Swallow Yachts Forum > Technical

Full cover repair

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TheOldDuffer:
Just been down to the boat and noticed that the mast hardware had worn holes in the cover. Does anyone pad the mast hardware before putting on the cover?

I’ve emailed the supplier to gain some offcuts for repair patches: waiting to hear. Any ideas as to reinforcing these wear points?

Nicky R:
We had this issue on our BRE covers and our 23 cover. We ended up padding the mast to stop it happening. We are currently using bubble wrap, but have used carpet underlay in the past. Anything that the cover rubs against can wear through, so we’ve also protected the corners of our mast crutch and the fittings on the spray hood hoop.

I don’t know what the sail makers will recommend for the repair. On the BRE we used ducksback RIB covers as that’s what she came with. They were cheap but didn’t last for many years. We kept the old ones and used the areas that were less exposed to UV to mend the newer ones when they wore through. That way we could get 2-3 years use out of each cover. It was cheaper to replace them that frequently than to buy the official swallow cover.

Peter Cockerton:
On my BR20 I rotate the mast round 90 degrees so the luff track faces up and the stainless pointy tabs face down. No cover damaging bits on my mast then to worry about.

Peter C

Sea Simon:
I used a large tarp of the kind used on scaffolding, as an overall winter cover on BRe. Semi transparent,  with reinforcement mesh.
This allows you to work inside the boat, with most of the cover still on. Great for when it's  raining. Cheapish...

The best padding I've found over the years is that blue foam used to pack around the frames of new double glazed windows for transport. Soft, yet dense.  Non sticky. does not hold water, unlike rags/carpet.  Wide channel/groove fits right around mast section. FREE!
Far better than any pipe foam.
Lay it along the full length of the mast.

Found it necessary  to also pad the outer "girth ropes" (too windy hereabouts to rely on cover perimeter fastenings only) as they too will cut the cover.

TheOldDuffer:
Not sure where I might get the glazing foam - will look for some largish diameter pipe I insulation in the interim. Still waiting to hear from rainandsun.co.uk

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