3 piece spa cover lift? Modification? Ideas?

[mdmaiorano]

Hey all,

I'm having some trouble figuring out a problem with my spa cover and lift, and am turning to the masses in hopees someone smarter than myself can help me find a solution.

I have a larger spa, roughly 11 feet by 8 feet, and my spa cover is in 3 sections.  Sections A & B are hinged at the top like normal, and section C butts up against B, secured with some Velcro on top.

The end goal is to be able for one person (perferrably my petite wife) to be able to remove and replace the cover from one side of the tub easily.

I bought the covermate III with the pistons to help with the weight, and it works perfectly for sections A & B.  My attempt (and failure) at a solution was to secure C to B by hinging them at the bottom, instead of the top like normal.  This makes like a "Z" shape between the 3 sections, allowing me to fold B & C up together, swinging them over the lift and onto A, and then use the lift to remove all 3 sections.  However, I forgot about the skirting around C, which makes lifting it and B up together at the same very difficult.

So now I ask, does anyone have an idea about how to make this work?  I saw a 4 piece cover at my local showroom with a lift on each end, but want to avoid this as it would ruin the view from the spa.
Thanks in advance for any ideas!

-Mike

[ChaiSTi]

How about a CoverShelf by the same manufacturer as Covermate.  You're going to loose the shocks that Covermate III provides but you'll have a place for put all three sections on.  The CoverShelf will need some spacing to make use of it though.

http://www.leisureconcepts.com/main.php?page=19

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

a pic of your setup may help in this case, but off the top of my head how about using a "normal" lifter for the first 2 sections (a & b) and then using something like a "cover shelf" for the 3rd section, that way she can open a & b using the "normal lift" and then just slide the 3rd section onto the cover shelf? just my .02 and again a pic showing your setup may help us visualize a solution

^^lol ChaisTi beat me to the punch

[mdmaiorano]

cover shelf really not an option in this case...well it is, but it's certainly not as smooth a solution as I was hoping for...

What about getting a custom made cover that's in 2 pieces instead of 3, and then just adjusting my covermate? 

I'll take a picture here in the daylight tomorrow if I get a chance and post it so you can see what I'm working with...

Thanks for the ideas though!

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

cover shelf really not an option in this case...well it is, but it's certainly not as smooth a solution as I was hoping for...

What about getting a custom made cover that's in 2 pieces instead of 3, and then just adjusting my covermate? 

I'll take a picture here in the daylight tomorrow if I get a chance and post it so you can see what I'm working with...

Thanks for the ideas though!

you could have a 2 piece made, although that will be a beast of a cover especially when it begins to take on a little moisture which will stress your lifter to the max...depending on where your tub is located wind could also be a problem because you will have so much cover lifted in the air...one big gust and you could easily break something on the lifter as well

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

All you could have done is a cover with 4'x11' halves.