Speaking of warmer weather...

[Phil Herring]

We were having a discussion here (read: argument) about when "commissioning" takes place in various parts of the world.When do you either (a) put your boat back in the water, or (2) start thinking about prepping the boat for the sailing season?Help a guy salvage his honor here.

 

[Ross]

When the spring night time temperatures

will allow paint to cure properly then it is time to get to work. My boat goes into the water as soon as the spring work is done. Water tanks and fresh water system is dealt with as soon as there is no danger of a late freeze. The engine is commissioned at that time.

 

[Tsehum Pete]

Happier Times

Boat Location : Sidney area, Vancouver Island (I live in Calgary)Decommissioning Date : Remembrance Weekend (Canada) November 12 each yearCommissioning Date : February 15Prepping thoughts : All year roundPeter

 

[Tom H]

Never stops

No freeze issues here. I am waiting for normal tides to return. If I can get out I can't get back. 4 more weeks and the fronts will allow some water to return for more that a day or two.

 

[David10790]

Splash in late April

Our yacht club in Toronto harbour is iced-in until about the second or third week of March. We can get out to work on boats once the ice is gone, and the first boat goes in the water usually around April 15 to 20. The water temp at that point is about 3C/37F, so there is little enthusiasm for getting wet.

 

[novelman17128]

speaking of warmer weather

Here in Long Beach and all other Southern California locations, I do the following with my trailered, 22' Venture. Leave on trailer at my house part of year (to clean, polish, modify and repair). Put into month-by-month slip in Long Beach from January to April. Keep on-the-hard with mast up May-August in Ventura or Marina Del Rey. September and part of October are when the Santa Anna winds with 25-40 knot breezes and 5-25 foot seas can occur.Novelman

 

[r.w.landau]

50 degree temps day temps, Prep

starts on the exterior. Interior should be completed prior to 50 degree days.The boat is tarped so that rebedding can be done from known problems the year before. All electric and plumbing issues are addressed prior to 50 degree days.I was going to do some new plumbing like pressurized water system and moving a battery to the port side last weekend. The snow drift hindered me from obtaining access to the boat.If the boat was in the driveway, it would have heat from friday night to sunday afternoon. Boat stuff would get done and I would sleep on the boat. I don't sleep at home, but I sleep like a baby in the boat. My wife knows where to find me and she often climbs the ladder just to be on the boat. However this year we have two daughters that we thought were gone came back to do their masters. The wife said no boat in the driveway this year.....Come 50 degrees, the bottom is prepped and the topside polished. I remove everything from the mast for the winter, so I start reinstalling the haylards, shrouds, life lines and some of the other outside stuff.Splash day is April 15th.Phil, your a slug! get started! Oh never mind, the reason we are sailors is because it is the journey that matters, not the getting there. We do quite well once we get there!Oh, did I mention that November and December is when I do all the canvas/sail work, line splices, etc. because I can't work on anything else....Phil, best to you and your family!r.w.landau

 

[Don]

late-March on

As soon as a few 50 degree days come along, I'll get the hull waxed and bottom painted. Splash will be ASAP after the painting. Last year, was in by March 20. Hope to be in by mid-April this year as I'll be living on the boat until late June. Then, Sailing "Bay Breeze" down to her new home of New Bern, NC.

 

[duality]

april 15

in chicago, the harbors unofficially open april 15, (officially may 1 (up from may 15 in previous years to accomodate an 8% increase)). i will try to get in early since most of my projects are on the deck and below this year.mike

 

[Calif. Ted]

Every 3 years I get it hauled and painted

in December (just did it)takes about a week. Then I get it waxed in January & June. Unless there is a real storm coming thru winter's as good as summer, just cooler. So, I guess the So. Calif. answer is every 3 years or however long the paint lasts.

 

[RAD]

March 24th

Is my splash date,hull is waxed and the bottom ready for a coat of paint.I covered the boat this year and removed all stantions and rebedded them plus I'm working on a traveler system so working thru the this winter has been a pleasure with the balmy temps up till a couple weeks ago.I'm sure I'll get some warm days before launch day to get the whole boat cleaned up cause every time I climb up under the tarp I drag dirt and mud from the yard and there's no water to hose it off.

 

[Mike]

We never come out

We never come out and winter over in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We spend the warmer weekends aboard keeping many of the local resturants and bars in business. Come late March we'll start to wash and wax and my mid April return to our summer marina at the northern end of Cheasapeake Bay.

 

[Roger (Ninette Manitoba)]

mid Canada near the 49th parallel

Projects go on all winter as long as the work can be brought home and done inside. (Yesterday I repaired some sailing gloves. In December I repaired the sailcover) As for spring boatwork around here, (southern Manitoba) daytime temps allow outside work as early as April 14th last year with ice off the harbour a week later, and boats in within days after.

 

[tom]

Went Sailing Last Saturday

Wheeler lake northern alabama. It was cold(40 something)but even worse the wind was fickle. It would blow enough to get moving well for 5 minutes then stop. We sat for a while eating hot soup from the galley. Even not sailing was nice because there were so many birds flying and swimming around the boat. Most of the birds will be heading back north soon. When the water warms up enough I'll dive to check the hull and probably haul out for a week to paint the bottom. My boat hasn't been out of the water since December 2005 and then for about a week for a bottom job consisting of a pressure wash, light sanding and rolling on two coats of antifouling paint. There are a few boats hauled out but most are in the water year round. A good thing about being in the water is that the water doesn't freeze here. Lower 50s or upper 40's is about as cold as the water gets. But the air temperature got down to 24 last week. Today the air temperature was 66 driving home from work.

 

[Paul]

May

In May, sometime after Mother's Day weekend, but ideally well before Memorial Day. A huge Lake Michigan storm with NE-ly gale force winds on Mothers Day Saturday many years ago is what set the mark for me. So sometime after that.

 

[caguy]

While you wait for spring check this guy out.

This guy is hardcore.

 

[Steve O.]

Mid-May

State marinas are officially open from May 15 until Oct. 15. If the weather cooperates in April, the work starts, but MI is not known as the "sunshine state".

 

[newsailor06]

Always ready

Our boat is always in the water. We don't have a trailer, but the water doesn't freeze here either. The boat will come out this fall after sailing season for a bottom job. That will take about 6 months, then it's back in. I will say, that I start thinking about sailing when the temperature reaches 60 or above. In my younger days I used to prove my toughness by camping out in the rockies when it was down as low as -34. Now I am not ashamed to say I like to sail when it is warm and I can get some sun. So sue me. ;-)

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persistence]

Early March

I am out this year and will get back in early March. Need some decent weather between now and then to paint the bottom. If it comes, then first opportunity after March 1, we are back in.We either winterize or come out (every two years) around December 1, but this year could have sailed all of December due to extremely warm weather.

 

[Doug_Meyer]

Short Season

We really cannot launch much before the middle of May. Too cold before that to even consider bottom painting unless we get a lucky few days of early warm weather.Even though there is some really great sailing weather in October, many of us opt to haul out not later than mid September. Lake Michigan weather gets really fickle. There are some windy days that really get our marina rocking and rolling, and if there aren't fellow boaters around to check on mooring lines, some serious damage can be done. I've seem 5/8" dock lines chafed almost completely through in an afternoon.Another factor is that insurance policies will sometimes dictate a latest possible haulout date like November 1st for example.