Tarping a boat is simply a fancy way of saying that you want to protectively and preventively sheath your boat with a tarp boat cover. A tarp boat cover is a large sheet of durable, flexible, water-resistant, or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane or made of plastics such as polyethylene. 

A question that pops up when someone mentions tarping and explains what it concerns boating is “What good is that going to do for me?” and “Are you just trying to sell me something useless just the take my money?” No, on the contrary, because boat tarping, rather than being a waste of money, will save you money in the long run. Here’s why:

We all know that owning a boat is an investment, and every asset must be maintained to keep it in top shape and retain, if not increase, its value over time. Tarping preserves your boat’s value by protecting it from weathering; snow, ice, salt, wind, rain, and other factors that may and will lead to the wearing down of your boat’s body’s integrity and look if not properly taken care of. You want your boat to stay as healthy as can be when you’re out on the water and for as long as possible. 

Whether you’re seeking short-term protection for your watercraft or want to guard it against the weather for off-season storage for a longer time, a good-quality tarp can provide a surprisingly inexpensive, easy, and effective solution for boat preservation and elongating its durability. 

Here is a Step-by-Step Guide to Help Your Tarp Your Boat

You should know that there are some things you need to put into consideration when you are tarping your boat.

Choose Your Tarp Wisely

Ask yourself this simple but fundamental question, “What is the size of my boat?” This will enable you to decide the size of the tarp that will cover your boat correctly. An oversize tarp will do you or your boat no good, and neither will a short size. As easily accessible as needles can be, you can find tarps at online stores or regular boating shops in small sizes of as small as 8 * 10 feet and some that can measure up to 30 * 40 feet. You can also combine multiple tarps should you want to cover a larger area, an act that requires only a little skill. There are many

When It Comes to Boat Tarping, Timing Matters

It is of importance to decide what is the best time to start tarping your boat. It might prove difficult to start trying to cover a boat with a tarp in order to protect it from a hurricane when the storm is already blowing or from heavy snowing when the blizzard has already set in. Also, it would be a man working against the weather, and much success may not be achieved. You could risk damage of property both on the side of the boat and tarp. Therefore, it is wise to decide when best to save the boat ahead of time.

Protect Your Tarp From 

Tarps are hard to puncture. This goes without saying, but it doesn’t mean that it’s impenetrable. Better safe than sorry, we always say, and here is why. A potential problem may occur in some areas during tarping your boat as there may be some sharp structures like antennas, burgee poles, windshield frame corners that would prove difficult to uninstall. These sharp edges, corners, and structures can be ensured from cutting or destroying-puncturing the tarp by covering them with more resistant material like a rag or old pieces of carpet. The makeshift paddings can be firmly secured into place by using duct tape.

Make Hills out of All Low Spots

When tarping, it is expedient to make sure that there are no low spots in the tarp. If there are, lose them by propping them up with structures like blunt poles and sticks. Low spots can be notorious for collecting rainwater, ice, snow, dust, and debris, which, if left over time, will prove detrimental to the asset you were trying to protect in the first place. If these collections manage to slip through cracks, permanent damage can go into the list of the havocs they will do. Therefore, all low props should be eliminated, and doing so will give the entire tarp an elevated/ hill-like shape all through. Be sure to pad the end of the poles that directly touch the tarp with old rags and other materials to avoid puncture and rupture.

Tarping a Pontoon Boat For Winter

Make a Design for Ventilation Spots

This is for all conditions of tarping, especially if you are storing your vessel near the water or any place with high humidity. Do allow little points from where air passage will be possible to minimize or even checkmate the formation of mildew. It will be wise to even open up the tarp regularly if the storage period is long. You can evan pay the gentleman who cuts your lawn or a handyman while you are away to help you do it, after properly showing him how to, of course.

Keeping the Tarp Down

Finally, and most importantly (well, just as important as the other 5 points previously mentioned), keep your tarp down. You just have to do this, or all the effort you put into getting to this level would prove to be a waste of energy and time. Please make sure to properly fasten down your tarps. This can be done with regular ropes, using them to cross over and then tie under the boat when finished. You can also opt to use weighted objects to hold down the lines, especially if you or someone else will be accessing the already tarped boat frequently.

Better than ordinary ropes are bungee straps which you fasten by simply hooking them into grommets (they come in already made tarps, but if they don’t, then you can cut open yours at the ends and secure the holes with strong seams or sew circle copper wires/hoops on them to prevent tearing). You can hook other ends to your weighted objects like old cans filled with water.

Best Boat Tarps to Choose From

Super Heavy Duty 16 Mil Brown Poly Tarp Cover (link to Amazon) – Thick Waterproof, UV Resistant, Rot, Rip and Tear Proof Tarpaulin with Grommets and Reinforced Edges – by Xpose Safety. This is the thickest tarp that money can buy, and it is perfect for industrial and commercial uses where high-risk factors like wear, water, and puncture are duly considered. Also, vinyl materials are the most durable materials known to last longer than a standard poly tarp. Also, it comes in many different sizes so you are guaranteed to find the perfect size that fits your needs.

If you are looking a more affordable option, then the Kotap TRA-10100 All Purpose Poly Tarp will do the trick. It is Mold, Mildew, Tear and UV Resistant and comes in many different sizes too that will allow you to tarp your boat more easily.

Other Accessories Used in Boat Tarping

  • Bungee Strap
  • Ropes
  • Weighted Objects
  • Poles or Sticks
  • Paddings: Old rugs or Carpets, Rags.
  • Makeshift grommet strengtheners.

All of the above can be purchased from Amazon.

Pros of Tarping Your Boat

  • It is cheaper to cover boats with a tarp. It is most cost-effective than the custom boat covers that can reach high in the sky of budgets to the tune of several thousand dollars.
  • Tarps are easily obtainable and readily available
  • Relatively easy to replace
  • Very durable and long-lasting stuff

Cons of Tarping Your Boat

  • It is very tedious to tarp a boat, especially a big one.
  • You have all these poking structures to look out for and a lot of propping up to do. Hence, it is time-consuming.

Finally, although tarping a boat can seem to be tedious and time-consuming, it is worth every bit of it if you dare look at the bright side, and there are lots of them.