Outboard Motor Covers?

Curious why guys run covers over their outboards when on the water? I see more and more boats on the water like this and can’t figure out what the reason is?

Funny, this question was brought up in the boat today?

Make sure it’s vented if using it while running…..If it’s not you’ll have horrible performance and could crack the cowling (from it trying to implode)

As for the reason, here in the Midwest would be to keep road grime off.

They also protect your decals from UV rays, which isn’t much of a problem here, but is definitely an issue for boats slipped year-round in warmer parts of the country, or if you always store it outside here.

It’s easy to spot a southern boat that sat outside it’s entire life.

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It is because that’s what the cool kids do…😎

I’ve never seen covers on a motor on the water. I have covers for my outboards while in my driveway. I will not trailer with them on though.

Would have loved to have one last memorial day on mille lacs. Motor cowling would have been one less thing I had to scrub bugs off. Boat was nasty. Snap out carpet helped but they were ground into carpet wherever anyone stepped.

Good thing to have out trolling for salmon and musky, especially if guests in the boat are doing any netting. Unknowing, or uncaring anglers will destroy your cowling in short order. Because of this, only myself and my son net fish in my boat and I keep the yoke at the base of the hoop taped over to help protect the cowling.

as the tight-fitting vented covers became available guides and other pros started using them even while fishing. notionally this is to protect resale value against scratches from lures, nets, etc.

and kind of like with those stupid dye-sublimated scare shirts, the sheeple have followed along in their footsteps.

in lots of years fishing i’ve never had a cowling get scratched to the point it would impact resale one bit. i’ve got one of those vented motor covers for trailering, but it comes off when the boat hits the water, as i like to see my shiny cowling.

Because all the cool kids do it was our first thought as well!

I guess i could maybe see its protection while netting, but I have had 3 boats over the past 18 years and cant think of a single time I damaged my cowling on the water while fishing. I could get on board with keeping bugs off trailering though. That flat-out sucks to get clean.

I’ve seen many boat motors with paint rubbed off because of covers flapping/rubbing as you trailer your rig down the highway. Running down the lake I think would do the same thing.
Keep it waxed and bugs clean off pretty easy.

My cover is on any time in storage ( when not on the water) and the travel tot he lake.
Like to keep it as new ad shiny and unfaded as long as possible.
NEVER on the water….?1

He!! yes, I keep a cover on my outboards all the time. But considering my profile in angling, I have to take it one step further than the average worm dunker.

I can’t be seen out there with some old sun-rotted outboard that looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. So the solution is I just keep my boat covered and inside my 80X120 foot heated and air-conditioned pole building all the time. You guys that are out there using boats and fishing and getting fish slime on the carpet and bug stains on the cowling are just wrecking the resale value.

The key to fishing boat ownership is never, never, never get that boat anywhere near water. Water and boats, only bad things will happen. And don’t even think of fishing out of that thing, gawd make one cast and your resale will be 10% lower than mine, at least.

See? If you guys ever want to attain my stature in the sport, you gotta learn to think like I think. You know it makes sense.

Also, if you take your boat fishing, you’re going to put miles on your truck towing it to the lake!!!

Your opinion matters here 2 Ralph

Michael C. Winther
(kind of like with those stupid dye-sublimated scare shirts, the sheeple have followed along in their footsteps.
in lots of years fishing i’ve never had a cowling get scratched to the point it would impact resale one bit.)

Lots op people use there boats differently, “sheeple” aint got nothin to do with it. I fish mostly the Mississippi and have put lots of scratches in the motor cover from tree stumps, low bridges in high water, big bolts inside drainage culverts, kids with bullet sinkers stuck in a tree and most currently from a lock and dam wall

point is not everyone fishes calm lakes on sunny days what works for you may not work for everyone. that being said I dont use one because I dont care about looks or resale i cant afford a new one, my boats a tool to catch fish!

The SCRATCHER wrote:

Your opinion matters here 2 Ralph

Someone’s panties are in a bunch.

Go down to Mexico and look what they do with a T-shirt on their motors.
( GULLS AND PELICANS).

keppenhiemer wrote:

I fish mostly the Mississippi and have put lots of scratches in the motor cover…my boats a tool to catch fish!

guys like you who are bumping their boats into dam walls and low-hanging branches are absolutely not who is being talked about here…

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Sure it kind of makes sense towing and in storage.

Why don’t these guys just do what all the other cool kids are doing…wrap it in Vinyl

Either to protect for resale, or started on fishing shows, etc, when the Motor company was not one of their sponsors. Just the fad. I have a Color C-lector for sale a neighbor gave me, with protective case, etc.. Same deal. Same as the Ninja style face coverings and tournament style rodeo clown fishing uniforms they seem to need to wear to recreational fish or fish a local club tournament.

Red Eye wrote:

Would have loved to have one last memorial day on mille lacs. Motor cowling would have been one less thing I had to scrub bugs off. Boat was nasty. Snap out carpet helped but they were ground into carpet wherever anyone stepped.

I’ve experienced that before. It’s downright disgusting, especially if you have carpet in the boat. Took me several hours the next day to scrub all that crap out.