On the Hard - or not?

[Warren Milberg]

I recently posted a pic of a friend's boat that had been frozen into its slip -- until he turned his bubbler on. He knows, and accepts the risks, that he'll lose electricity if an ice storm hits his marina. I'd be curious to know how many of you, who keep a boat in areas of the country that freeze, keep your boat in the water over the winter, or haul out?

In my particular case, it is much less expensive (read on...) to keep my boat in the water over the winter than to have it hauled and blocked. But it is only less expensive if I have no damage by leaving it in the water. I realize that many boats can suffer through a harsh winter in the water, with or without a bubbler. Yet the one winter I did keep a boat in the water, it turned out badly -- for me and the boat. It snowed quite a bit that year and I tried to get to the boat to make sure all was well. Getting into the marina and then down the snow/ice covered docks, was a challenge. I slipped and fell, hurting my hip. When I got to my slip, the docklines had frozen solid, and the boat was frozen solid in the middle of the slip. If I could have gotten onto the boat, I would not have been able to either move it or to remove the ice and snow. I went home, poured myself a Capt Morgan Spiced Rum, and worried about it. Some weeks later, when Mother Nature eased up a bit, I went back. The boat was now free of the ice with about a 3-inch clearance around the waterline. Everytime the boat moved, it chaffed against the ice at the waterline. In the spring, when I did a short haul to bottom paint, I had "dock rash" (or rather "ice rash") and small gouges all around the waterline that required a lot of filling, fairing, wet sanding, and eventually painting, to restore. I have never left my boat in the water since.

What do you do -- and why?

 

[Tim R.]

On the hard. I need some down time to do projects. If I need to sail that bad...OPB!

 

[Mike B]

Warren, normally we leave it in the water year round. We wintered over at Inner Harbor East for 6 years and never had a problem. We use the boat as our winter condo and would visit almost every weekend unless the weather was too nasty. IHE has bubblers and round the clock security so no issues with the boat being frozen in place.
Mike

 

[Mike B]

I forgot to mention that they also shovel the snow from the docks and keep the walkways salted and well taken care of. There are a couple of live aboards we know that also help keep things proper during the winter.
Mike

 

[letterman]

Ran into a guy at the Cleveland Boat Show. Said there are 7 liveaboaards in the water, 4 with bubblers. Our questions were many but mostly "What happens?" He said the boats do not suffer, bubblers waste electricity, the most ice they had was 11 inches. This was in Huron Harbor, ans you KNOW where I will be going this weekend.
We still have 10+ inches of snow on the ground in these here parts.
Damn, cannot believe people live on boats up here in iced waters. I know they use to do that up the Cuyahoga where the steel mills kept the water warm enough to not freeze in all but the coldest winters...but the Huron? Push me over with a feather.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Warren...

in the early 70's my partner and I elected to keep a 26 footer in the water over the winter off the Patapsco as an economy measure. We happened to pick the wrong year--the year the Bay froze solid shore to shore. The boat was locked in the ice much as you described it. In the spring when it was hauled for bottom painting we found the same waterline "rash" as you did. I've never kept a boat in the water over the winter ever since.

PS: Interesting Sail letter...

 

[Sanfelice]

Insurance

I keep my boat in a bubbled slip and pull out every 3 years to do the bottom and other work. A note of caution, I had insured years ago through State Farm and had a trailer sailor. When I got my keel boat the first winter I called my Insurance agent and asked him if my boat would be covered if I left it in the water. He said yes. Good, please send me a letter stating it was covered. He knew it was because he kept his boat. Fine send me a letter. He decided to call a State Farm adjuster and he was told that it would not be covered under any circumstances. I now have have Boat U.S. and carry a rider for $20. It states the boat must be bubbled in order to be covered. I am not so much worried about ice damage since it doesn't move around on my lake but having a thru hull or packing gland freeze and crack would concern me more. My guess is that most boats left in the water ar not covered for freezing.

 

[ITMaster]

I have done both Warren. I prefer to keep it in the water through the winter, but we don't usually freeze up. There is ice on the water right now as I type this, yet at the marina, I have a spillway from a fresh water lake immediately up stream of the marina and it is rare that water doesn't flow out of the spillway. This constant flow of water prevents the ice from accumulating around the marina. I go to the boat at least one time a day, more generally twice daily. Less than a 5 minute walk from the house. We keep everything going all winter, start the engine daily, keep the heaters on and go out on the nice days. We don't get that cold down here. If I keep it on the hard, it is about a 40 to 45 minute drive, I get to pay a toll, there is a lot of traffic, I am subjected to vandalisim, the birds defecate all over the boat and leave about a 4 to 6 hour mess to clean up, everything has to be shut down and winterized, I have to recommission it in the spring time and that usually brings some kind of a problem that has to be fixed or replaced. I prefer to be close to the boat and to be on top of all the systems and keeping them going all the time. It's a personal preference for me though. I had one dusting last year, so far nothing this year, and not much more year before last or the year before that one either.

 

[catsailor]

I've been in for 17 years (Annapolis, MD). I use a bubbler some years, but not others.

The only damage I ever got in the winter was when they botched the blocking and a heavy snow load caused dents.

Yes, you do need to check for 12-month navigation and all conditions.

 

[Manny]

This is the first year I left mine in the water...

But when we bought the boat it hadn't been out of the water in 5 years! It was on the Delaware River about 10 miles above Philly. I never found evidence of ice rash.
I've been going down once a week to check on it and so far so good. Last weekend the marina was frozen. The have compressed air bubblers on the piers and the boat to the port side of me had an electric bubbler under its bow. What I found was that the port side of my boat was pretty ice free except near the stern, but the starboard side was iced in. After climbing on board I found that it was disconcerting to have the boat banging into the ice when a gust came by. I was thinking it would probably better if the boat was totally iced instead of partially so it wouldn't move...

Manny

 

[Ron20324]

Manny, as the ice freezes in and as if thaws, there will be enough movement to do some wear and tear on the boat. I wonder if your slip-neighbor with the bubbler might put it in a better position to bounce waves off the bulkhead (if there is one) or to create more of a wake for the benefit of both of you? My marina's bubblers can cast a 30-foot radius on open water.

 

[richk]

Warren

I keep my boat just north of you, off the Magothy. I alternate winters in the water; one year on the hard, next year in the water. Mainly to save costs. Trouble with out of the water is I can't use the boat. Trouble with in the water is worrying about ice...for two reasons
1. Our piers are getting older and rickety. It can be risky getting aboard from a shaky, ice covered finger pier.
2. I can't get out and sail from the creek if the ice's too thick.
Some of my friends do a short haul in mid-summer, for bottom work and other such repairs. That really makes sense for $$ reasons. However, I do prefer having the boat for an extended period out of the water, like now. It's just more comfortable knowing I can do those otherwise underwater repairs at my leisure, assuming it's not too cold. Mother nature again.
Rich

 

[BobM]

Thanks for asking the question Warren and for all the input guys. I had been toying with this idea myself thinking that I could perhaps save $1000 every other year, but the potential for the worst case occuring (bubbler failure followed by freeze up) is always there.

For example, I have been raking my roof religiously...raking and praying a lot ;-) ...but was defeated by a glaze of ice 1-2 inches thick I couldn't rake off (we had freezing rain). I raked two separate 8 and 6 inch storms off after the ice, but still got water coming in through the cathedral ceiling. A fact I realized as the car to take me to the airport was due around 8am. I called a roofer to clear the ice and $625 later (after $800 to fix my truck after my fan disintegrated Friday destroying my radiator) we were all set. So, with my luck lately I won't be playing the lottery and I am glad my boat isn't in the water. You can't hear me, but i just knocked on wood to boot as I recalled that I am going down to check on Triple Play Sunday...hope she is tight and dry under her cover!