I am getting a new cover made for my alumacraft tournament pro boat soon and would like to know others experience with either a snap-on cover or the newer type of ratchet tight type of cover. I am mostly interested in pulling with the cover on and occasionally being able to cover boat while it is at the dock.
After having both, I prefer the snaps. The snaps are by far easier for me to use at the dock. 
jerr
Welcome to IDA. I personally have a snap on and always thought that was the way to go, BUT after fishing from a friends Ranger this week and helping him put on the ratchet cover I wish I had one instead. The cover was rolled out and tight in 3 minutes max. Good luck with your decision.
What do you plan to ratchet to if you are parked at the dock…don’t you need a trailer under the boat? I have always had snap covers and think they are great! Dave at North Country Canvas in Robbinsdale makes the best as far as I am concerned. 
I have a snap cover for our boat and I love it! The only thing is if for some reason you are traveling and miss a snapp it could cause more snaps to come undone or in our case it started to rip the material.
Im not sure if its the snaps or what but the ones i have on my boat keep breaking, ive had em replaced twice now, next spring im buying a ratchet one, or even a new boat who knows 
I have a snap cover for my Lund and after taking the cover back to the canvas shop a couple times to have 3 or 4 snaps replaced during the first summer I had the boat, I learned that if I put a little WD 40 on a paper towel and wiped the part of the snap fastened to the boat, the snaps snapped easier,came apart easier and I have only had to replace 2 or 3 over the last 3 years. I’ve never had an issue with snaps coming loose when trailering boat. Also, Mills Fleet Farm carries replacement snaps. Hopefully this helps.
I really like the snap cover on my Crestliner. It stays on better than I thought it would, and if I break a snap, no biggie. Got to Walfart and get a snap kit, and you can do it yourself real easy. I’ve had to replace only a couple, and they all work great. The boat looks real sharp with a snap cover, too (see below). Plus, a snap cover won’t rub on the boat going down the road, either.
I have a Tournament Pro 185 tiller and I just had a snap cover made for mine. “AWESOME” is all I can say!! I just went up to the Canadian border this past weekend and the boat pulls so much better and the cover never even wiggled! Snap cover all the way in my opinion! 
I totally agree Brian, I’ve had some full covers on past boats and they’ve messed up a lot of paint and gel coat. My current one just covers the cockpit. I’m wishing I’d seen the light years ago- – 
oh, now I get it, that’s the neighbor’s boat 
jerr
The ratchet cover system by ranger is great! I haven’t had a snap cover on a boat that has been on a road trip before- My pontoon has a snap cover, but it is in the lake during the open water season. I wouldn’t be able to compare the two accurately. However, I am too happy with the ranger cover to try a snap cover for traveling.
Slipsinker- good point, yes you can’t ratchet tarp your boat if it isn’t on a trailer. However, I rarely leave the ranger in the water over night. The pontoon (that has a snap cover) that sits in a lake during the summer, and I tell you what- each year I take it out, that is the worst week of my life, cleaning that boat. I do tarp the pontoon after every use, but I am less than thrilled to do it, especially with it being in the water. More often than not, the frustration that comes with snapping that whole boat, leaves it half snapped, more than fully snapped. 
But, it isn’t a custom cover, so that may not be a fair evaluation.
My vote goes to the ratchet!
I have a snap cover for my boat. It doesn’t get used much. Its a bear to put on when it gets cold out due to the material shrinking. But the cover is always tight even in the summer. It came with the boat and was made locally, not store bought.
Is yours what the others refer to as a snap. I also have a Crestliner, and although there are some snaps, most of it just slides into the sides.
Love the cover.
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Is yours what the others refer to as a snap. I also have a Crestliner, and although there are some snaps, most of it just slides into the sides.
Love the cover.
I have a FishHawk, and they are all snaps. I know what you’re referring to, which are the plastic ‘latches’ that go into the rail system that the tournament series Crestliners have. Those are really awesome, and go on really fast. Very nice. I hope to have that on my next Crestliner!
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