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New cratch cover


Ssscrudddy

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We need a new cratch cover, the 13 year old PVC 1 is all falling apart. 

 

I was thinking of using AJ Canopies of Braunston, & getting their canvas type cover instead of PVC.

 

Q. Are AJ Canopies any good? 

 

The missus wants windows.

 

Q. How long are those windows likely to last? I've seen old ones where the clear plastic has discoloured & cracked. 

 

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3 minutes ago, Ssscrudddy said:

We need a new cratch cover, the 13 year old PVC 1 is all falling apart. 

 

I was thinking of using AJ Canopies of Braunston, & getting their canvas type cover instead of PVC.

 

Q. Are AJ Canopies any good? 

 

The missus wants windows.

 

Q. How long are those windows likely to last? I've seen old ones where the clear plastic has discoloured & cracked. 

 

We’ve got an AJ cover made from

the acrylic canvas...it’s 13 years old and still looking good. Had them restitch it last year due to the cotton thread starting to rot & I deep clean & reproof it every year with A Glaze products. We didn’t want windows tho so I can’t comment on that...the zips are fine. 

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AJ come very recommended from us on Nightwatch. Our Cratch cover is about 7 years now. We have two windows with dropdown covers. Windows are still very much okay. They also did a new Pram Cover about five years ago. That also is all very good. I don't think they are the cheapest, but we didn't want the cheapest.

 

Think hard about whether you want Acrylic of PVC. PVC nowadays is so much better than it used to be. We went for Acrylic and maybe we should have thought about it a little longer. Acrylic is fine though.

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1 minute ago, Nightwatch said:

AJ come very recommended from us on Nightwatch. Our Cratch cover is about 7 years now. We have two windows with dropdown covers. Windows are still very much okay. They also did a new Pram Cover about five years ago. That also is all very good. I don't think they are the cheapest, but we didn't want the cheapest.

 

Think hard about whether you want Acrylic of PVC. PVC nowadays is so much better than it used to be. We went for Acrylic and maybe we should have thought about it a little longer. Acrylic is fine though.

Why are you not sure about the acrylic? It’s the same stuff they make the hoods from cars from...doesn’t crack or stretch like PVC. 

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4 minutes ago, frangar said:

Why are you not sure about the acrylic? It’s the same stuff they make the hoods from cars from...doesn’t crack or stretch like PVC. 

No no, we like the Acrylic, no issues with it, at all. Just that we had PVC before and thought about a change, as I said PVC today is so much more supple and less industrial.

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12 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

No no, we like the Acrylic, no issues with it, at all. Just that we had PVC before and thought about a change, as I said PVC today is so much more supple and less industrial.

Fair enough. The only thing I find is bird crap and pollen can be a bugger to clean off....I’ve resorted to a gentle jet washing when it’s laid out on a hard surface. 

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My acrylic cratch cover is 12 years old. It was made by Wilsons of Kinver, and has been repaired by Kinver Canopies after an altercation with a low tunnel. ?

 

It has windows that have remained clear since new. However, following the really hot weather last year it seems to have shrunk a bit, so I am having to move the two press studs on the roof about an inch closer together.

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In my experience, PVC is much easier to clean than canvas.  Also some canvas definitely has a tendency to shrink.

 

We had AJ replace our cratch cover quite recently.  I was very clear that I didn't want any zips but they still put it together and installed it as if there would be zips.  They also made a pram cover for our friends who are not very happy as rainwater collects on top.  I think it will be worth the OP also getting a quote from Kinver Canopies as I haven't heard or read anything bad about their covers.

 

I have been told that pressure washing a cover can destroy the stitching.

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1 hour ago, Lady C said:

In my experience, PVC is much easier to clean than canvas.  Also some canvas definitely has a tendency to shrink.

 

We had AJ replace our cratch cover quite recently.  I was very clear that I didn't want any zips but they still put it together and installed it as if there would be zips.  They also made a pram cover for our friends who are not very happy as rainwater collects on top.  I think it will be worth the OP also getting a quote from Kinver Canopies as I haven't heard or read anything bad about their covers.

 

I have been told that pressure washing a cover can destroy the stitching.

And have you got zips? Or just flappy flaps? Have your friends asked AJ to put their pram cover right? If they did, what did AJ say and do about it? 

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I haven't got any zips.  There were some small flappy bits but they removed them during the fitting.  When my boat goes to be painted later this year, I plan to talk to them about the fact that the straps for holding the rolled cover don't match up with the twiddly knobs they are supposed to attach to.  I really don't like having these straps attached to our top board so I will ask them to make new straps and sew them to the cover.

 

The supplied bungees were so tight, it was impossible to open the cover from the inside.  As our main entrance is at the front of the boat this was unacceptable.  We replaced them with the next size up, but these are a bit loose so the cover is less weathertight than it should be.

 

My overall message with AJ is that they are probably OK if you are happy with one of their standard products.   However I wouldn't use them again myself.

 

I don't know what my friends did, they simply asked if we were happy with our cover.  Short of adding another support, it's hard to know how they can avoid the rainwater pool.

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