Lonely Tiara

Nautilux Custom Canvas LLC

This Tiara 3900 lives all year behind a private home that is exposed to harsh elements and high winds, at times with no protection. A full winter cover built in two sections was needed to give the owner peace of mind as well as allowing access to the boat throughout the winter.

The owner requested a durable cover that would withstand the winter winds in this exposed area. The cover also needed to be easily managed. After having other boats shrink wrapped, he wanted something that would at least breath a little and one he would not have to throw out every year.

The particular location of this Tiara was especially difficult to measure as it was on a lift. The hard top hosts several clusters and pods for instruments, antennas, GPS, etc. This section was patterned with all cutouts exact. From here, the rest of the boat, with the exception of the hull skirt, was measured and triangulated. Trying to envision the different surface planes of the cover was key. These were broken up, measured, numbered, made and assembled in a particular order so it would fit through the throat of the machine.

The end result was a form-fitted full winter cover with the owner’s complete satisfaction. This cover has seen almost two full winters with the third winter starting. During that time there have been three major snow storms ranging from one to two feet. One of those was a very heavy, wet snow, but there were no issues with the cover. It has seen sustained winds of 60 mph with gusts up to 75 mph. These winds were a direct hit off the ocean with no protection, but there were still no issues. We recently went out to inspect the cover and there was no need for any repair to the cover. The joining seam for both sections is made up of four #10 YKK zippers (two on each side). The cover zipped together with a 4-inch overlap and zips together again. The ends of the zippers are slightly relieved and reinforced. A two percent shrinking factor was taken into account during the build, and the cover was, in fact, made slightly larger.

Project details

Size: 40 feet
Fabrics: Boat Shrunk from Manart Hirsch Co. Inc., #10 Zippers by YKK (USA) Inc. from Manart Hirsch Co. Inc., 1 1/4” Galvanized Tubing from Tri Vantage LLC, 1/4” Solid Nylon Braid from Manart Hirsch Co. Inc.
Design, Fabrication, Project Manager and Installation: Darren Arthur