Trouper - Road Cover

[TomTewk]

Hi Folks,

I've recently purchased a 12' Trouper dinghy/day boat. I believe it may be the original prototype on which the kit version is based. I am going to collect my boat later this month and would like to obtain a road  cover beforehand. I'm thinking that an 'off the shelf' Enterprise cover would suit. 

Any suggestions please.

Tom.

[Michael Rogers]

Hallo Tom

A warm welcome to the probably fairly exclusive club of Trouper owners! I've no idea how many we are - a few dozen max I think. Matt Newland designed the Trouper not very long before Swallow Boats (as it was then) decided a) to discontinue selling kits - insufficient profit margins to be viable, Matt told me; b) to build ever bigger boats, up to the whoppers (well, I think they're big) today. So the Trouper was sidelined. It is a fantastic little boat - very pretty, stable, seaworthy, and will plane downwind in a blow if you're brave (or foolhardy) enough. I'm sure you'll have LOTS of fun. Where will you be based?

To your query - I'm not sure what you mean by a 'road cover'. Something to cover the boat when you tow? Will it go over the mast which would be resting in a crutch on your trailer? Are you planning a different cover for storage at home or on a dinghy park?

A cover which fits an Enterprise certainly won't fit a Trouper very well. The Enterprise is nearly 2 ft longer than the Trouper, and quite a bit beamier. I don't know if you have a budget limit, but I think a bespoke cover will probably be the way to go, if you can afford it, and once you have decided on 'over-boom' (or not) considerations etc.

I can't give you detailed advice from my own experience because (in case you don't know) my Trouper is junk rigged (and it works fantastically well, I've bored the wet-or-dry suits off forum members with enthusing about my rig). I take the CF mast down, rest it on a crutch forward, and have a bespoke cover which goes over the mast so that all water drains off: and the 3 ft or so of mast which sticks out over the bows has a separate slip-over cover, so that absolutely everything is covered. I don't tow often these days, but I can tow with the cover on. Works a treat.

I'm sorry I can't even remember the name of the firm I got my cover from - that's a fat lot of use, sorry! I gave them fairly detailed measurements, and they made an excellent cover, super fit. Not very cheap because I went for heavy canvas so it would last - it has, 8 seasons and still going strong with periodic re-proofing. I don't even know if they're still in business, but there are plenty of firms in the market. Other forum members may have advice about cover-makers.

Anyway, enjoy your Trouper - I'm sure you will!

Michael Rogers      (Trouper 12 'Cavatina')

[TomTewk]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your reply to my post. I will probably wait now until I collect my boat and then take some accurate measurements in order to have a cover made.

Regards,

Tom