The Complete Handbook of Watercraft Storage Covers
A professional's field guide to selecting, fitting, maintaining, and profiting from watercraft storage covers
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The definitive technical reference for selecting, fitting, and maintaining watercraft storage covers, written for professionals who need real performance data, not marketing slogans.
About this book
Watercraft storage covers are a critical investment for protecting boats, jet skis, and personal watercraft from the elements. A poorly chosen or improperly fitted cover can lead to thousands of dollars in damage from UV degradation, water pooling, and mildew. This handbook strips away the marketing jargon to provide a practical, engineering-based approach to every stage of the cover's lifecycle, from specifying the right fabric for your climate to the economics of repair versus replacement.
Written for marina operators, dealers, professional installers, and serious owners, this guide covers material science (including denier, thread count, and fabric coatings), the mechanics of proper tensioning, and the nuances of venting. It provides a clear framework for choosing a cover based on storage environment and vessel type, step-by-step installation procedures, and a troubleshooting guide for common failures like chafing and water pooling. Beyond ownership, it explores the business side, detailing opportunities in installation services, retail, and custom manufacturing.
The Complete Handbook of Watercraft Storage Covers is the essential resource for anyone who needs to protect high-value assets with confidence. It replaces guesswork with knowledge, ensuring that every decision, from the initial purchase to long-term maintenance, is informed and effective.
Reader Reviews
Laura Wilson
★★★★★Finally, a book that treats boat covers like the technical product they are. As someone who runs a marina, I found the first chapter's breakdown of UV and water-induced failure mechanisms to be spot on. It's a solid reference that gives me the language to talk to customers about why they need a better cover. My only gripe is that I wish the chapters on installation had more diagrams, but the text is clear enough. Happy to have it on my desk.
Susan Torres
★★★★★It's a decent, comprehensive manual, and I learned a few things about fabric weaves I didn't know. The author's voice is very no-nonsense, which I appreciate. However, the opening chapter felt a bit heavy on the 'why it matters' and a bit light on the 'what to do about it' compared to what I expected. I was hoping for more concrete comparisons of different cover brands right out of the gate, but I guess that comes later in the book. It's a good resource, just not as immediately actionable as I'd hoped.
William Campbell
★★★★★This is a well-researched reference that fills a real gap. I'm a hobbyist who restores old boats, and the specific details about water pooling and how a cover's thread count affects its lifespan were very valuable to me. The book is thorough, but the first chapter reads a bit like a textbook at times, and I found myself skimming to get to the practical stuff. It's a book you'll reference rather than read cover-to-cover. A good, solid addition to the library.