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Vinny, Target has molded privacy screens. http://www.target.com/Outdoor-Screen-Enclosure-White/dp/B000K6JHR6/sr=1-1/qid=1217090013/ref=sr_1_1/601-1634692-4791332?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Agarden%20screen&page=1
Tail hooker, The CM1 is a decent lifter. It's pretty basic but it does the job. I had one on my Caspain. What hot tub is this lifter going on? I ask as the Caspian was a 6 x 6 and I don't think I would put a larger cover on the CM1. There were a few times when there was some slush on the cover and lifting it was very difficult. My wife would also have a hard time lifiting the cover. Usually to open it fully, I would fold it half over and then get in the tub and lift it all the way up by lifting from the middle of the cover. when I got my Geneva, I upgraded to the Pro lift II ($300?) which has the pnematic shock assists, and I think it's a great lifter. The main difference being is to open the Pro lift II you flip the front half over (like all lifters) and then, rather than lift the folded cover, you gentley push the lifter back, and it goes up. Easy. I ca do it with a few fingers. The PLII is also mounted directly to a metal brace in my cover and I think it provides for a smoother lift. fliping the cover over a bar (asin the CM1) sometimes I felt that I could twist out (or rack) the bar. Not so with the Pro lift. Smooth and easy.since the cover is mounted directly to the lifter, there is no need for cover clips/locks on the back of the spa. For me, this is a huge plus. I hated walking around the spa to snap/unsnap the clips (espically in the winter). And it;s easy to forget about those back clips and I had snapped my fair share of them. The Pro lift II style eliminates that. If you are going to get a lifter that mounts directly into you hot tub cabinet, I would take a few minutes to decide wich one you want. as it will be with you for a long time.The covermate I is a good, basic lifter and may serve you well. So don't get me wrong...however, are the better ones? Absolutey. If you have it in your budget, go down to you dealer, and try them out and see if they make a difference to you. I think too many people overlook the lifter and take what ever the dealer tosses in.
When looking at cover lifters also consider how much clearence is required behind the spa, and how far down they lower the cover. Some folks like a cover lifter that lowers the cover as far down as possible, other prefer a cover sitting a bit higher (privacy, and a wind block.).Have the wife come down to the showroom with you and have her try opening a few covers on her own, and see if she has a preference.
Do all covers take on water eventually and when they do is much tougher to lift the cover if you don't have shocks? :-/