What does everybody do in our Ontario winters with their boats. Shrink-wrap, tarp, store indoors, leave it to the elements? Anybody leave them in the water?
Benefits/costs of one system over another?
I'm thinking painted aluminum shouldn't need that much protection, should it?
The left coast guys and our Florida friend probably just wear a sweater and keep sailing while laughing at us.
Hi Terry, Well as a left coaster you are right we cruise year round. Yes it gets cold but a good heater and hot chocolate, book and you are set. However this is what I do. We can keep Eboness in the water during winter, but I always drain the house water system, run a heater on a timer for a couple of hours, around 3 am to 5 am. Keeping a heater on 24 hrs a day will cause sweating and then mold and mildew. Oil change is very important on all machinery. Remove any electronics that can be removed and cushions and linen and bedding. Pump dry your head and empty your holding tank. Also ventilation is very important so crack a few windows. Now I'm sure some of the other members can add, change or delete some of these procedures but that's what I would do, or just go for a nice winter cruise, ha ha sorry could not help it.------------------------------------------------------ Patrick MV Eboness
Terry, we have a covered slip that the boat stays in. The marina just raises it up and puts timbers under it . Other than doing the engines, genny and plumbing,we don't do anything else except crack the windows a little bit. In 9 years,haven't had a prob except when the winterize was done by others. I now do my own winterize. We leave all cushions, etc and remove electronics. I leave the fully charged batteries on board but disconnected.
In my opinion, a tight tarp and good ventilation are the keys. A tarp without a good strong frame is going to flap in the wind destroying itself and damaging nearby paint. I have a frame that is almost like an open ended garage. I use a new polyethylene 30 x 50 tarp (less than $100) each year. The same frame has been going for years. In the winter, the boat gets so dry that the floors creak. I have never had a mould or mildew problem. Winterizing engines and plumbing of course, as recommended by others. I do envy you West Coast guys . . . our Ontario boats sits on the hard for 7 of 12 months . . . . but then again when would I do all these projects if I was off boating all the time
We plan on staying in the water as late as possible. Last year we went to Australia in October and missed out on the late season boating. This year I want to see at least one snowfall before we abandon the boat.
Mostly we let our local marina take care of the boat over winter. They Haul the boats to a nearby site and shrink-wrap them. They place a small frame over the pilot-house to provide a bit of a peaked roof. This has been successful every year we have owned a boat so far in Ontario. I like the fact that the shrink-wrap supplier has a recycling program where they pick up the removed wrap in the Spring and recycle it. I don't know how environmentally sound it really is, but it feels good.
When we repowered our boat over one Winter, we arranged for indoor storage at an abandoned factory. Interesting that it did not cost too much more than the local marina land-based facility, but they clearly did not profit from the arrangement and I felt a bit guilty about that.
The major elements we are concerned about are
- batteries - store them indoors in a heated space
- plumbing - fill it with anti-freeze
- oil - change it everywhere
Last year we had a first-time problem in the form of rodent damage. We discovered a couple of hiding spots in the galley and head that had clearly been homes for little rodents. The tenants appear to have vacated the premises prior to eviction.
We have a local boating acquaintence that keeps his (aluminum) boat in the water year-round and lives aboard. Granted he is a bit of a character, but he has figured it out for the St. Lawrence. He enjoys the islands as long as the water remains liquid and then pulls into !VERY! sheltered waters to wait out the dangerous period in late Winter. The key appears to be avoiding ice that gets moved about by wind and currents. If the boat is frozen in hard, it is not all that bad. But, if wind or currents start moving the ice around, you have a real problem. It crosses my mind occasionally, but I get over it.
I think the difference between frame/tarp and shrink wrap is whether or not you are working on the boat over the winter. Both will keep things dry, which is the important part. Before we purchased Catherine Ann, she sat outside, uncovered, through several winters. This is when the majority of the damage happened. Wet freeze/thaw cycles will destroy many things. Particularly with an Alwest, you want to dry things out.
Regarding batteries . . . . for many years I hauled mine home each year as others do. It did occur to me at some point that nobody takes the battery out of their car when it gets cold. So . . . for the last several years, I have made sure that all are fully charged and leave them in place. No problems so far.
Regarding rodents . . . . last winter was also the first time that we had mice aboard in the winter. Also other boats in our area, including sailboats up in steel cradles. Curious.
My winter cover consists of a 2x4 lower framework and upper frame of 3/4" steel conduit. If anyone is interested in more details, let me know.
Maybe another "tech article" in the making . . . .
Our Alcan 370 has never been covered. We installed Vetex vents [one forward and one aft on the sundeck].
We have never had a problem with mildew. We insure the batteries are fully charged and leave them on the boat. The theory is that more harm comes from hauling them out that leaving them in place. In fact, they don't appear to mind the cold at all. We do drain the plumbling and "blow out" the lines with compressed air. The engines [V6 Volvo's and the ONAN Generator] the oil is drained and fresh oil and filters intalled. The engine blocks are drained and filled with Red Pop plumbing anti-freeze.
We store the boat on metal stands.
Welcome aboard Brian. What the heck is a "Vetex Vent"? I tried googling it up but got nowhere.
Seems you should know how to put these things away, having owned the Sioux for 26 years. Get some pics into David so we can take a peek.
Nice to see the list growing, even a little at a time.
Terry - I got the name wrong. The proper name is "Nicro" vents. The ones I installed are passive, they do not have motors. They are nearly flush to the deck. They were installed many years ago and we have yet to have any leak - no matter how hard it rains.
Patrick MV Eboness
