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Laying up for a season
In Malta a boat can be laid up twice: ashore for the winter refit season, and idle through a scorching summer if the owner is abroad. A lay-up cover is built for whichever season she’s sitting out — vented for heat, banded for the gregale.
A lay-up cover is a shrink wrap cover fitted to protect a boat for the months it isn’t being used. It is framed, welded into one skin and vented, so the boat stays dry, clean and out of the sun until it goes back into service — then the cover is removed and taken away.
How people find us
The yard gives you the space; the cover protects the boat on it — from yard dust, Saharan dust and the gregale.
A summer lay-up is about heat and UV. White film, a frame clear of the deck and vents high and low keep the boat cool and shaded.
The cover is the last step: after the engine, water and fuel are sorted, it seals the boat until spring.
The process
Ashore on her cradle or blocks, or afloat on her berth, once the lay-up work is done.
A winter frame is skirted and banded for wind; a summer frame is built for airflow and shade.
The film is welded into one skin, shrunk tight and vented for the heat or damp of the season.
When she goes back into service, we remove the cover and take the film away.
Options
On the hard at the yard — skirted to the ground, banded to the cradle, doors for trades.
On the berth through the gregale season, banded to the boat, vented for bilge damp.
Built for heat: white film, airflow, and shade over teak and upholstery.
For boats out of use for more than a season, specified for the longer stay.
| Compare | Under a lay-up cover | Under a tarp | Uncovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun and UV | Shaded, teak and canvas protected | Partly shaded, gaps | Full exposure |
| Saharan dust | On the film, hosed off | Gets under the edges | Into teak and non-slip |
| Gregale | Tight, nothing loose | Flaps, chafes, blows off | — |
| Rainwater | Runs off the ridge | Pools in the sag | Into the cockpit |
| Spring clean-up | Remove cover, ready to go | Clean boat and tarp | Days of work |
Before we quote
For lay-ups we survey once the boat is settled — on the hard or on her berth. We measure the vessel, work out the frame, the film area, the vents and the doors — and the number you get back is the number you pay. No provisional sums, no “subject to access”.
Illustrative figures for a winter lay-up ashore. Your own survey happens on site — or starts from photos, if you’d rather.
Start from your phone
Not every lay-up needs a visit to get going. Send a couple of photos and tell us where she’s laid up, ashore or afloat, and when she goes back in, and an installer will tell you what’s involved — including when shrink wrap isn’t the right call.
Whole item in frame, plus one close-up of the access side.
WhatsApp or email, with where she’s laid up, ashore or afloat, and when she goes back in.
Approach, timescale and a price, in plain English.
Finished covers
Tight, smooth, framed clear of what it protects and welded into one skin. This is the standard every cover is fitted to.
Questions
For winter, book when you book your lift-out — usually September or October. For a summer lay-up, book before you leave the island.
Yes. Many Maltese boats winter on their berth. The cover is banded to the boat and vented for the damp that comes up from the bilge.
Not a properly built one. White film reflects the sun, the frame keeps it clear of the deck, and vents let hot air out.
We do, when the boat goes back into service, and we take the film away.
Yes. Zipped doors let trades, surveyors and crew get aboard without opening the cover.
Send a photo, the length and where she is. You’ll get a straight answer on the approach, and a fixed price after the survey.
Quick quote
Tell us what
needs covering.
