TOPIC: Boat cover lost it's water proofing

Guys,I have a old canvas? cover that came with the Crestliner that looks to be custom made for it in great condition (no tears),but tends to saturate and leak through. Does anyone know of a good waterproofing to fix this and how to apply it.jim

Back when I was a kid, we waterproofed our tarps with this recipe. It worked great. First wash the tarp with warm Ivory Liquid soapy water and rinse it off really well. Let it dry completely. Then, you mix 8 ozs of soy bean oil and 4 ozs of turpentine. Then use a paint brush or paint roller to apply the solution. When it's dry apply another coat an when it drys you're good to go. It does leave a bit of an oily residue and odor but in a week it will dissapate. It will be waterproof.

There are some more modern (and less flammable) products available than soybean oil and turpentine. Remember, you can always put a blue or green tarp over the canvas. Wait until you have to reproduce the cover and use a waterproof and perhaps breathable fabric.

For what it's worth - I have come to find that cloth/fabric boat covers should be removed and put away during the wet season. Use a decent quality tarp with a rigeline that runs from the bow to stern, with adequate overhang all round the sides and stern. This will shed water and a decent amount of snow.

Fabric covers tend to mold/mildew and rot. Tarps are less expensive to replace. Use the fabric cover in the nicer part of the year

Thanks for the suggestions all. I'll check into it. Hopefully, it won't be outside too much. It sets in the basement most of the time,but in the spot where I have to work on other vehicles.The cover on the aristo is paper so she stays in. Some might wonder why I cover them inside? You wouldn't believe the dust from the woodstove and some woodworking/autobody work.

There are products out there for waterproofing camping equipment. A few years ago we treated all of the tents in my son's Boy Scout troop. We bought in bulk and used a garden sprayer to apply it. It worked great. I don't remember the brand or where we got it, but I can try to find out.
Bill

I have been using a product called Aqua Tite Silicone Water Repellant. It comes in a quart squirt bottle. It may come larger but I have used it on two covers one of nylon and the other canvas and I still have probably one coat left. It really works and lasts. It's really potent smelling but the smell goes away fairly quickly. I spread out the cover over 4 saw horses in the driveway. It dries in about a half hour - I'm sure longer in colder weather. 8 degrees here this morning. I like to do it when it's real hot and it dries fast.
Tom

Thompson's Water Seal sprayed on canvas will waterproof it.

I remember something way back that was used for this,Bill. Don't know what it was called.Maybe "Duck's Back"? I'll check at Lowe's next time. That aqua tite sounds like a good option, Tom.I've used Thompson's on decks. I didn't know it would work on canvas.Thanks huntr1. One thing is for sure Bruce, it will need some bows to hold it up to stop the puddling in the middle. Thanks to all for your great input. One of the most helpful sites I've been on. jim

check out "303" high tech fabric gaurd water repellent
it is even recomended by sunbrella

woosterken

Hey,

Is this true?

My boat cover has lost it's waterproofing.

What are you using to recover it?

I use this on mine, and just about everything else I don't want to get wet including my shoes... www.neverwet.com/

This thread has been quiet for a long time. I have since used a product from Kiwi ( the shoe polish company, for those of us that remember doing that) called Camp Dry.It is silicone based and works on canvas or any other breathable products like leather. I used this on the original canvas on my '59 Thompson and it worked great. This was only used for short times like a rainy day and not for extended storage periods out in the weather. I agree with the plan of packing away the canvas and using a cheap tarp with a ridge pole. If you want to preserve the original canvas, which is expensive to replace, use it sparingly.
Bill

What the hey,,,I might as well chime in here. Back in the day we had a pop up camper with canvas sides and for waterproofing I would just use a block of paraffin wax, the kind you can buy in any grocery store canning section, and rub it into the material. No smell, no fuss and after a day it seems to just absorb away. Never had any leaks or moisture wicking.

Needed a tarp for covering plants stacked on a self on the patio one winter when we were going to have a freeze.

Had some painter tarps I picked up off of a job. I used them, however knew that later in the year I would need a water proof cover.

A water proof tarp cost way too much for a few plants so I thought of covering the painter's tarp with plastic...(Need the cloth as for the cold not to burn the leaves of the plants that touch it).

Then it hit me...... Bought some oops paint from Home Depot and spray painted one side of the painter's tarp.

Going on year 6 and still holding up