Ducks back cover Ribcraft 4.8

[Jonny H]

Sorry I’ve asked this before last year may be but does any owners of 4.8 Ribcraft have a Ducks back cover that could recommend a size , mine has the A Frame
I’ve emailed Ducks back so waiting on a reply but thought I’d get the low down from you owners aswell
Any photos would be great
Thanks in advance

[beerbelly]

a more expensive but much better quality option is seaswan .they will make you a very nice cover for circa £500-£600

[Limecc]

If you're buying an off-the-shelf cover like I did then it's not going to matter too much as long as you have full coverage.

You see in the pics a 17-19' Oxford 600D generic cover from eBay, fitted around a Polypipe frame that prevents water pooling. I purchased a Ducksback centre console cover (seen in pic) at the same time and to be honest prefer the thicker Oxford fabric.

Time will tell how it holds up but it was just £40 with £15 for the pipe and fittings. Cover needs a few extra tie-downs for added tension which I will do. The push-fit pipe can be bent with a heat gun where needed.

[Jonny H]

Thanks for the reply’s guys , I’m going to measure up and decide weather to go bigger and cover the a frame or not

[lakelandterrier]

If you have an antenna on the A frame that may be a problem. I found it so on my RC5.3 with a DB cover.

[Limecc]

Originally Posted by Limecc

If you're buying an off-the-shelf cover like I did then it's not going to matter too much as long as you have full coverage.

You see in the pics a 17-19' Oxford 600D generic cover from eBay, fitted around a Polypipe frame that prevents water pooling. I purchased a Ducksback centre console cover (seen in pic) at the same time and to be honest prefer the thicker Oxford fabric.

Time will tell how it holds up but it was just £40 with £15 for the pipe and fittings. Cover needs a few extra tie-downs for added tension which I will do. The push-fit pipe can be bent with a heat gun where needed.

Well I guess I can answer my own question about how long an Oxford 600D cover will last. A: just a few months of summer.

The material seems very susceptible to sun damage and faded very quickly. Not bothered about the fading but I pulled the cover over last night and put my fingers through the brittle fabric. What a waste of money.

I've patched it up now using a colour coordinated patch from an Aldi shopping bag, some spray carpet glue and talcum powder (to take care of the overspray).

Just about to order a Ducksback cover for £85. Hope to get a few seasons out of it like Chipko reported in this thread I just found: ducks back cover advice ribcraft 4.8

I'm reluctant to spend ~£600 on what I consider a consumable item, not sure something else would last much longer than a Ducksback. Probably paying extra for a better fit, not a longer life. Comments welcome.

[beerbelly]

oh dear well my seaswan cover is still as new and is made of the oxford 600d .i have had a ducksback in the past and it lasted one winter

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

oh dear well my seaswan cover is still as new and is made of the oxford 600d .i have had a ducksback in the past and it lasted one winter

Fits well

[willk]

Originally Posted by Limecc

I'm reluctant to spend ~£600 on what I consider a consumable item, not sure something else would last much longer than a Ducksback. Probably paying extra for a better fit, not a longer life. Comments welcome.

A decent cover made out of truck "curtainside" will last a decade or more - particularly if it is fitted and doesn't flex in the wind. From what I've read here over the years, the Ducksback type solutions are good for maybe 2 summers - maybe good for a holiday cover while on tour or for use under a roof to keep the boat clean.

[TimB]

As Wilk says I had one made out of heavy duty curtain side type material, it's done 3 windy wet Irish winters, kept my 4.8 tubes ok through the sun ( when we get it ) and the rain. Cost about 350 euro made to measure

[Limecc]

Originally Posted by TimB

As Wilk says I had one made out of heavy duty curtain side type material, it's done 3 windy wet Irish winters, kept my 4.8 tubes ok through the sun ( when we get it ) and the rain. Cost about 350 euro made to measure

Thanks Tim,
Sounds good. Who made it?

[TimB]

Cork RIB Centre in Cork Ireland it was 350 euro including the engine cover as per picture. Brass eyelets that i use hooked bungees to hold to trailer. its blowing a Force 6 here at moment and cover does not budge.

[Limecc]

Originally Posted by willk

A decent cover made out of truck "curtainside" will last a decade or more - particularly if it is fitted and doesn't flex in the wind. From what I've read here over the years, the Ducksback type solutions are good for maybe 2 summers - maybe good for a holiday cover while on tour or for use under a roof to keep the boat clean.

Went with your suggestion Willk and purchased a 6m x 3m PVC tarpaulin from Allplas Ltd for £130. They also sell them via ebay. It looks to be the same material used to make PVC RIB tubes so it's very durable, on the downside quite heavy.

I had and idea to improve the 40mm PVC frame I made and that was by sliding some 32mm pipe into the straight joins, the main one being over the console. The frame works really well even with the heavier material and it already stood up to temperatures of full sun. The 32mm is a perfect sliding fit and gives the joins more rigidity.

I used 20 x 1m bungee cords (10 pack costs £10 from Amazon) to hold the cover down, fitted in seconds and an improvement in the straps of the old cover which always needed adjustment.

I'm considering cutting the corners off instead of folding but I don't know if I'll bother. I have brass eyelets and would use Polymarine PVC glue (at the factory they welded it using hot air). Alternatively I'm sure if I trimmed it they would weld a hem back on for a modest fee and the cost of the postage. Here's what it looks like. Not the prettiest but I have every confidence it's going to last years.