TOPIC: MFG Edinboro

Aquired this sweet MFG Edinboro from a friend. We leave the boat sitting in the lake at our dock all summer and wonder if there is any cover that we could use while docked to protect from sun, rain and leaves etc.
It came with what I think is called a convertible top, as seen in the last pic, but didn't have any of the sides or back that maybe zip in.
This was also not that easy to put on and off. We usually just use it on the weekends and so want something to cover and protect it when we leave for the week.
Any ideas? We do have a cover that we use in the winter but that would be impossible to secure with the boat in the water.
Thanks.

Very nice MFG Edinboro. That looks like a 1965 model.

So really three options, and one is not good.

A premade cover will not fit right while docked, and is not a good option.

With a convertible top, you could buy side curtains(2) and an aft curtain, but the deck will site out in the sun and by the end of summer, be faded on that old gel coat. Also, the original canvas was OEM's from TaylorMade, and is no longer available. A canvas shop could make those three, but the white vinyl material is very tough to get.

Third option, this is the best, is to get a custom cover made at a boat canvas shop. WIll run $700-900. Mine for my 1962 Edinboro (Big Red) was $800 last summer.

I also have a 1966 Niagara (Little Blue). See attached pictures.

Thank you for your suggestions. I guess we should pay the money for a custom cover. We haven't had to put any money into the boat so far, just some elbow grease.
The gel coat on the deck is very faded. The pics don't show that. What is is your recommendation to restore the shine?
This boat sat covered in a driveway for years and this is the third season we have had it in the water. It runs like a dream. We would like to keep it looking good for years to come. You are correct in saying it is a '65. We are lucky to have all the original paperwork.

It takes a ton of work to bring back the gel coat once faded, but it can be done.

My Edinboro was totally oxidized - so much so it looked like a "pink" boat, rather than red.

I did not do it myself (although I tried), but paid the restorer to bring it back. Took nine steps:

First four steps consisted of sand papering by hand, starting with 800, and moving through to ultra-fine (2000) for the fourth step. Good news is MFG deck gelcoats used back then were very, very thick, and this can be done without exposing the glass cloth underneath. Hull gel coats are a different story, as the hulls are made with a chopped glass and resin composite, molded and cured under heat and pressure with matched metals dies - unique to those lapstrake-style MFGs. I would only do this on a lapstrake MFG. The gelcoats on the tri-hull (Gypsy) and deep-v (Caprice) boats were much thinner and the fiberglass cloth shows more easily after sanding.

Then, four steps of high-speed polishing, using Presta boat polishes of lighter and lighter cutting capabilities. (See www.prestaproducts.com/Buffing_Compounds-list.aspx : )

Last step was with a UV glaze to help protect the surface (pick one - there are several out there). When done, it was then back to close to original shine. However, it's critical to protect this "new" finish.

No easy solution. While I tried to do it myself, it was going to take a whole summer and lots of hours, and I decided to pay to have it done. Expensive, but in the overall cost for a restoration, not bad. That said, from an economic standpoint, it is much better to find a real good one in original and unrestored state. Good restorations are expensive, and I insisted on gel coat repairs and not paint. That made it even more expensive. My Niagara is original and unrestored, with a shiny blue gel coat. Note: you'll never get the money back from a restoration. In my case, "Big Red" is the only red Edinboro I ever found in looking for two years that came with those red and white Sun 'n Fun seats. It was worth it to me to do it, but only to that particular boat, for me anyway. It will be the only boat restoration I will ever do.

Pay close attention to your transom. They tend to rot out. My Niagara is original, while the Edinboro has a poured repaired/replacement transom using Carbon-Core CarbonBond.