Waverunner Covers

My best friend just got a new Waverunner. He has been looking for a long time and finally found a second hand one in decent shape and at a good price. He is very, very happy. It made me think about Waverunner covers. I have never actually seen any branded Waverunner covers. It would make sense that they make them but I guess they aren't so popular in this area or amongst the guys I generally compete against - most of my buddies all have your run of the mill pwc, so pwc covers are what I'm more familiar with.

Given that this recent purchase is such a big deal for my friend I would like to give him a present. It's also his 40th birthday and his wife is planning a surprise BBQ. A perfect present would be a new seadoo cover or pwc cover or whatever. I expect we will be trailering our seadoos around to various lakes and rivers over the summer and a good cover will help his waverunner stay shiny and in good shape. So the question remains, where might I find a cover that he would like and that would fit his machine.

Hi machine is slightly broader than mine at the bow and it definitely sits higher out of the water than mine does. I wonder if a regular seadoo cover would work for his machine. I don't want to wreck the surpise of his gift so I will have to be a bit sneaky. I could measure his machine and then compare the measurements of a seadoo cover in a store. The other alternative would be to bring my old seadoo cover to his house and slip it on his machine.

I suppose before I do either of those things I should start with a google search or look for waverunner covers on ebay.

Seadoo Covers

Seadoo covers are essential if you own a pwc. They make great gifts too, for your family, or friends who own boats, or have a cottage on a lake. A high quality seadoo cover makes the difference between keeping your lake riding toy in great shape, or having it deteriorate to the point where your watercraft loses value and eventually breaks down because it was exposed to the elements, or damaged by sun rain and wind.

If you plan on trailering your seadoo, then your cover is especially important. If you are planning to travel with your seadoo (or waverunner for those of use that have been around for a while), then you need to make sure that the seadoo covers you choose contain some amount of man-made material – ie polyester or some other man-made fabric will add rip and tear resistance. Imagine heading down the highway to the lake cottage, driving 100 kms for an hour – that’s a lot of wind pressure on your seadoo cover. Just think if it’s raining, rain whipping on your trailer at that speed is just like hail, and can do a lot of damage if not protected properly. Without having a tailor made cover that fits your seadoo properly, you can get a lot of material whip which will eventually end up in wear spots on your pwc, as well as stress on your seadoo cover that will end up in rips and tears.

It seems that the general consensus is that a 50% cotton, 50% man-made material is a good combination for a watercraft cover, since you need the man-made material for durability as well as some stretch to get a custom fit. But you also want the 50% cotton content so that you seadoo can “breathe” – the last thing you want is to have moisture build up under your cover – this is a very bad thing, non stainless parts can rust, and rubber parts will eventually mold.

One last concern that you have to think about before choosing a trailering or storage cover for your pwc is the amount of time that your watercraft is going to be in the sun. Sun is a major enemy and causes premature failure of any type of material if it is exposed for too long without protection. It’s way better to let the sun fade your pwc covers, than leave your pwc uncovered and allow the sun to fade your fancy paint job and crack your vinyl seat covers and dash and accessories. Rubber will also fade and crack if over exposed to the sun.

So now that you know a bit more about choosing a good material for your seadoo cover, one last thing we’ll talk about here is the fit. If it is at all possible you should choose a cover that is specifically designed for the make and model of your pwc. Without a tailored fit, your cover will not provide adequate protection for your pwc, and in the case where you are hauling your sea doo to the lake, a cover that doesn’t fit properly, or isn’t properly cinched down and tightly attached, then air will get under the cover creating a parachute effect where your boat can be lifted off the trailer. If this is happening to your cover then your cover will eventually be destroyed and trailering your pwc is simply dangerous. Make sure that you are able to attach your seadoo covers to the trailer itself when trailering in order to help prevent air from creating too much pressure on your cover and pwc. You’ll want to find a cover that has some system of securing the cover to the pwc and/or the trailer.

So the things to remember are 1) choosing a good fabric – part cotton for breathability, part man-made fibres for fit and rip and tear resistance, 2) choosing a material that is resistant to sun exposure, and 3) choosing a cover that fits your boat as perfectly as possible. If you make sure to keep these three points in mind when shopping for your seadoo covers, then I think you’ll be very happy with the one you choose.