Custom Boat Covers
Why a Custom Fitted Boat Cover?
What fits you better, a suit off the rack or a tailor made suit designed to specifically fit your exact dimensions? The custom made suit of course. At Nelis Customs, we feel your boat deserves the same attention to detail. Each boat cover is custom fitted to your boat. No templates. No patterns. Period.
The result is a superior fitting cover stitched together using the best materials and techniques in the industry to produce a durable, attractive, and functional product.
Why not use patterns or templates, wouldn't that guarantee a better fit?
Several of our competitors advertise their
thousands of patterns used to make their product. We have, and will
always have ZERO.
The reason being is that despite the manufacturers attempts at quality control and design, the truth of the matter is that today's boats are not manufactured using the same differential tolerances as the Space Shuttle program - no two boats are exactly alike. Have an older boat? Your boat has changed shape from the day the hull was removed from the mold over the years from normal use making a custom fitted cover even more important to battle the elements..
If you were to line up 5 of the exact same models of the exact same manufacturer's boats you'd find that there can be differences in the dimensions varying up to an inch. The difference between a properly fitting cover and a loose cover that causes water and dirt to become trapped in the cover is less than 1/4 of an inch.
Good Fitting Covers
These covers were made by Nelis Customs between 2008-2010. Note the good fit and zero chance of water pooling or wind damage from a loose fit.
Cockpit cover on the Allegheny River in Royal Blue Sunbrella with Navy binding and matching Navy snaps. *Custom embroidering available for an additional fee. The owner of the "Mary T" took advantage of this service for a more personal touch for the cover. Another touch is color matched button caps, in this case navy to match the binding.
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Sunbrella Trailer Cover featuring a proper fit and finish to eliminat any chance of water pooling while providing a cover that is easy to install and remove despite a glove like fit.
The Nelis Customs cover on the left shows what a proper fit and finsh result in, the prematurely worn cover on the right made by a competitor (and at Nelis Customs for replacement) shows the "big top tent" look that results when the cover is improperly fabricated and stretches constantly from poor design.
Poor Fitting Covers
(Note that these covers were not created by Nelis Customs - however they are great examples as to why a properly fitted cover is important for protecting your boat.)A poor fit allows water to pool in the cover which will cause stretching, mildew, water damage, torn seams, and eventually a complete failure of the cover.
The red cover below is made by the same competitor - notice how it has failed after water pooled up in the loose fitting cover:
This last cover is one we take close to heart at Nelis Customs - this boat is owned by Greg Nelis and the cover was purchased before / led to the opening of Nelis Customs. This cover was made in 2006 by a very popular competitor of ours and we were basically content with it - UNTIL WE LEARNED BETTER. Up until we learned what to expect from a cover, we thought every cover was supposed to be a fight to put on every day...
The poor fit and finish of this cover led to mold forming on the upholstery of the swim deck cushions along with the underside of the cover turning black within the first year. The cheap nickel coated brass snaps were seperating by the end of the second season of use and all but impossible to snap on in some spots on the boat from such sloppy fabrication. While this cover is not up to our standards, it is a great beater to throw on the boat before power washing the lake and river scum off the hull at the end of the season or tow down the road without caring it could self destruct at any moment. Materials, details, and quality craftmanship are what separate this production shop's cover made by (Company Name Removed to Protect the Guilty) from a Nelis Customs, Custom Fabricated Cover and the photos speak for themselves.
