Lucky you, Brian, for sailing year round!
Of course lots of Vega owners in the near-tropics or Hawaii enjoy this
too, but I am interested in those who sail in areas that experience
subfreezing weather in winter with their boats still in the water. I am
just beginning to think that maybe next year instead of pulling my Vega
out in her home waters in downeast Maine (where she now sits on the
hard), I might sail her to a marina near my winter home north of Boston
where I could still sail comfortably into November and after March --
definitely, and perhaps through the winter as well. There are a few
sailboats nearby left in the water all year, but I haven't met any of
their owners or found any good information about protecting a boat
through the winter in freezing conditions. Can anyone help with
information sources?
I know about systems like water "bubblers" to keep ice from freezing
around the hull, but I'm more concerned now about the boat itself.
Obviously one would want to drain the water tanks, ensure there is good
antifreeze in the engine, keep the batteries charged, etc., but still
I'd worry about at least two things. First, my Vega has a Westerbeke
diesel with a heat exchanger: raw water is brought through the exchanger
system to cool the antifreeze running through the engine. It would seem
there is a danger of that raw water freezing inside the exchanger,
hoses, or pump and causing damage -- and the only way I can think to
prevent this would be to winterize the engine the same way I do on land,
which would render it inoperable until Spring.
Secondly, the boat is old, obviously (1971), and has her original
gelcoat, which has some hazing and crazing on the topsides. I keep her
well covered during the winter now, but if she were in the water it
would seem there would be myriad places where water would seep into the
gelcoat or perhaps deeper to the laminated core, or deeper around
fittings, etc. -- and that freezing and thawing all winter long would
cause disaster. Short of having the topsides completely painted with a
sealant paint and rebedding EVERY fixture and screw on the entire
topsides, I can't see any safe way to prevent damage.
What do others of you do in areas subject to freezing? Anyone keep
their boat in the water though the winter in such conditions? Thanks!
Brian Hofler wrote:
