From the Publisher: “I’m here with Karen Scholz, the person who’s brought The Touchless Cover to the Emerald Coast area. Karen, let’s begin with an introduction of you, and why you felt it made sense to bring The Touchless Cover here.”
Karen: I own a marine custom canvas and upholstery business in Niceville. I used to make all types of boat covers, fastened with snaps and straps. I found that my customers just didn’t want to take all the time needed to affix them properly. No matter how well-made, the process of strapping and unstrapping was a pain. I was recently introduced to The Touchless Cover and realized we needed that here.
Q: What’s a Touchless Cover?
A: Well, it’s a custom-made boat cover system. It’s measured for the boat, lift and dock so that there’s a perfect fit with all components. It’s raised and lowered electronically.
Q: Where else are they located?
A: Touchless Covers are all over the state of Florida, and throughout the U.S. You can barely go anywhere in Miami without seeing one.
Q: Why do you say it’s better than the manual covers you used to make?
A: It’s not just better than the manual ones. It’s just the best boat cover out there. It has four panels on the sides that can fully cover and uncover the boat in seconds. In our NW Florida sun, protection of the gel coat of the boat, its upholstery and accessories, can save money and a lot of time by eliminating those types of needed repairs caused by sun damage. Many covers—even boathouses—don’t eliminate damage from the sun’s rays. Also, it keeps birds and debris out.
Q: But what about those who already have a boathouse?
A: It can be installed on docks with lifts with no boathouse, OR it can go up seamlessly under the existing roof of a boathouse. Its motors operate from the frame of its top, so all of them have a top; having a top under a boathouse is just added protection.
Q: People who live here will always be concerned with hurricanes. How does it do in high winds? How does it compare with other covers out there?
A: We can provide a third-party engineering study that we had done that shows the bearable winds. It performs very well, comparatively.
Q: How’s it made to withstand winds?
A: It’s made of a heavy, coated fabric, and has 2” aluminum framing on all four sides, as well as in the top. Additionally, it has fiberglass rods that form a skeleton around the entire inside.
Q: How does it lift and cover electronically?
A: That’s part of what’s so cool about it. It works off the house or dock Wifi; you’d either use a remote or a voice command to lift and lower it. Many customers use the voice command feature (and an installed camera) to check on their boat while they’re away.
Q: You said it’s made well, but why would someone want a remote-controlled boat cover, when they can really just cover it themselves?
A: For most, it’s just a matter of convenience. Time is money. A lot of Touchless Cover customers have said that the pain of their manual cover keeps them from enjoying their boat. With this, the owner presses a button to get the boat fully-protected.
Think of the garage door opener. Initially, it was thought of as frivolous. Why have one when you can do it yourself manually? Now, you hardly can find a house without one. Why? Because we all crave convenience and saving time.
It’s not for everyone. It’s a high-quality cover that can take a day or more for us to install, but for those who want a fix for the hassle of manual covers, or have another type that just doesn’t protect, this is will do the trick. It’s likely the last boat cover they’ll need to get.
Q: How do people reach you for more information?
A: Visit: https://FlyteMarineCanvas.com/boat-covers/ or call me at 850-782-0882.
