The worst part of kayaking? Putting the kayak away until next time. But while you're waiting for that next adventur, protect your kayak. The sun's ultra-violet rays will fade your kayak. With enough exposure, it will even become more likely to be damaged. And what about all the critters? They can make a home in your kayak as well, some giving you a nasty surprise next time you get in. And yes, rain. Have you seen how much water collects in the cockpit after even a light rain? Do you really want to get into a cold, wet, and moldy seat? We don't either! The Hydra Creek Kayak Cover is a full-length cover that protects your boat from the sun's damaging rays, keeps creepy crawlies out, and holds tight and keeps the cockpit dry in the worst weather. Other covers just have an elastic band along the edge. But water still pools in the cockpit and it's not very secure. The Hydra Creek cover has 4 tightening straps on the bottom and 2 on top. So you never have to worry about losing the cover to wind or walking out to find a small pond in your cockpit. We have 4 different sizes to match your kayak length. All straps have buckle releases so you can adjust the straps once and then you are set.
J**R
Initial 5-star Review is based on fit only, updated performance review drops to 3-star
Just got this and covered my Old Town Trip Elite 10 (10' 10" Touring Kayak) also known as the Cayuga 110. 4 straps that wrap around the kayak with quick release buckles plus 2 straps on the top to pull out any slack in the cover from front to rear. Material seems high quality though only time will tell. I will try to remember to update at three and six months of use. I will not be using this during transport, just for outside storage to keep the sun and weather off my boat.After a rain shower, checked my yaks (I have 2 - each covered with this product). Neither cover kept water out of the cockpit. I have rolled my yaks upside down and now cover the bottom with these to protect from UV rays. Lowered rating as this only protects against dust and UV, not rain.
B**T
Great for kayaks not constantly exposed to the elements.
I have one my kayaks hanging on the fence outside and one hanging on the wall in the garage. I bought two covers, one for each kayak back in 2019.The winter and cold months are pretty much half the year here in Central Oregon, so I wanted my kayaks to be covered half of the year when not in use, especially the one outside exposed to the elements year round.These covers are decent quality and the stitching is good. The fit is good and it definitely kept the dirt, critters, and animal fur out of the kayak I have hanging in the garage.The one that was outside did a fine job of protecting my kayak from the sun's UV exposure and kept the snow and rain out this winter and spring. The cover began to fade with being outside all year but as mentioned, the kayak was protected from the sun.The year outside with the sun, rain, snow and ice took a toll on the cover and it ripped when putting it back on the other day. I was able to use Gorilla Tape Patch Repair to fix it, which I also purchased here on Amazon.Compared to the underside which didn't see any sun, the part that is starting to get sun bleached just feels a little more brittle than the non exposed side. I do hope to get a couple more years use out of it, that way I will feel it did a fine job sacrificing itself to protect my kayak from the elements.Overall, I'm very happy with the one that is used indoors and am still settling on the one outside.
P**.
Material cannot ensure direct Florida sunlight
I really liked the design of this cover with the built in straps but the material is not heavy enough to endure direct sunlight. I've used it just this summer to cover my Hobie Kayak which sit on my dock with full sun the entire day. Now it is starting to rip into pieces. I suspect that the sunlight is deteriorating the fabric but it was pretty thin to begin with. If it was made out of woven poly tarp material it would great. I'm probably going to take the straps off this cover and see if I can fabricate my own more durable version.
T**T
Works but with Short Lifespan
Out of the package I was surprised how thin this product seemed. I was expecting something more like a tarp’s thickness. This was nowhere near that. I like the idea of the straps but these were also very thin and the buckles so cheaply made that they wouldn’t hold the straps tight. Once I got everything adjusted I had to safety pin all the straps so the buckles wouldn’t loosen. Following this the product seemed to work very well protecting from sun and most rain. Fit was good. It covered my kayak and allowed me to store the seat and other odds/ends under the cover. It held well for about 6 months but began to deteriorate quickly after this point. Following a summer in only partial sunlight it faded and became brittle, puncturing easily with regular use. All in all, I expect to get a year out of this cover before it’s a goner. To be determined if I buy another or find a more durable alternative.
C**O
Does the job
I bought two of these for kayaks we intended to buy and transport, then store for next season. The 12' 6" - 14' 9" size fit the smaller (14') kayak fine, but the other kayak proved to be 16' (not as described by seller of the kayaks) so it was too short and I was unable to return it before the window closed. We found the fabric to be as described; the tensioning elastic around the entire opening, webbing and (plastic) adjustable buckles are adequate. I would not consider this suitable for transporting, as the fabric would likely flap even after cinching and may eventually tear, but it's great for storing in a garage for the winter.
P**N
This is an OK cover for indoor storage to keep dust, spiders etc out
I like having the straps to snug the cover. Yes they are light duty, but their function is to snug the cover, not lift or drag by. The cover material is thin and less tough than I feel it should be. At this price you have to adjust your critique. I had to put foam (pipe insulation from Home Depot or Lowes has lots of uses around boaters) on the bow and stern of my Chesapeake kayak as I was afraid the sharp bow/stern would damage the cover.No Kayak Cover, especially a < $30 one, will survive the sun's UV. Sure a $200+ cover will last a year, maybe two in the sun, but a $30 like this would be lucky to last the summer. So do not complain about this cover if you leave it where UV can get to it. If you can afford more there are much better covers on Amazon than this. Of course they will cost 2-5 as much. If like me you want more than a cockpit cover to keep the dust off your boat and it is stored inside away from UV this will do the job IF you are not rough with it. I purchased another cover from Gymtop that was about $45 here on Amazon that has better stronger material and I like much better (it looks very similar also). Of course it was 50% higher priced than this one. If I was to purchase another cover it would be that brand or another instead of this one.
