Sunshade and winter cover

[Ripsangler]

I am looking into having a cockpit sunshade made for my 73 31 sport fish as well as a winter cockpit cover. Does anyone have pictures available of these covers on their boats. Thanks, Kurt

[Navatech]

I am looking into having a cockpit sunshade made for my 73 31 sport fish as well as a winter cockpit cover. Does anyone have pictures available of these covers on their boats. Thanks, Kurt

I don't have a B31, I have a B46 so I took pictures of B46 cockpit sun shades but maybe these pictures can be of some help:



I also saw a B33 which I took a few pictures of:

[Tony Meola]

http://bertram31.com/bert31_fs.htm

Here is a link to "Another Joy" which used to be owned by Uncle Vic.

Hope this helps with the sun shade. Note, I believe that the supports pivoted to fold up to the bridge.

[Tony Meola]

Kurt

By the way were are you in South Jersey? I keep mine in Forked River. I had my winter cover made by Convery in Brick Town others in my Marina have used Fisher.

Fisher makes a nice cover but every one I have seen done for our 31 or my friends 28 had to go back in the spring to be taken in. Plus when I did mine, he was about $800 more than Convery. Mine fit first time out of the box.

[Catalina31]

Kurt,
Here is a picture of the winder cover i had on my 31. Snaps all the way around, did an incredible job of protecting my cockpit, worth every penny. The one thing i would change is i would make the unit in three different pieces so that the two sides unzip and come off if you wanted a "Mooring cover" that way if your working on the boat it is much easier to access without taking the whole cover off. As far as sunshade goes on the 31 I never did figure out a good solution to to clearance without looking funny and attaching it to the aft rail on the fly bridge. We resulted in using a bimini umbrella in the bait tank midship, it was a bit tacky but it served the purpose. There are two pictures below of the sunshade my father just had done on his 50. Super clean and easy to deploy and retract, it clips into the same snaps as his winter cover and slides in the stainless poles into the rod holders which have twist locks on top. It also has a reinforced spot in the middle to allow for a line to be attaches to deflect water. I hope this all helps.
-Brian

[Yannis]

Kurt,

This is my 28, but I hope it could help.
It folds back on the stern, as folding fwd would block the way up to the fb.
Depending on the awning tilt you want to obtain (leaning back or fwd while deployed) you can loosen the 2 finger nuts on the sides and drag forwards or backwards alongway the SS "rails".









Nav,
What you posted is a beautiful 30, not a 33. I would not choose a fixed frame, because it could become a real problem when underway or when really windy.

[Tony Meola]

Yannis

I like the slide track you have it running on. Good idea.

[Yannis]

Tony,

Yes, slide track ! I was looking for a word that would make sense...
It was already there, I didn't install it myself; I thought that every boat had them.
When you fold the shade aft, you first loosen the two screws and slide it fwd by 30 cm or so, otherwise the arcs hang over the swim platform. Then, you secure the screws so that it doesn't slide back by itself. I have made pencil marks on the corresponding slider holes so I don't have to measure the position each time.
One thing to remember is to first remove all bottles and cans from the stern top before you fold the system, otherwise you hear the noise of crushed cans and spilled drinks on the deck!

[Ripsangler]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Brian's winter cover is what I'm looking for. By the way I winter at Chestnut Neck and run out of Margate Tony. How about a cover from the stern to the bridge for when the boat sits in the slip?

[Catalina31]

Kurt,
If I'm understanding your question corrrxtly what you could do where the seem is on my winter cover make that a zipper and the side panels would be removable making exactly that a cover from the stern to the bridge. Is thst what you mean?
-Brian

[Catalina31]

Here's exactly what I mean on my old mans 50.

[Ripsangler]

Yes Brian that would get me a summer shade and winter cover. I get what you were saying now. 2 covers in 1. Great idea. VIcroy's bimini also has me thinking about on the water as well. I'm going to get some prices on the 3 piece cover tomorrow. Thanks again

[Tony Meola]

Tony,

Yes, slide track ! I was looking for a word that would make sense...
It was already there, I didn't install it myself; I thought that every boat had them.
When you fold the shade aft, you first loosen the two screws and slide it fwd by 30 cm or so, otherwise the arcs hang over the swim platform. Then, you secure the screws so that it doesn't slide back by itself. I have made pencil marks on the corresponding slider holes so I don't have to measure the position each time.
One thing to remember is to first remove all bottles and cans from the stern top before you fold the system, otherwise you hear the noise of crushed cans and spilled drinks on the deck!

Yannis

Don't forget to remove the young lady from transom. Would not want to loose her now would you?

[Tony Meola]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Brian's winter cover is what I'm looking for. By the way I winter at Chestnut Neck and run out of Margate Tony. How about a cover from the stern to the bridge for when the boat sits in the slip?

Kurt

I leave my back end open all summer. Pumps have no trouble keeping up with the rain. I have Two start batteries for each engine and one house battery. Draining the batteries will take quite a bit of work.

Margate and Sommers Point. Old Stomping grounds back in the early 70's. One of the guys I lived with in College was from Margate. Spent a few weekends at his house as we hit the night spots. Are you running out of AC Inlet or is it Long Port? Fished a tournament down there also back in the late 70's. We ran out of Long Port to get out.

[Yannis]

Tony,

No risk of losing her. She knows her tasks, when I start the engines she goes directly to the galley !! LOL
She's a good friend's girlfriend. One of the very few women who doesn't break your "male hydraulics" while onboard.

[Ripsangler]

Tony you fished AC during the good times. I ran out of there from 94 to the present. AC is one of the safest inlets around now Great Egg will be a new test with it's shifting sandbars. I chartered my 36' Runaway out of Cape May for a few years. Now that the kids have gotten older I'm thinking about getting back in with my 31. This site is a wealth of knowledge I wish there was one for that Runaway I had.

[Tony Meola]

Kurt

We have been running Barnegat since 1973 so yes I know what you mean about bad Inlets and shifting sands. Since the redid the south Jetty Barnegat is pretty tame from the earlier years but can still get testy. Every year someone decides to try to cut the North Jetty short and go over the rocks.

Hope the 31 works out for you. Getting near time to think about fishing again.

[Tony Meola]

Tony,

No risk of losing her. She knows her tasks, when I start the engines she goes directly to the galley !! LOL
She's a good friend's girlfriend. One of the very few women who doesn't break your "male hydraulics" while onboard.

Yannis

Send her to America to live for a while. Once the transform her thoughts over here she will be send you to galley.

[Yannis]

C'mon Tony, that was a joke.
I do all the kitchen stuff at home, anyway. I mean all of it. Especially cooking is my best hobby.
If you've seen my 28's galley it becomes ....self explanatory!

[Tony Meola]

Yes but I was for real. Just ask any guy from Japan who was sent with his family to the US for a few years. The wives get an eye opener and the guys now go home with an Americanized wife.

[Yannis]

Ahhh Tony, where are those years where the wives stayed in the quarters where they belonged !!!
By the way, it is not strange that with arguments like these, which beyond ANY doubt are humor driven, there is no female specimen in the board.
Unless there is...

[Tony Meola]

Yannis

Outside of John Cranston's wife Pam who has posted in the past, none that I can remember, but there is always a first time.

[PeterPalmieri]

My winter cover