A jet ski cover is a large piece of fabric that goes over your jet ski to protect it from the sun and water.
The footwells of your jet ski are like big buckets and will hold water. Standing water leads to bugs, mold and mildew, which we don’t want for our jet ski.
A jet ski cover should solve that problem, right?
If you owned a jet ski for a bit, you may realize that water still finds its way into your footwells even with a cover on. Mold and mildew still shows up too, so what’s up with that?
Are Jet Ski Covers Waterproof?
Jet ski covers are made of waterproof materials, but that doesn’t mean they’re a perfect seal to keep water from your jet ski.
Jet ski covers tend to have vents to allow vapors out and airflow under the cover. These vents also work to create a vacuum when hauling a jet ski on a trailer, so you don’t have the cover fly off.
But these vents will allow water under the cover.
So while you may have the cover on your jet ski, it doesn’t mean water isn’t getting in and sitting in your footwells.
Why Do Jet Ski Covers Vent?
The biggest reason jet ski covers have vents is to create a vacuum when hauling your jet ski on a trailer.
The vents create a vacuum which sucks the jet ski cover tight to the jet ski and keeps it from flapping away.
These vents are either on the front with a mesh cover or in the rear with a black rubber cone.
Not all jet ski covers will have vents, only the trailerable ones do. There are a few covers with no vents, but use straps to hold the cover to the trailer instead.
How To Make A Jet Ski Cover More Water Tight?
A little bit of water will find its way under your jet ski cover, especially if you live where it gets humid.
One option if you don’t want sitting water in your footwells is to lean the jet ski back on the trailer when you store it. All the water will flow out the rear even with the cover on it as it finds the cracks out.
Another option is to get a cover for your jet ski cover. I do this, I have a good OEM cover but during the winter I put a universal cover on top of it as talked about in this post.
If you have the room, you could use a canopy tent (Amazon Link Ad). Keep the legs low, just above the jet ski, and have your cover on, and this will work well as a second cover. The goal is to keep the sun, rainwater, and tree droppings off the jet ski, and a canopy tent will work. You will need some stakes to hold it in the ground.
The last and probably the most effective option, is to get your jet ski shrink-wrapped when you’re done for the riding season.
How To Shrink Wrap A Jet Ski
Shrink-wrapping is super common with larger boats, as it’s the most effective way to keep your watercraft clean and dry during the off season.
While you can shrink wrap your own jet ski, I suggest letting the professionals do it. Many dealerships will do it, and many will even come to your home to do it.
The video below shows you what’s involved in getting a jet ski shrink-wrapped.
If you get your jet ski shrink-wrapped, make sure they put something soft and protective over the hood and any shiny plastic.
The thing about shrink-wrapping is that it’s not meant to be permanent. Don’t shrink-wrap a jet ski and never uncover it for 3 years, it should be removed as soon as the riding season starts. Never shrink wrap a wet jet ski, allow the seats and body to dry out beforehand.
If you’re thinking about shrink-wrapping your jet ski, then give one of these Jet Ski Cover a try first (Amazon Link Ad). You might like this better and can use it multiple years if you take care of it and don’t heat shrink it. This style of cover is how many boat manufacturers ship them to the dealership, it works quite well.
How Much Does It Cost To Shrink-Wrap A Jet Ski?
It cost anywhere from $10 to $15 a foot to shrink-wrap a boat.
Jet skis are 10 to 12 feet long, so it would cost between $100 to $200 to shrink wrap your jet ski.
The best deal you’re going to find is a dealership that will also winterize your jet ski at the same time, as they will often do a package deal.
Your opinion on driving with a cover on your ski?
I am referring to a manufacturer cover, not an aftermarket one.
I take the cover off when towing the jet ski on a trailer. The cover scratches the shiny plastics of your PWC, but the real issue is that it damages the cover, and these covers are not cheap. I’ve also had a few covers fly off going down the interstate, OEM ones, and they always land in the mud or hit the car behind me, so it’s not worth it.