In the past, most of my covers have just consisted of a simple pole down the middle, and a tarp over it, which on the more or less square Mako worked okay, and on Adagio never really worked, but it didn't really matter too much to me since it had already been uncovered for so long. Now that the boat was freshly painted, however, I was much more careful in my plan and execution. I wanted to make sure that I could still get on the boat if needed, and be sure that the tarp didn't actually touch the boat in any places, while still withstanding the winter in New England. And it had to be dirt cheap.
The design worked extremely well, as every time I checked on the boat the lines were still tight, the tarp is still doesn't have any tears, and the paint is still unblemished. I started with a sturdy wooden ridgepole, then used other pieces of wood to project outward, which provided support for the tarp against the weight of snow. They also served as a frame for the longitudinal pieces that ran down either side of the boat, out well beyond the deck. For these I used a simple 1X3, which was flexible enough to match the curve of the boat. This was cantilevered out beyond the boat by about a foot all around, so that the tarp could be stretched tight, but not come in contact with the boat - kind of like eaves on a house. 
While this might have been an issue with the wind, I had boats that were substantially taller on either side, so I wasn't too worried about wind coming up from under. Once this frame was in place, I could drape the tarp over, and tie it tightly by running lines under the keel without worrying about anything damaging the boat. It worked great this year, and I built it all out of scrap wood, so my only expense was the tarp and some line - less than $50.
When I was on the boat yesterday, everything was very dry, and surprisingly clean still. Considering the condition the boat has been in every other spring when I have first been aboard, this was a pleasant surprise, and now I am looking forward to getting back to work on the boat and having it in the water soon. I will be sailing in San Fransisco until the beginning of June, but after that work should commence shortly. The advantage of not having a job after graduating from college is you have plenty of time to spend working on your boat, I hope.
