is the best place price wise to get a cover as well?

Thanks

Any ideas guys. Im from New Zealand so dont know the NZ market too well, yet want to get something orderd as soon as possible

SurLast or Sunbrella are "Solution Dyed" fabrics and cannot bleed or Sublimate onto any surface.

The staining issue lies within the vinyl characteristics.
Glues and foam backings cross contaminate the vinyl surface setting the conditions for staining to occur.
Additionally the staining can also be mold growth in the foam section that bleeds to the vinyl surface from the backside
Due to the expense many times the foam backing is not treated with antimicrobials.
Lack of a high quality top coat adds to the poor resistance of vinyl reacting to organic compounds that come in contact with it.
If it goes away when exposed to sunlight the condition is Dehydrochlorination.

Certain boat brands exhibit this staining problem while many others do not.
Higher quality vinyl’s resist any staining or discoloration.

Heat may be a contributor so if you're in a hot part of the country buying a Light Gray cover may help.

Not to brag but our SurLast BW+ Mooring Cover with the VacUHold trailering system is the best cover on the market and sold through OEM dealers.
Presently we supply MasterCraft, Malibu, Correct Craft, Centurion, MB Sport, Sanger, Supreme.

Check the videos of towed covers.

http://www.commercialsewing.com/vacuhold.html

Hey Gregory,

Where might I find a good Centurion vendor for your product? I'm in need of a good new cover and bimini top for a 2006 Centurion SV230 w/ the tribal tower. Bimini top too