Well, I finally found a use for that 30’ extension ladder given to me in 1992. After installing the ladder and fixing the 2"X4" spine and hardtop horse in place, we covered the whole shebang with a heavy duty 60’ X 30’ tarp, put retaining ropes & straps over the tarp, then tied a zig-zag pattern of lines from the spine to the top of the stanchion poles underneath to prevent pockets of pools. (Thanks to Dr. B who supported the tarps over his 1969 47’ Kenner Suwannee Cruiser with a ladder!)
Acellist, the NW winds in DC would rip that tarp to shreds in a week, and the snow load would snap those 1.5 x 3.5s in no time. I'm shrinkwrapping on Monday or so. It's the only thing that survives mother nature. btw, still have those bed pieces waiting for you...
Good Idea and great use for a ladder. That idea would work well down here where the weathers aren't as rough.
I would have to agree with the Shrink wrap advise. I can get a tarp to work on my 30' Owens Safari because she is a sedan and flat on top. I am enclosing pictures of the framing and the wrap I used on my 44' Riviera. I went a little overboard on the framing but I am restoring the topside and need the space to work undernieth. If you shop around and do the framing yourself, you should be able to get the shrink wrap done for about $600 but on dry ground in central NH. I got the idea of the frames from a boat yard in Portland Maine (see picture). You build a jig for the frames which are made out of two pieces of strapping or 1x3 +- with blocks of 2x4 inbetween. An alternate to shrink wrapping, is 6 mill plastic that is much less expensive than shrink wrap and holds up against the wind much better than the tarp. You can screw strips of wood down onto the frame over the plastic if you want. This worked for a couple other framed sheds at the boat yard, and they get plenty of wind from accross Casco Bay. I think we will build something like this to use when ours is in the water. Fairly easy to put up and cover and easy to vent too without causing problems from the wind. She's a pretty girl! Good Luck.