Shorter awnings than Britannia’s might not need a center support.ġ. The central arch not only supported the middle of the long tarp, but it provided more room to get under the awning and made it look neater. All that was needed to attach the cord to the tarp was to cut the hook off one end, then thread it through an eyelet in the tarp and tie a single overhand knot to stop it slipping out. I then bought 10 3-foot lengths of bungee shock cord, (blue color to match the rest of the boat), with pre-made hooks on each end to anchor the tarp to the side lifelines and the front and rear rods. I could only fasten the center support rod at the edges of the tarp, but it has stayed in place so far in all winds. I then used one-quarter-inch line to secure the awning round the mast and a cable tie at the rear to fasten it to the end of the boom. I fastened half-inch hose clips on the rods, to prevent them from sliding through the sockets.Īfter dragging the tarp over the boom, I used cable ties to strap it securely to the rods, through the eyelets in the front and back of the tarp. The awning rods easily curved over the boom and into these sockets, forming three perfect arches. I fastened three short lengths of three-quarter-inch pipe to the stanchions on each side of the boat using hose clips, after first taping the stanchions to prevent scratching by the clips. This size pipe has an internal diameter of a half-inch, so my half-inch awning supports slid inside this pipe perfectly.
To attach them to the boat I used the same type of pipe, but three-quarter-inch diameter. I glued the adapters to each pipe, then screwed them together with a threaded coupling. I also found couplings to screw two pipes together so they could also be unscrewed to more easily stow the awning when we went sailing. These are very strong yet flexible and used for high pressure hot and cold water in houses. I bought six 10-foot-long, half-inch diameter PVC pipes. I needed something to make three curved support bars. The author’s first attempt at a DIY awning was very simple but not particularly user-friendly. Tarps are available in many different sizes and colors, so it should not be difficult to find or tailor one to suit almost any boat. The awning also extended over the aft hatch. I bought a 12-foot-by-16-foot tarp from my local hardware store that nicely fit my main boom length of 16 feet and the boat’s 13-foot beam, tapering down to 10 feet towards the stern.
And although I knew that what I could make would not look as finished as a purchased custom awning, I was mindful of the budget.
I found manufacturers offering just such an awning for about $700 for my boat. It should also offer more headroom along the side decks and overcome the access problem. Such an arrangement might also hold the tarp clear of the bimini and allow air to pass between.
#Cockpit boat movie
An idea sprung from seeing covered wagons in an old Wild West movie and I decided to try to make a curved cover like those wagons.
#Cockpit boat how to
I thought about how to overcome these defects, and make an awning that is both more effective and looks a bit more professional. And, no surprise, a tarp tent looks cheap, because it is. The tarp will also probably rub against the sides of the bimini, which can cause chafe to both materials in high winds. Only the area where there is a support boom can be covered and if you anchor the sides down to a rail it can become a bit of a scramble to edge along the side decks. However, as might be expected, such a simple solution has its inadequacies. Most tarps have eyelets every 18 inches, so threading bungee cord through and hooking the other end to the rail was easy. The main boom on Britannia passes straight over the cockpit, so making a tent was easy. The simplest and easiest way to create an awning is to buy a cheap plastic tarp from your local DIY store, drape it over a boom and attach it to the rails with bungee shock-cord, to basically form a simple tent or lean-to. Of course, it’s always possible to have an awning custom made at any canvas or sail maker’s loft, but that wasn’t in my budget. The bimini enclosure leaked a little especially during some of the horrendous cloudbursts on summer afternoons. I wanted to cover the center cockpit and bimini on my 45-foot schooner Britannia to shield it from the Florida sun. This DIY awning came together with $90 of materials, far less than a similar custom-made cockpit cover, although perhaps less chic.
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