How many people don't cover or shrinkwrap their sailboats in the winter. For those who have left their boats au naturale, did they notice any damage or weathering? Thanks Frank
Do you cover your boat in the winter?
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boat cover
I live in the high desert of Southern California and do cover my boat with a silver tarp all year long. We get both freezing weather, snow as well as 110 degree weather in the summer. Air can circulate from openings at each end of the boat. I find that it stays much cleaner and the polish job lasts much longer. Also, no leaks to have to spongue out when I use it.
I live in the high desert of Southern California and do cover my boat with a silver tarp all year long. We get both freezing weather, snow as well as 110 degree weather in the summer. Air can circulate from openings at each end of the boat. I find that it stays much cleaner and the polish job lasts much longer. Also, no leaks to have to spongue out when I use it.
boat cover
I live in the high desert of Southern California and do cover my boat with a silver tarp all year long. We get both freezing weather, snow as well as 110 degree weather in the summer. Air can circulate from openings at each end of the boat. I find that it stays much cleaner and the polish job lasts much longer. Also, no leaks to have to spongue out when I use it.
I live in the high desert of Southern California and do cover my boat with a silver tarp all year long. We get both freezing weather, snow as well as 110 degree weather in the summer. Air can circulate from openings at each end of the boat. I find that it stays much cleaner and the polish job lasts much longer. Also, no leaks to have to spongue out when I use it.
Tough to do...
Frank - I have an older Catalina 30 - a '78, and it’s difficult to cover her because I wet-store out on eastern Long Island. Last year I had her pulled for the winter for the first time in 3 years so I had the yard shrink wrap the boat. It cost me $550 and although things were nice and dry below, it’s a lot of money to spend on a boat that need a good paint job anyway (the gel coat is faded). Any attempts to use tarps with the mast/rigging up just do not work. Mast, rigging, hand-rails – its all in the way and the wind just gets under it. All my exterior wood has a good coat of varnish that I touch up every spring but I don’t think the weather is to blame for weathering wood…it’s the sun. I remove just about everything from the topside anyway so there is nothing exposed. I am open to ideas if anyone has a cheaper alternative to Shrink… Rob
Frank - I have an older Catalina 30 - a '78, and it’s difficult to cover her because I wet-store out on eastern Long Island. Last year I had her pulled for the winter for the first time in 3 years so I had the yard shrink wrap the boat. It cost me $550 and although things were nice and dry below, it’s a lot of money to spend on a boat that need a good paint job anyway (the gel coat is faded). Any attempts to use tarps with the mast/rigging up just do not work. Mast, rigging, hand-rails – its all in the way and the wind just gets under it. All my exterior wood has a good coat of varnish that I touch up every spring but I don’t think the weather is to blame for weathering wood…it’s the sun. I remove just about everything from the topside anyway so there is nothing exposed. I am open to ideas if anyone has a cheaper alternative to Shrink… Rob
Freeze damage
In addition to the exposure to weather, the decision to cover, which virtually everyone here in New England does, is based on freeze damage. If you have any leaks, and almost all boats do even if they are not obvious, the expansion of trapped water is something you want to avoid. We have always covered ours but some of our friends didn't and found their previously dry boats now leaked. We store in the water every other year and it's a simple matter to tie off the cover to the slotted toe rail or, in lieu of the toe rail, tie off to the stanchions and cleats.
In addition to the exposure to weather, the decision to cover, which virtually everyone here in New England does, is based on freeze damage. If you have any leaks, and almost all boats do even if they are not obvious, the expansion of trapped water is something you want to avoid. We have always covered ours but some of our friends didn't and found their previously dry boats now leaked. We store in the water every other year and it's a simple matter to tie off the cover to the slotted toe rail or, in lieu of the toe rail, tie off to the stanchions and cleats.
I do !
…I also pull the mast off my 1974 C27. Up here we get lots of snow. Consider melt water running down your stays the freezing and expanding in the ….the ….. um, the threaded things on the ends of your stays that threads into barrels or turnbuckles. That causes weakening and corrosion. As well, melt water freezing under stantion mounts and chainplates causing minor topside leaks to get worse as well as forcing moisture into core material. While you’re at it, think about the fluid motion of ice. Snow building up in the cockpit turns into ice via compression and tries to spread out as much as it can. Also, little cracks in gel-coat get ice in them as well and get much longer and numerous. I remove the stantions and have a framework that fits into the stantion mounts, then I pull a tarp over that and tie it all down. In the spring, the boat is nice and dry with no mould or mildew build ups. Remember to allow some airflow. I’ve noticed a lot of shrink-wrapped boats don’t have this and are stinky and moldy in the spring. Later, eh! Ferg
…I also pull the mast off my 1974 C27. Up here we get lots of snow. Consider melt water running down your stays the freezing and expanding in the ….the ….. um, the threaded things on the ends of your stays that threads into barrels or turnbuckles. That causes weakening and corrosion. As well, melt water freezing under stantion mounts and chainplates causing minor topside leaks to get worse as well as forcing moisture into core material. While you’re at it, think about the fluid motion of ice. Snow building up in the cockpit turns into ice via compression and tries to spread out as much as it can. Also, little cracks in gel-coat get ice in them as well and get much longer and numerous. I remove the stantions and have a framework that fits into the stantion mounts, then I pull a tarp over that and tie it all down. In the spring, the boat is nice and dry with no mould or mildew build ups. Remember to allow some airflow. I’ve noticed a lot of shrink-wrapped boats don’t have this and are stinky and moldy in the spring. Later, eh! Ferg
boat cover
I've owned my boat(1977) for 27 years, and its been covered every year since I purchased it.The masts (ketch)get pulled every year and a 3/4" conduit tube frame gets put up on the deck. Then the silver (22mills) polytarp 30' by 50' is pulled over the frame. The tarp is secured under the jack stands and tied at the bow and stern. No snow and ice can get in on the decks. Keeping the ice off the decks and drains is important. This helps from cracking the gell coat and core from delamating. The gell coat is the orginal and still has a shine to it.I get from 4 to 5 years from the tarp($100 for tarp) thats cheap per year. Here in New Jersey the snow can last some time and the temp can stay below 32 degs. The whole process takes one about one day. The first 4 hours puting up the frame then pull the cover,the boat is 35'. Hope this helps Jake in NJ
I've owned my boat(1977) for 27 years, and its been covered every year since I purchased it.The masts (ketch)get pulled every year and a 3/4" conduit tube frame gets put up on the deck. Then the silver (22mills) polytarp 30' by 50' is pulled over the frame. The tarp is secured under the jack stands and tied at the bow and stern. No snow and ice can get in on the decks. Keeping the ice off the decks and drains is important. This helps from cracking the gell coat and core from delamating. The gell coat is the orginal and still has a shine to it.I get from 4 to 5 years from the tarp($100 for tarp) thats cheap per year. Here in New Jersey the snow can last some time and the temp can stay below 32 degs. The whole process takes one about one day. The first 4 hours puting up the frame then pull the cover,the boat is 35'. Hope this helps Jake in NJ
Same theme
Thanks to all for the feedback. I've been looking around my marina and everyone seems to have variations on the same theme, keeping the deck and cockpit free of ice.
Thanks to all for the feedback. I've been looking around my marina and everyone seems to have variations on the same theme, keeping the deck and cockpit free of ice.
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