I was having a discussion with others in our marina, and debating the pros and cons of covering a boat in winter.
I am talking a winter where the water stays solid, and air temps can hit -30.. not a mamby pamby winter where the tough guys like @LeslieTroyer and @jssailem make the rest of us look bad by going sailing in the PNW in winter
The 99% of the 50+ boats in our marina are stored mast up.
The vast majority do not have winter covers of any kind. Maybe 5 or 6 boats have some type of cover over at least part of the boat.
Most of the older coots.. err experienced people... in my marina... say that a winter cover is really pointless for a fiberglass boat here.
They had used them before... tarp covers can rip and then beat the boat to crap, can trap moisture in the boat if not done correctly etc.
They don't bother with a cover now.
For my Catalina 22, I had started to make a cover...haven't finished it (yet).. so it has been uncovered every winter I have owned her.
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With our "new" boat, I am thinking my options.
Instead of covering the whole boat, I am considering the following (or a combination thereof):
My concerns are...
So...Sailors who live in frozen lands... What say you ?
I am talking a winter where the water stays solid, and air temps can hit -30.. not a mamby pamby winter where the tough guys like @LeslieTroyer and @jssailem make the rest of us look bad by going sailing in the PNW in winter
The 99% of the 50+ boats in our marina are stored mast up.
The vast majority do not have winter covers of any kind. Maybe 5 or 6 boats have some type of cover over at least part of the boat.
Most of the older coots.. err experienced people... in my marina... say that a winter cover is really pointless for a fiberglass boat here.
They had used them before... tarp covers can rip and then beat the boat to crap, can trap moisture in the boat if not done correctly etc.
They don't bother with a cover now.
For my Catalina 22, I had started to make a cover...haven't finished it (yet).. so it has been uncovered every winter I have owned her.
-------------
With our "new" boat, I am thinking my options.
Instead of covering the whole boat, I am considering the following (or a combination thereof):
- use a 12mil, poly tarp over the cockpit, supported by the boom (or mast if down). Tied to the toerail with a gap between it and the deck. (old coots say: bad)
- Tarp the binnacle/steering to help protect it and the compass, from moisture and sun. (some olds coots say: good)
- leave the sunbrella covers on the winches (old coots say: bad)
- simply leaving the sunbrella cover on the compass, and leaving the binnacle uncovered.
- some type of cover for the engine controls which are located on the side of the cockpit.
My concerns are...
- I suspect that leaving the winches covered in sunbrella, would be trapping moisture in the winches in a misguided attempt to help protect them
- tarping the steering binnacle, and the attempt to prevent any additional sun damage to the compass, may also just trap moisture and be pointless.
- A tarp will likely do little to prevent snow in the cockpit if it isn't wide enough to go over toerail, but one that goes over the toerail will trap moisture and likely be a worse idea.
So...Sailors who live in frozen lands... What say you ?