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1flyingyogi

Well Known Member
Now that my wife and I are taking more trips, I was thinking about getting a canopy cover. Is there anything special about aircraft canopy covers (as compared to car covers that cost about 1/10th the price)?

I have an old Miata car cover that I was thinking of cutting to fit my RV4 and adding some straps. Has anyone made a canopy cover from a car cover (or even some bed sheets or other materials??) Any advantage of using a "real" aircraft cover?
 
Depends on the cover.
I have a simple home made cover for the Bucker treated with waterproofing. It is thin and light and does a reasonable job keeping the inside dry. There are pleather reinforcements around the holes for shock cord or small ropes and uses Velcro for attaching around struts. Really simple and could be fabricated easily.

I have a Bruces cover for the RV. It is much heavier fabric and also has a soft liner. It is much better keeping the heat out. They use straps and snap buckles sewn into the cover. Very nice and I don't think I could make one for what they cost.

I don't think there is any magic to the covers. I like the soft liner of the Bruces as it protects the paint from abrasion of the cover, which would only be a concern if it was allowed to vibrate in winds for a period of time. Even at that, dust could still get under it.

So, you have to decide what you want in a cover.
 
Sunbrella fabric with lining?

Does anyone know if you can buy Sunbrella? fabric, with the lining, for a do-it-yourself canopy cover?

Ron
 
1flyingyogi said:
Now that my wife and I are taking more trips, I was thinking about getting a canopy cover. Is there anything special about aircraft canopy covers (as compared to car covers that cost about 1/10th the price)?

I have an old Miata car cover that I was thinking of cutting to fit my RV4 and adding some straps. Has anyone made a canopy cover from a car cover (or even some bed sheets or other materials??) Any advantage of using a "real" aircraft cover?
Click to expand...

Brian,

I bought a Bruce's heavy duty cover for my 8. Not 100% happy with the fit around my Todd's Canopy. One thing I noticed while at Osh was my cover doesn't fit nearly as well as many of the other RV's I saw on the field. Some looked homemade, while others looked very professional (custom) and seemed to fit perfectly.

I think you're on the right track if you have the skills and equipment.

I probably should have bought the lightweight cover.
 
At first I saw the Bruce cover online, sticker shock. then I saw one in person. I can see why they cost what they do, very nice quality, I plan on purchasing one in the future.
 
Sailrite.com has Sunbrella, don't know if they have the kind you want, though. Good vendor.

Used to have a boat and bought a lot from them. Satisfied customer.

I made a lightweight windshield cover for a non-RV plane. I used spinnaker cloth for the outside and flannel for the inside. The spinnaker cloth is very light and mostly waterproof. The flannel is soft and when clean, won't scratch the plexi. Unfortunately one day I forgot and dried it in a dryer after washing it, and the flannel shrunk and the spinnaker cloth didn't, and the cover was ruined.

Don't do that. Or at least use pre-shrunk materials.

Dave
 
I made my own cover. I bought the sunbrella material, skrim and all strap material/clasps & bungee cord from Sailrite. I bought 3 yards of a microfiber material (softer than a diaper) for the interior side. Mine is just like a Bruce or other production cover.

You will need to use a scrim material to set up your pieces / pattern if you want it to conform properly to your canopy for a tight fit. If you don't, the motion caused by wind will create scratches. Mine is perfectly form fitted with no slack areas. You may also need an industrial sewing machine. I have made my own sails and had an old singer industrial. A home machine MIGHT work. You'll need to learn a bit about pattern making and how to work with darts. Your wife may have all of this knowledge.

It is a big job. It took me a full weekend + and by the end, wished I had bought one. Materials were under $200.

My plane sat on the ramp for the first 6 months and this cover did a great job.

Larry
 
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I use a rain fly from a cheap tent. Lite weight and packs very small for travel. It's not the best looking thing but with the sewn in bungees, it serves it's purpose.
 
I bought the lightweight one from VANs for my -4..was worth every penny and not that expensive. Packs very small ,weighs nothing, extends over the canopy/cowl seams and has good straps. Been tied at the outer banks of NC in 40 mph winds and stayed tight. Best of all, I didnt have to make it. Its always in the baggage compt with me.
 
Yeah, Patti tailored one for the fastback, using material from an old car cover. I've been using it five years. It's not waterprooof, but my primary goal is blocking dirt and sun.
 
Just for info ---- Sunbrella (plus)

apparently has a soft backing material on it --- costs about twice regular Sunbrella (~25 vs ~48).

Ron
 
I recall reading somewhere a precaution that canopy covers need to breathe and should NOT be waterproof. Don't remember exactly why; maybe causes a mildew problem?

Erich
 
erich weaver said:
I recall reading somewhere a precaution that canopy covers need to breathe and should NOT be waterproof. Don't remember exactly why; maybe causes a mildew problem?

Erich
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This is an important point and something the acrylic folks recommend. The Sunbrella is breathable, but if you are making a cover from an old car cover, make sure it is breathable; Some are and some are not.

Larry
 
i'm in the process of doing this right now. I needed to replace a cover I bought years ago from the Orndorffs. Recently it started leaving residue on the canopy.

I shopped around for materials, but eventually determined the cheapest material I could get was from buying a new car cover from amazon and cutting it up. I set my wife to seam ripping the old cover, while I cut up the new one. Then used the old pieces as patterns. I have yet to sew up the new cover, but that shouldn't take too long.

The car cover I ourchased was https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SWGPT00/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8
 
Thanks for everyone's input. Yeah, it's definitely a balance b/t time and money. I like doing things myself, but time is always the limiting factor. And I guess if I factor in the time it takes me to make one, I will have spent a lot more than just buying one..
 
My homemade canopy cover

Here is what I've learned. If you're going to keep your RV outside for weeks/months at a time then you should invest in Bruce's Custom Covers. Very good and durable. I've been to several fly in's over night and found that toting my Bruce Custom Cover along, 5-6 lbs I think was cumbersome and bulky. I wanted something super light for just an over night or three. Here is what I came up with. I bought it from Amazon for just a few dollars along with the striped bungie type cord. Works perfectly and the weight is maybe 10 ounces and it's super compact when folded up! The bungie I found is GREAT for lots of things like holding sleeping bags/pads together and it weighs nothing! Here are a few pics. Only thing I will do now is to place a small towel between the nylon cover and the canopy to make sure there are no scratches. I don't know that it would but don't want to chance it.
2v0hff9.jpg


34q5uz4.jpg


29prde0.jpg


wks66u.jpg
 
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That's great Paul! Wish I saw your post earlier. I really like doing things myself, but am so crazy busy lately, I have no time! I had a trip coming up and needed something right away, so I just bought the lightweight cover from Vans for $175. Works great! I have a hangar so I need the cover only when taking over-night trips. BTW, do you have a link for the one you bought on Amazon?



Paul 5r4 said:
Here is what I've learned. If you're going to keep your RV outside for weeks/months at a time then you should invest in Bruce's Custom Covers. Very good and durable. I've been to several fly in's over night and found that toting my Bruce Custom Cover along, 5-6 lbs I think was cumbersome and bulky. I wanted something super light for just an over night or three. Here is what I came up with. I bought it from Amazon for just a few dollars along with the striped bungie type cord. Works perfectly and the weight is maybe 10 ounces and it's super compact when folded up! The bungie I found is GREAT for lots of things like holding sleeping bags/pads together and it weighs nothing! Here are a few pics. Only thing I will do now is to place a small towel between the nylon cover and the canopy to make sure there are no scratches. I don't know that it would but don't want to chance it.
2v0hff9.jpg


34q5uz4.jpg


29prde0.jpg


wks66u.jpg
Click to expand...
 
link

Here it is. Also bought the bungie cord from amazon too.

The nylon tarp:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018W12LRS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The bungie cord:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DKA4TSQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The bungie cord comes in different sizes. I tried the 3/16 but found it had too much pull. The 1/8 works fine to hold the cover in place. I had some that was between the two... 5/32, (which I can't seem to find anymore), which was perfect for strapping up sleeping bags/mats.
 
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