How to Make a Drift Boat Cover

The drift boat's lower sides made hauling fishing nets easier.

The drift boat's shape is three-sided: the two sides meet at the stem--the forward-most vertical structural element of a vessel. The back is a wall called a transom. The sides slope downward from the stem, then upward as they approach the transom, to allow fishermen to lean over the side to bring their catch aboard with ease. The "fisherman's dip" in the middle makes creating a cover for a drift boat a challenge for the seaman who undertakes its construction.

Things You'll Need

• Boat cover material
• 18-inch ruler
• Chalk
• Webbing material, 1 inch wide
• Elastic rope
• Quick-clip type web loops and
• Quick-clip tie down straps

Instructions

1. Measure the length of the boat and add 3 feet to that length. Measure the width of the boat at its widest point and add 3 feet to the width. This is the size of the material that you will need.

2. Lay the cover over the boat, so that the material hanging past the sides is evenly distributed from side to side and from back to front. Use chalk and the 18-inch ruler to mark any material that hangs more than 18 inches below the top of the sides or transom of the boat as excess, as you would when cutting a sewing pattern.

3. Cut the excess material from the boat cover. Turn the cover over, so the underside of the cover is exposed. Sew a 1-inch pocket hem around the edge of the boat cover, leaving the hem open on both sides of the pointed front end.

4. Beginning at the back of the cover, sew 1-inch wide by 4-inch long web material loops to the underside of the cover, at the innermost edge of the pocket hem. Place two loops, equally spaced on the back of the cover. On the sides of the cover, place one loop every 4 feet. The loops should extend toward the edge of the cover. Do not place a loop within four feet of the pointed front end of the cover.

5. Beginning at one side of the front end of the cover, thread the elastic rope all the way through the pocket hem, so that at least 1 foot of polyester rope extends from each end of the pocket hem. Spread the cover evenly over the boat. Draw the elastic rope in the pocket hem tight.

6. Attach the quick-clip tie down loops to the loops on both sides of the boat. Attach the quick-clip web straps to the buckles on the quick clip tie-down loops. Pass the straps under the bottom of the boat as it sits on its trailer and secure the straps to the quick-clip loops on the other side of the boat, pulling them tight as necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• When you remove the cover, remove the web straps last.