Snaps or no snaps???

So I really dont like the boat cover on our 04 x-star. It does the job of keeping the dust out, but I dont like how it tows.
So I was really debating the idea of the snap
style tanneau covers. I like the tightness and
how they look and the fact that you can tow with them alot better than the full cover, but cant get past the idea if putting holes thru out the entire boat. Any suggestions or input would be great.

no snaps. go with covercrafts, spendy but worth it from what I have heard. you goin to san v this weekend with buzz and crew?

snaps

snaps

Snaps......

Rankin also makes very nice towing covers. I prefer the looks of snap-on covers. I actually like the looks of the snaps themselves as well, with the cover off. Both types are about the same amount of hassle to put on / take off. Tough decision. I'm not voting.

Why do you need to tow with the cover on? None of the options are particularly good for the gelcoat.

I hear about gelcoat issues with covers and towing, but have never had any noticeable rub/issue with either snap cover I have had on my boats.

Hate snaps, they're ugly and a pain in the ass and they dont age well.

Ugly is obviously personal opinion.

But as far as pain in the ass or not aging well....please explain.

I hear ya Hate_N_Pain on the pain in the ass, I break 4 or 5 snaps a year and have to replace them. Plus it's hard for my girlfriend to snap them when we put the cover on so I pretty much do them all.

Snaps. Had both and prefer the fitted look of snaps.

Mine are 10 years old and no issues even with saltwater use.

"Hate snaps, they're ugly and a pain in the ass and they dont age well."

I agree. I think with the cover on they look great, but with the cover off the snaps look ugly IMO. They also tend to back out of the gel coat and rust. Also don't like the fact that once you go snaps, you can never go back since you put a bunch of holes in the boat. I'd spend the money on a Rankin or similar if it was me. Mine never did super well towing either. After a few miles of 70 mph one or multiple would always come undone.

I've had snaps for 3 years, no rust, no loose snaps, no problems from towing with cover on. I really prefer my snap-on cover over previous strap-on covers.

When living in SOCAL where we have had exactly 1/2 inch of rain in the last 16 months, why would you want a towing cover? Just get a storage cover like this one.

In the end, guess it is just another personal choice thing. Actually Stanfield appears to be the first person I have actually talked with that has gone away from snaps. Granted, my sample is small. It would be interesting to see how many people on this forum have switched back.

I have had cinch covers and snap covers, in the end, I paid to get snaps put on both boats I have owned(Cobalt & CC) and will with each boat purchase in the future. It doesn't mean they are better, just what I prefer.

I agree with Tom that snaps break, though I cannot remember breaking that many in a year. 1-2 is average for me. Fact is, mine are just replaced during service, free of charge....so it has never bugged me.

Another thought just came to me regarding rub, snaps, snaps coming undone at 70mph.... I will assume that like different cinch covers, maybe there are big differences in the quality of snap covers people are putting out and I have been fortunate to have higher quality ones that apparently some have on their boats.....

If you're losing snaps, I'd say they're not installed correctly. The guy who did mine said "If you lose one, I'll fix it for free. But you won't lose one." I haven't lost one yet. I bet I've steered at least 6 people his way over the years after they saw my cover. I can definitely see how salt water and corrosion would be an issue, though. I only do fresh water.

Snaps vs. no snaps is not a good/bad, right/wrong issue - it's simply personal preference. I like mine and would not own a boat without one, but I have no compelling reason(s) why anyone else should do the same.

So the factory MC covers are great for storage.
They have a cinch tight mechanism that gets the
entire cover tight, but still allows the cover to slap the sides of the boat when towing, so we dont tow with it at all. I dont mind towing with no cover, just the extra clean up is getting old.
Especially on the long trips to like Powell and such.
Just looking for a easier way.

(Message edited by big_x-star on August 30, 2007)

I think it looks good with the cover on and I don't really notice the snaps w/ the cover off.

E.J. as you said to each his own regarding looks but snaps wear poorly. As stated previously they rust, break, come loose and punch through the cover. In some cases the cover over time shrinks up and putting those last few snaps in place is a bitch. I have had both and much prefer a snapless towable cover I dont believe towing with them is much of an issue regarding gel coat and they are simple to put on. I really hate the look of the snaps with the cover off but theats obviously subjective.

My wife really notices that there are no snaps on our boat. Any where you rest an arm or slide out of the boat there is nothing in the way and nothing uncomfortable. We spent a lot of years in snapped boats and notice how clean this one looks.

Our first boat had snaps. We did not like them. We vowed to never have them again.

Just remember this. If you get them, you or someone else will be DRILLING 50 or so HOLES in your clean sleak boat.

for me, no snaps. they suck to detail around.

(Message edited by wake_upppp on August 30, 2007)

No Snaps

Maybe snaps on shirts and pants , but NOT on boats...
I don't even have cleats on my boat

50/50 for me.. i cant decide what to do.. My last boat had a nice snap on cover that i absolutely loved.. But as mentioned they do get in the way when detailing and arent very apealing when your on the water and the cover is not on... I ride quite a bit in the winter and seems like half the time i take a vacation i hit rain at some point so having the factory cover has come in very handy, but i just dont think it was made to tow all the time with.. Ill probablly just spend the money and have a custom snapless tow cover made..

I hate snaps. Go with the Rankin. I tow my boat 200 miles over the pass with it and it worked great. No issues or rubbing.

Go with a QUALITY cover. Snaps are forever, but they do look clean when the cover is on.

Second the Rankin. We had a Rankin cover on our previous boat and towed about 2,000 miles a year for three years with no problem. Our current cover (not sure of manufacturer - stock MB cover) traveled from TX to OR} and we've put an additional 1,500 miles on it with no issues. Just make sure to keep the cover cleaned.

I think most towing issues are due to poor fitting covers, straps and inferior materials.

Good luck.

snaps

Regardless of whether the cover is quality or not, I think snaps look like crap on a nice boat.

Who wants 50 plus little pieces of metal screwed into the gelcoat all around your boat? I hate 'em, but this is clearly case of personal preference. YUK.

Sean