I recently purchased a 1969 macgregor venture 21 foot and it is beyond spectacular. but one problem i have is i live in the pacific northwest and it rains.. a lot! so one of my questions is how should i store it for the winter i currently have it in a barn, but a lot of the time ill go out there and still find water in it. I have been regularly pumping it out but i was wanting a more permanent solution. Also if it will be detrimental to the health of the boat to leave it in there for more than a week or so. Thank you.
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- Thread starter Quinlan
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How much water is getting in? Does the barn have a roof????
We tarp our boat for the winter without the luxury of a barn.
Best thing is to find out how the water is getting in and fix it.
Sometimes that can be a fairly big job.
Welcome to Venture land er um ....boat.
We tarp our boat for the winter without the luxury of a barn.
Best thing is to find out how the water is getting in and fix it.
Sometimes that can be a fairly big job.
Welcome to Venture land er um ....boat.
TopCat beat me to it. Fix the boat. Then tarp it over and allow for some air flow ventilation through the boat (inside) to prevent mold etc. Ruffle up the cushions so air can circulate around them or take them off the boat. No heat as mold loves heat and stagnant air. Assuming necessary systems are winterized. Bellingham can get cold.....and what else lives in the barn that u don't know of? Is it really better to keep it in the barn? They is no real reason why the boat cant just get cold as long as all systems are accounted for and water intrusion is fixed. I think u need to know what the environment is in the barn vs outside. Just to keep critters out. Some more info on your part could also help. Good luck
And, fresh water in the boat is detrimental to the boat. There will always be small amounts but since the osmotic gradient from fresh water to fiberglass favors migration of water into the fiberglass, it is best to keep fresh water (And salt water) out of the bilge during layup. The hull should be drying out while on the hard.
We used to have a Mac 26D and I made a short brace for the middle of the mast to hold it up (factory only supported the mast on the ends and warn you to not tarp it that way because snow would bend the mast.) I never had a problem tarping it with the center support even with several feet of snow. Having said that the boat should be able to be sealed from water ingress. Look in the archives on this site if you don't know how to do that. I happen to like butyl tape.
Ken
Ken
