canvas cover support

[Hotwired]

I have been getting some rain down here and my new tarp that I ordered in from Harbor Frieght holds water like a swimming pool!  I had looked at cover supports for a while and never bought one due the to $40 price for a seemingly simple piece of equipment.  While I was at Harbor Freight again yesterday to pick up a tap and die set I noticed this neat cargo/support pole for $15. It does the job just fine with the addition of a $5 package of line.  Attaced the lines to the cleats on the boat and I should no longer have a pool on the boat!

[V153]

That's quite a contraption Chris. Seen some kits from Atwood @ China Mart though not quite as beefy as yours. Looks like it oughta get the job done. Luv that ratcheting center post. Adjustable "tent poles" under a storage cover are a must.

[Hotwired]

LOL .. ya .. wish it was shorter to tell the truth.  43" to about 9 feet is the total length!

[MarkS]

Nice deal, I'll have to check on one of those.  It looks in the pic like there's a screw or rivet holding the bottom "foot" onto the pole.  Maybe you could remove it, shorten the pole a little, and re-install the foot to get the desired height?

[Rosscoe]

Yeah I like that pole. The POS I have from back when I parked outside, has a turn and twist kind of pole. Worked ok for the most part. It really only has to support the cover as the water will run right off, to the next lowest point. One difference I see between your set up and the one I bought is the "support platform" right above the post. Mine originally had a triangular piece of plastic about 10" per side. A tree fell on my boat during a nasty storm back in the 90's when I lived in Minneapolis and broke that. I made a new one out of plywood. That would be the only concern with your setup is that part may be a bit small and if by chance any water does pool in the cover, that may poke a hole in the cover? Larger spreads out the weight as I am sure you know.


Chris what do that call that? Cargo support??  Looks like a serious mechanism.

[Hotwired]

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-1-support-cargo-bar-66172.html

This is the item ... it has the same pad top and bottom that snaps into place in a ball and socket type joint. A bigger top pad would have been preferred and I may make one some time. I thought of using a scrap of plywood but again thought about the edged being a bit rough on the tarp.  I am going to pick up one for the other boats too. I am fortunate to have a Harbor freight a few miles from the house.  That store is like a candy store!