Submitted by quentin.sands on

For my Mac 19, Margarita, I bought a Habitent cockpit cover. I used it for the first time last October in Scotland and it was a very useful addition. I have just had a weekend on Windermere - Chichester shake down - and I used it again. I thought it worth a mention on the website. The version I have, I think it is a Mistral, works for my 19 but is probably made for bigger cockpits and I am sure it will be suitable on all the 26 footers.
It is a very well made item and it provides high quality weather protection and extra storage space. It is made from a light material, both in weight and tone, and sitting inside it is a pleasure - the windows in all directions frame the scenery in a most pleasing way. It packs up quite comfortably into an IKEA bag with a separate bag for some steel and plastic poles. Yes, it is a bit of a faff to erect but once you get the hang of it, easily doable in five minutes or so. I motored with it up but I would remove it to sail.
The pictures aren't great. It's not a perfect fit yet - a bit shabby - but it is easily adapted to all cockpit sizes and I will learn to tweak it in future.
I have no commercial interest in Habitent but I would recommend the product: I am really pleased with the build quality, value for money - when compared with the cost of a tailor made canvas system - and the practical gain is significant.
3 Comments
Looks great, I was looking at
Submitted by chris.hawksworth on
Looks great, I was looking at getting a pop top cover made this year for mine and this looked like a good solution. Just been on their website however and it looks like they are retiring and stopping making them unfortunately. I'll have to see what they've got left in stock. Back to the drawing board I guess.
Habitent
Submitted by peter.wilcox on
That's a nice piece of kit Quentin. I could do with something like this for my trip around Anglesey later in the year. Great to see photos of another 19 and the numerous differences.
Thanks for your comments
Submitted by quentin.sands on
Thanks for your comments Peter and Chris. When I posted I hadn't realised they'd stopped making them. They occasionally appear on ebay but there are two lightly used ones for sale, right now, on Facebook Marketplace. One in Glasgow and one in Cramlington. Well worth a look.