Best Pontoon Boat Covers

You’d want to keep it look­ing sharp and pro­tect­ed from the ele­ments, just as you would with any­thing you trea­sure. That’s where a qual­i­ty best pon­toon boat cov­er swoops in to save the day (or more accu­rate­ly, your boat). Whether it’s shield­ing your beloved ves­sel from a sum­mer storm, or it’s a harsh win­ter freeze, a good pon­toon cov­er is like a reli­able friend that’s got your back, no mat­ter what Moth­er Nature throws your way.

Best Pontoon Boat Covers

When choos­ing a pon­toon boat cov­er, the main fac­tor to con­sid­er is the mate­r­i­al. A stan­dard cov­er is usu­al­ly made of a durable, water-resis­tant fab­ric such as poly­ester, nylon, or can­vas. These mate­ri­als are gen­er­al­ly light­weight, which can make them eas­i­er to put on and take off. For heav­ier-duty pro­tec­tion, there are also cov­ers made of vinyl or rub­ber. These are thick­er and stur­dier, so they can pro­vide bet­ter pro­tec­tion from the ele­ments.

1. Empire­Cov­ers Aqua Armor Pon­toon Boat Cov­er: Made from a 1200 Denier fab­ric, this cov­er is water­proof, breath­able, and offers UV pro­tec­tion, mak­ing it an all-weath­er champ for your pon­toon boat. It’s also designed to fit a wide range of pon­toon sizes, which is always a bonus.
2. Clas­sic Acces­sories Storm­Pro: This heavy­weight beast is designed for long-term stor­age and high­way trav­el. Made from a durable poly­ester fab­ric, it comes with adjustable tran­som flaps for a tai­lored fit and dual air vents to pre­vent wind loft­ing and con­den­sa­tion.
3. North East Har­bor Water­proof Pon­toon Cov­er: This one’s a bud­get-friend­ly pick that doesn’t skimp on pro­tec­tion. It’s made of a durable marine-grade fab­ric that offers water­proof­ing and UV shield­ing. Its uni­ver­sal design makes it suit­able for a vari­ety of pon­toon sizes.
4. iCOV­ER Trail­er­a­ble Pon­toon Boat Cov­er: This is a sol­id choice if you’re reg­u­lar­ly tow­ing your boat. The cov­er is made from a heavy-duty fab­ric that is both water­proof and UV resis­tant. Plus, it’s designed to with­stand high speeds, mak­ing it an excel­lent choice for the road.
5. Vor­tex Heavy Duty: Designed for extreme weath­er con­di­tions, this cov­er boasts a heavy-duty 600D marine grade fab­ric. It’s water­proof, offers UV pro­tec­tion, and comes with an impres­sive five-year war­ran­ty.
6. Pyle Heavy Duty Pon­toon Boat Cov­er: Pyle offers a uni­ver­sal fit cov­er that’s designed for tough marine con­di­tions. It’s craft­ed from marine-grade, water­proof fab­ric and includes quick-release straps for fas­ten­ing, mak­ing it an easy and secure option. Plus, it comes with a stor­age bag for when your cov­er needs some cov­er!
7. Sea­man­der Heavy Duty Water­proof Trail­er­a­ble: Sea­man­der serves up a ver­sa­tile cov­er that’s per­fect for both stor­age and trai­ler­ing. Made with marine-grade poly­ester fab­ric, it gives you robust pro­tec­tion against sun, rain, snow, and wind. With an elas­tic cord for a snug fit and quick-release buck­les for easy removal, it’s all about con­ve­nience.
8. Leader Acces­sories Pon­toon Boat Cov­er: Here’s one that deliv­ers on dura­bil­i­ty and ease of use. The Leader Acces­sories cov­er fea­tures a high-strength poly­ester fab­ric designed for extra dura­bil­i­ty and all-weath­er pro­tec­tion. It’s got an elas­tic cord in the bot­tom hem for a quick and secure fit, and the adjustable straps make for easy instal­la­tion and removal.

In addi­tion to the mate­r­i­al of best pon­toon cov­ers, you’ll also want to con­sid­er the size. Most cov­ers are made to fit stan­dard pon­toon boat, but you should still mea­sure your boat and dou­ble-check the size of the cov­er before pur­chas­ing. You’ll also want to make sure that the cov­er has enough room for any acces­sories you may have, such as lad­ders or seat­ing.

Anoth­er impor­tant fac­tor to con­sid­er when buy­ing a pon­toon boat cov­er is the type of straps and buck­les that it has. Some cov­ers come with straps and buck­les that can be used to secure the cov­er in place, while oth­ers may require addi­tion­al straps and buck­les that must be pur­chased sep­a­rate­ly. Make sure that the straps and buck­les are durable and will be able to with­stand strong winds.

They can range in price from rel­a­tive­ly inex­pen­sive to quite expen­sive, so it’s impor­tant to find one that fits your bud­get. Keep in mind that more expen­sive cov­ers may pro­vide bet­ter pro­tec­tion and last longer, so it may be worth it to invest in a high­er-qual­i­ty cov­er.

Types of Pontoon Boat Covers

There are sev­er­al dif­fer­ent types of pon­toon boat cov­ers avail­able, each of which has its own advan­tages and dis­ad­van­tages. The most com­mon types of cov­ers are:

• Cus­tom Cov­ers: These are designed to fit a spe­cif­ic make and mod­el of pon­toon boat. They offer a snug, glove-like fit which pro­vides the best pro­tec­tion but they can be more expen­sive and aren’t ver­sa­tile if you have mul­ti­ple boats or plan to change boats in the future.
• Styled-to-Fit Cov­ers: These are also known as “semi-cus­tom” cov­ers. They’re designed to fit a gen­er­al style and size of boat, rather than a spe­cif­ic mod­el. They offer a good bal­ance between fit and ver­sa­til­i­ty, and they’re usu­al­ly less expen­sive than cus­tom cov­ers but more expen­sive than uni­ver­sal ones.
• Uni­ver­sal Cov­ers: These are designed to fit any boat with­in a cer­tain size range. They offer the most ver­sa­til­i­ty and are typ­i­cal­ly the least expen­sive option, but they may not fit as tight­ly or offer the same lev­el of pro­tec­tion as the oth­er types.
• Snap-On Cov­ers: These are cus­tom or styled-to-fit cov­ers that come with snaps to secure the cov­er to the boat. This type of cov­er pro­vides a snug fit and excel­lent pro­tec­tion, but the snaps can be time-con­sum­ing to fas­ten and unfas­ten.
• Moor­ing Cov­ers: These cov­ers are designed to pro­tect your boat when it’s anchored or moored. They’re usu­al­ly heav­ier and stur­dier to with­stand wind and weath­er. Some moor­ing cov­ers cov­er just the top of the boat, while oth­ers cov­er the sides as well.
• Travel/Trailering Cov­ers: These cov­ers are designed for use while tow­ing your boat on the road. They’re built to with­stand high speeds and the addi­tion­al wind pres­sure that comes with it. They’re typ­i­cal­ly secured with a heavy-duty strap­ping sys­tem to ensure they stay in place dur­ing trav­el.
• Stor­age Cov­ers: If you’re stor­ing your pon­toon boat for a longer peri­od (say, over the win­ter), these are your go-to. These are usu­al­ly heavy-duty cov­ers, designed to pro­tect your boat from dust, mois­ture, and oth­er stor­age-relat­ed risks.
• Bimi­ni Tops: While not a full boat cov­er, a Bimi­ni top is worth men­tion­ing. This type of cov­er pro­vides shade over the cock­pit of the boat, pro­tect­ing pas­sen­gers from sun and rain with­out cov­er­ing the entire boat.

Choos­ing the best pon­toon boat cov­er large­ly depends on your spe­cif­ic needs. A cus­tom cov­er offers a tai­lored fit for excel­lent pro­tec­tion, while a styled-to-fit cov­er pro­vides a bal­ance between fit and ver­sa­til­i­ty. For bud­get-con­scious boat own­ers or those with mul­ti­ple boats, uni­ver­sal cov­ers are a great choice.

Snap-on cov­ers give a snug fit with snap fas­ten­ings, while moor­ing cov­ers are designed for when your boat is anchored or docked, offer­ing stur­dy pro­tec­tion against wind and weath­er. Trav­el cov­ers are per­fect if you’re fre­quent­ly tow­ing your boat, designed to resist high speeds and wind pres­sure. And for long-term stor­age, you can’t go wrong with a heavy-duty stor­age cov­er.

Universal Covers

Uni­ver­sal pon­toon boat cov­ers are the most afford­able and ver­sa­tile option. They are designed to fit a wide vari­ety of pon­toon boats, and can usu­al­ly be adjust­ed to fit your spe­cif­ic boat. They typ­i­cal­ly come with straps and buck­les that can be used to secure the cov­er to your boat, and they offer basic pro­tec­tion from the ele­ments.

Custom Covers

Cus­tom cov­ers are made specif­i­cal­ly to fit your boat, so you can be sure that they will pro­vide the best lev­el of pro­tec­tion pos­si­ble. They are usu­al­ly more expen­sive than uni­ver­sal cov­ers, but they offer a per­fect fit and can pro­vide supe­ri­or pro­tec­tion from the ele­ments.

Storage Covers

Stor­age cov­ers are designed for boats that are stored in a garage or oth­er enclosed area. They pro­vide a lay­er of pro­tec­tion from dust and oth­er debris, and can help keep your boat look­ing good even when it’s not in use.

Trailer Covers

Trail­er cov­ers are designed to fit over your boat while it’s being trans­port­ed on a trail­er. They pro­vide addi­tion­al pro­tec­tion from the ele­ments and help keep your boat look­ing good while you’re on the road.

Who makes the best pontoon covers

It is impor­tant to con­sid­er the mate­r­i­al of the cov­er. The cov­er should be made of a durable, water­proof mate­r­i­al that can with­stand wind and rain. A high qual­i­ty cov­er should also be UV resis­tant, as this will help it last longer and keep your boat pro­tect­ed from the sun’s rays.

The fit of the cov­er is also essen­tial. It should be snug enough to stay in place but not so tight that it caus­es dam­age to the boat. Cov­er should have straps or ties that can be used to secure it when it is in place. This will ensure that the cov­er does not blow away in strong winds.

When shop­ping for a best pon­toon boat cov­ers, there are a few impor­tant fea­tures you should look for. Here are some of the most impor­tant fea­tures to con­sid­er:

The best cov­ers I’ve come across are Empire­Cov­ers Aqua Armor, Clas­sic Acces­sories Storm­Pro, North East Har­bor, iCOV­ER Trail­er­a­ble, Vor­tex Heavy Duty, Pyle, Sea­man­der, and Leader Acces­sories. Each offers unique fea­tures, from marine-grade fab­ric and UV pro­tec­tion to heavy-duty con­struc­tion and trai­ler­ing design.

Waterproof Material

The mate­r­i­al used in the con­struc­tion of the cov­er should be water­proof and UV resis­tant to pro­tect your boat from the ele­ments. It should also be durable enough to stand up to wear and tear.

Breathability

The mate­r­i­al should be breath­able so that it doesn’t trap mois­ture and cause the growth of mold and mildew. This will help keep your boat look­ing good and smelling fresh.

Securing System

The cov­er should include a secure sys­tem of straps and buck­les to keep it firm­ly in place. This will help ensure that it won’t be blown off in strong winds or high waves.

Warranty

It’s always a good idea to look for a cov­er with a war­ran­ty, as this will pro­vide some assur­ance that it will last for a long time. Many cov­ers come with a lim­it­ed life­time war­ran­ty, so make sure to read the fine print before pur­chas­ing one.

Getting the Right Size Cover

When mea­sur­ing your boat for a cov­er, it’s impor­tant to get an accu­rate mea­sure­ment. You should mea­sure the length and width of your boat, as well as the height of the high­est point. Be sure to also mea­sure any acces­sories that you have, such as a Bimi­ni top or out­board motor, as these will need to be tak­en into account when select­ing the right size cov­er.

I can’t stress enough how cru­cial it is to get those mea­sur­ing tapes out. And I promise, it’s not as com­pli­cat­ed as piec­ing togeth­er an IKEA flat-pack. Here’s how it goes:

The key mea­sure­ment you’ll need is the cen­ter­line length, also known as the straight mea­sure­ment from the bow to the stern, right down the mid­dle of the boat. But be aware, don’t fol­low the curve of the boat; you want a straight line.

You’ll need the beam width. That’s the widest point of your boat, usu­al­ly found in the mid­dle of the ves­sel.

If your pon­toon has an out­board motor or a trolling motor, you’ll want to include this in your length mea­sure­ment, as some cov­ers will also pro­vide pro­tec­tion for this part of the boat.

It’s always bet­ter to get a cov­er that’s a bit too big than one that’s too small. A cov­er that’s too tight might rip or tear, espe­cial­ly when you’re strug­gling to put it on (imag­ine try­ing to squeeze into jeans that are a size too small, not a pret­ty sight). On the oth­er hand, a cov­er that’s too loose might not pro­vide the pro­tec­tion you need and could get dam­aged in high winds.

Other Considerations

When select­ing a pon­toon boat cov­er, there are a few oth­er things you should con­sid­er. You should look for a cov­er that is easy to install and remove. This will make it much eas­i­er to access your boat when you need to. You should also con­sid­er the col­or and style of the cov­er, as this will affect the over­all look of your boat.

Cost of Pontoon Boat Covers

The cost of pon­toon boat cov­ers can vary great­ly depend­ing on the type of cov­er, the size of the cov­er, and the fea­tures includ­ed. Uni­ver­sal cov­ers are the least expen­sive, while cus­tom cov­ers are the most expen­sive. Stor­age cov­ers are usu­al­ly the most afford­able option, while trail­er cov­ers are typ­i­cal­ly the most expen­sive.

In order to keep your pon­toon boat cov­er in top con­di­tion, it’s impor­tant to prop­er­ly main­tain it. Make sure to clean the cov­er reg­u­lar­ly, and inspect it for any signs of wear or dam­age. If you notice any tears or fray­ing, it’s impor­tant to replace the cov­er before it wors­ens. Addi­tion­al­ly, you should make sure to dry the cov­er after it gets wet to help pre­vent dam­age and mold growth.

Benefits of Using a Pontoon Boat Cover

Using best pon­toon boat cov­ers offer sev­er­al ben­e­fits. In addi­tion to pro­tect­ing your boat from the ele­ments, it helps keep it look­ing good and can even help reduce ener­gy costs. The cov­er helps to block out the sun’s rays, which can help keep your boat cool­er and reduce the need for air con­di­tion­ing.

1. Pro­tec­tion from the Ele­ments: A boat cov­er will pro­tect your pon­toon boat from the sun, rain, snow, and oth­er ele­ments that can cause dam­age. It will also keep your boat look­ing great for much longer.
2. Reduced Main­te­nance: A boat cov­er will help reduce the amount of main­te­nance required to keep your pon­toon boat look­ing good. It will keep dirt, dust, and debris from build­ing up on the sur­face, which can lead to cor­ro­sion and oth­er dam­age.
3. Cost Sav­ings: Using a boat cov­er can save you mon­ey in the long run, as it will reduce the need for repairs and main­te­nance.
4. Increased Safe­ty: A pon­toon boat cov­er can also help increase the safe­ty of your boat. It can keep peo­ple from slip­ping and falling, and it will help keep your pon­toon boat secure and in one place.
5. Improved Aes­thet­ics: A boat cov­er will also make your pon­toon boat look great. It can help improve the over­all look of your boat, and give it a pro­fes­sion­al, pol­ished appear­ance.

Using a pon­toon boat cov­er is a great way to pro­tect your boat from the ele­ments and ensure that it looks great for years to come. It can also help save you mon­ey and increase the safe­ty of your boat.

The cov­er helps to reduce the amount of dirt and debris that builds up on the boat, which can help reduce clean­ing time. Cov­er can help pro­tect your boat from theft or van­dal­ism.

How to Choose the Right Cover

It’s a bit like pick­ing out a new hat. You want it to fit well, look good, and do its job, right? So, start by mea­sur­ing your boat accu­rate­ly. Make sure to include the beams, and don’t for­get any extras like out­board motors or trolling motors.

• Mea­sure Your Boat: Start by accu­rate­ly mea­sur­ing the length and width of your boat, includ­ing any extras like out­board motors. Remem­ber, mea­sure in straight lines, not along the curves.
• Deter­mine Your Needs: Think about what you use your boat for and where it spends most of its time. This will help you decide whether you need a trai­ler­ing, moor­ing, or stor­age cov­er.
• Con­sid­er the Mate­r­i­al: Look for cov­ers made from durable mate­ri­als that offer UV pro­tec­tion, water-resis­tance, and breatha­bil­i­ty to pre­vent mold and mildew.
• Check the Fit: Cus­tom cov­ers offer the best pro­tec­tion, but styled-to-fit or semi-cus­tom cov­ers can pro­vide a good bal­ance between fit and price. Uni­ver­sal cov­ers offer the most flex­i­bil­i­ty.
• Inspect the Fas­ten­ing Sys­tem: Make sure the cov­er has a secure yet easy-to-use fas­ten­ing sys­tem. You don’t want to wres­tle with your cov­er every time you use it.
• Read Reviews: Take a look at what oth­er boat own­ers are say­ing about the cov­er you’re con­sid­er­ing. You can learn a lot from oth­ers’ expe­ri­ences.
• Mind the War­ran­ty: Check if the cov­er comes with a war­ran­ty. This can give you peace of mind and pro­tect your invest­ment.

Con­sid­er the type of cov­er that suits your needs best. Is it going to be sit­ting in a dock most of the time? Go for a stur­dy moor­ing cov­er. Hit­ting the road a lot? Then, a trai­ler­ing cov­er could be your best bet. Stor­ing it for a while? Check out the heavy-duty stor­age cov­ers.

Think about the mate­r­i­al. You want some­thing durable, sure, but also con­sid­er fac­tors like UV pro­tec­tion, water-resis­tance, and whether it’s breath­able to pre­vent mold and mildew.

There’s the ques­tion of fit. Cus­tom cov­ers offer the best pro­tec­tion but come with a high­er price tag. Styled-to-fit or semi-cus­tom cov­ers can be a good mid­dle ground, and uni­ver­sal cov­ers offer flex­i­bil­i­ty and afford­abil­i­ty, but might not fit as snug­ly.

Remem­ber to con­sid­er the cov­er’s fas­ten­ing sys­tem. You want some­thing secure yet easy to use — because wrestling with a stub­born boat cov­er is no one’s idea of fun, trust me!

Think about how you use your boat, con­sid­er the mate­r­i­al and type of cov­er, check the fit, and don’t for­get to look at the fas­ten­ing sys­tem. A bit like choos­ing a hat, just a lit­tle more com­plex.

Where to Buy Pontoon Boat Covers

Pon­toon boat cov­ers are avail­able at a wide vari­ety of stores, both online and in-per­son. Many marine sup­ply stores offer a selec­tion of cov­ers, and you can find a vari­ety of cov­ers online as well. Many boat man­u­fac­tur­ers offer cov­ers specif­i­cal­ly designed for their boats, which can pro­vide a per­fect fit and supe­ri­or pro­tec­tion.

Should you cover a pontoon boat

FAQs

Conclusion

Pon­toon boat cov­ers are an invalu­able acces­so­ry for any pon­toon boat own­er. They pro­vide essen­tial pro­tec­tion from the ele­ments, help keep your boat look­ing good, and can even pro­vide some impor­tant safe­ty fea­tures. When shop­ping for a cov­er, it’s impor­tant to con­sid­er the dif­fer­ent types of cov­ers avail­able, what fea­tures to look for, and the cost. With a lit­tle research, you’ll be able to find the per­fect cov­er for your pon­toon boat.