Boat is Hibernating

Dec 16, 2011
260
Catalina 310 Atlantic Highlands
One of the disadvantages of the New England climate is the 6-month sailing season. Over Thanksgiving weekend we took down the mast, put up the frame, and then covered the boat. Now she's hibernating until March 2023 when we start to wake her up.

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BarryL

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May 21, 2004
1,066
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 Mt. Sinai, NY
Hey,

Just curious, why did you take the mast down?

Barry
 

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,127
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
With the mast down... what an excellent time to inspect the mast and rigging. Check the mast step.
In a way hibernation creates opportunities.
 
Dec 16, 2011
260
Catalina 310 Atlantic Highlands
Just curious, why did you take the mast down?
The cover that came with the boat when I purchased her back in 2014 is a mast-down cover, so I've taken the mast down all but I think 2 years when the schedule didn't work out and I had her shrink-wrapped instead. I do usually have a few chores each year with the mast as a result of looking it over, plus it forces me to work all the turn-buckles. I know I could just get the cover modified, but the cost of the crane for take down / put up is only a little higher than the cost to shrink-wrap.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,491
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
We had to haul out early (October) due to the low lake level and the reach of our crane. The prediction for next season doesn't look good either. I picked a good time to strip the bottom paint and start anew. When Bella wakes up she'll have a nice new bottom.
 
Mar 6, 2008
333
Catalina 310 Scott Creek, VA
on the Chesapeake, we stay in the water mast up year round. Where/how are your mast wiring connections made up? I will need to unstep and replace the VHF cable one of these years.
 
Dec 16, 2011
260
Catalina 310 Atlantic Highlands
Where/how are your mast wiring connections made up? I will need to unstep and replace the VHF cable one of these years.
In my limited experience, I've found that this depends on the boat. For mine, the connections are in the base of the mast. So when we take the mast down (or put it up) the crane has to hold the mast about a foot over the deck while I deal with the connections. I only have three--the VHF, the TV Antenna (which I've actually taken off the top of the mast, but I left the cable), and a multi-prong connector for the 3 lights on the mast (the masthead light, steaming light, and a deck light that doesn't work anymore). For another guy in our club, however, his connections were inside the compression post. When he took his mast down last year he had all kinds of trouble trying to pull the cables out of the post to get to the connections. So I think it just depends on the boat.
 
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Likes: Tom J
Oct 3, 2011
835
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
Curt, the boat looks nice and clean and my wife is envious of the cover, ours only goes to the deck top, hence we shrink wrap her to keep her dry and warm all winter, We hauled out end of September as the weather gets really ugly on the Great Lakes and by the time we get everything out and her winterized it is mid November. We look forward to the winter off for travel etc-This year went up the Mississippi on Viking-Great Trip. But we also look forward to splashing her again in March!
 
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Likes: SawyerCurt
May 2, 2012
276
Catalina 310 Toronto, Ontario
I got some feed back about this very subject: Interesting read.