This time of year I often keep my OldTown Charles River on my truck for several reasons (the main one being my desire to limit the number of times I single-handedly get it up and off). I don’t like to leave exposed to the sun, so I am considering making a cover out of a “house wrap” like Tyvek. Any thoughts on that type of material?
I just looked it up and Tyvek® is breathable, so sounds like it will work. On the other hand, I found this statement: “DuPont says to not allow Tyvek to be exposed to UV rays for more than 120 days.”
I went to a fabric store and bought awning type material to protect my two kayaks against UV, pollen, grime, bird droppings, etc. Works great, is washable, and I can renew the material with 303 UV Protectant Spray.
The tyvek will not stand up to driving, so you would have to remove it and reinstall it frequently. The 120 day limitation is when it becomes ineffective as a house wrap, which has different requirements than this application.
Back when my friend at the Air Force Academy thought he needed to cover his car in the parking lot. Dust got in the cover then wind moved cover and “sanded” the finish.
look at houses whose construction was halted after Tyvek was applied and left to the elements. Brittle and shredded. If you want to make a cover just sew a tubular piece of stretchy polyester jersey and knot at the ends
As others have stated it is relatively simple to make a cover for storage. If you want a cover that can withstand transport without damaging the canoe or driving you crazy then it needs to be much more fitted. Not impossible to do but if your sewing skills aren’t up to it check out The Bag Lady canoe covers - now run by a friend of mine and they make awesome canoe and kayak covers. 15 minutes to take some measurements and I now have a perfectly fitted cover for my sea kayak.
Thanks for helping me “count the cost” before wasting time, money and energy on this project.
Maybe take a look at these:
These are hand made and custom fitted. We have had a pair made for our kayaks and they are the best I have seen. I have no connection to the company personally, just a satisfied customer.
I recently bought a pair of covers from The Midnight Seamstress. They’re custom fit and designed to handle transit. I think they were around 250 for the pair, including shipping
I have bought some canoe covers. They rotted fairly quickly in UV light, the zippers failed. It is an ongoing battle with the sun. Best not to store your boat on your truck.