mystery cover - what is it?

[Sailorman Ed]

I guess my early Alzheimer's is working hard today. We found this work of art cover in one of our bins and neither of us remembers what it is or where it came from. It is 7 ft x 10 feet, very nicely made with zippers and quarter turn fasteners and lots of cords with wood adjusters and a clip at each end. We did not make it nor does it look to fit anything we have. Ideas?

[BAD ORCA]

cockpit bimini

[jt11791]

Foredeck awning.

[Knotical]

You should be able to find the hole pattern on the cover that matches the hardware on the boat.

[JPA Cate]

Guys, the OP's boat is a Gemini Cat. That cover doesn't look like it's the right shape or perforations for a cat. ...And I don't know what it is, but will take a guess.

Notice that ruffley bit on the narrow end, I wonder if it is a funnel or cone shape, that is all wadded up, a water-exit, as it were, and the item is a rain catcher? Maybe off another boat. The opening in the center looks big enough to be for a mast, and all the ties don't make sense in terms of a cat, but might with a ketch...a cockpit cover and rain catcher?

Ann

[Bruce K]

Cover for a dinghy on davits?

[MicHughV]

hmmmm...looks like a giant diaper....

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by Sailorman Ed

I guess my early Alzheimer's is working hard today. We found this work of art cover in one of our bins and neither of us remembers what it is or where it came from. It is 7 ft x 10 feet, very nicely made with zippers and quarter turn fasteners and lots of cords with wood adjusters and a clip at each end. We did not make it nor does it look to fit anything we have. Ideas?

Helm cover?

[Captndave1]

looks to me like it might be a jibsail cover for a hanked on jib.

[JPA Cate]

We got a mystery here, guys.

The OP says that it is 7 x 10 ft. But it can't be. Look at it. It's kind of the shape of a hard dinghy, with a pram bow, and it is sort of triangular in shape, otherwise. 7 x 10 is like a tarp, a rectangle.

It was carefully measured and fitted. There is a zip to the big hole in it, and at the wider end, there are 3. The way they are sewn, it is chafe-protected. It is meant to be tied to and get around existing fittings on the boat, or wires. Could it be a cover for a hard dinghy? probably not with that extra fabric at the narrower end.

Sorry, I'm having a failure of imagination here. Maybe the OP could get back to us with the accurate dimensions of it? match it to spaces on either of his/her boats? Of what material is it made?

Ann

[jim King]

I'm going with a cover for a small sailing pram dingy. The center hole for the mast and the back three openings for tiller and back stays. Hmmm?

[Kd9truck]

Hey! I’ve been looking for that!!
May be to cover halyards and reef lines at the base of your mast?

[MicHughV]

Well, let's look at this thing subjectively...

OP sez it is 7' x 10', I take that to mean it is 10' long and 7' wide at its widest end..but it is not in a V-shape...the far end, appears to be about 3' wide. In other words it has a trapezoidal shape.
The 10' lenght....plus the trapezoidal shape ....to me..means it is too short and the wrong shape for a dink.

Moving on. It has a large symmetrical hole in the middle, that appears to be about 9" in diameter. This hole has reinforced edges. The shape and size is wrong for any kind of mast. But this hole does not have a zipper or anything, so it is designed to "go over something " short and round", another clue it is not for a mast of kind.

It has another hole on the wide 7' end, near the edge....but that hole has a zippered opening on the wide end. That particular hole...to my eye has more of an oblong shape....it has a zippered entry, in other words, it is designed to push over something and then zippered up.

A similar hole appears to be on the narrow 3' side.. also with a zippered entry.

Both holes have a "cuff"

Then you have those short sections of rope with a wood handle on one end, and a clip on the other. The wood handles appear to be meant to be used as a tightening device, as one side of the rope is knotted and the other side simple goes thru' the hole on the wood. I think the clip is attached to something, and then the rope handle is used to tension the rope.

On the starboard side of the fabric, are two more holes. These holes appear to "half-holes" with a leather reinforced edge. They both have an opening, meaning it pushed over an object and then closed up.

Only the starboard side appears to have these holes. The port side has none.

I think we can eliminate that is a dink cover. I also think we can eliminate that is an awning of any kind.

I have googled Gemini cats and have seen nothing that would suggest it fits on a Gemini.

It could have come off another boat. It does not appear to have seen any use. My 2c....at this point....is that it does not belong to this boat.

[MicHughV]

The fact that those half-holes on the starboard side have leather reinforcing may be another clue. No other holes have the leather.

I hope someone can solve the mystery, but I don't think it belongs on this boat.

[Clivevon]

if you throw it away, you will doubtless increase your chances of finding out what it is. Works for me, more often than I would like...