Winter Storage - Is a tarp a good idea if done right??

[damoses1]

I hate to have to think about it, but winter creeps up awful fast here in Michigan, and I am forcing myself to consider winter storage options.

I plan to store my Cal-29 outside with the mast up, but shrink-wrapping will cost about $550 to do for the season. Yikes! I was thinking of purchasing some tarps and building a simple frame to keep the sun, wind, rain, and snow off the boat during the winter months.

The boat is by no means a gem, and I am willing to cut a few corners if I can get by that way. I'm interested in your input.

Is this a good idea? Should I pay extra to drop the mast and store it inside? Should I suck it up and get the darn thing shrink-wrapped each winter? Should I drop $1200-1800 on a custom boat cover? What do you all do with your boats for the winter?? If you have pictures, PLEASE SHARE!

 

[David in Sandusky]

Mast up, no cover!

Previous discussions have identified no issues with leaving a mast up through the winter with normally tuned rigging.

Ice snow, rain and wind have no impact on fiberglass. The UV in sunlight is a different matter - it does oxidize the gelcoat and weaken the surface. But sunlight is at a minimum through the winter, and the snow and ice protect the fiberglass they cover from the sun.

That leaves the wood. We remove the five largest peices of teak, and replace them with pine "winter wood." This lets us revarnish them through the winter, and replace them each spring.

I'll be interested in the other responses you get!

 

[tommays]

I can only speak for the NY ice and snow BUT the freeze /thaw/ freeze is harsh on a boat

Boats that are poorly covered fill with snow that sort of melts into a big block of ice


The only downside of tarps is if you don't do a tight fit the wind flutter can dammage the boats topside finish

 

[nightowle]

I agree with the wind flutter affect using vinyl type tarps. It left some strange white lines across my blue sunbrella mainsail cover that doesn't wash out. So be careful and inspect the boat during the winter season if you can.

 

[Dalliance]

In Michigan, as here in Chicago, it is definately worth it to cover the boat through the winter. Snow and ice build up can do significant damage and covering the boat for five or six months reduces UV damage to wood, deck and topsides.
I've been having Dalliance shrink wrapped every winter; $500 for mast down, $600 mast up. Works for me right now timewise and budgetwise, and I think it's way better than I personally can do with a tarp.
I've considered the custom cover route too. If they last as long as claimed, they are more economical in the long run, but they are made for either mast up storage or mast down, not both, so you have to chose one or the other and stick with it. Kind of reduces your flexibility.
I helped the previous owner cover the boat a few times with a huge, and very heavy tarp. He stored with the mast down over saw-horses on the deck, so it acted as a ridge beam, and he attached bent PVC tubes over the mast and down to the stanchions and toerails. It made a pretty effective tent and was definately the least expensive solution, but it was a lot of work to do it right. If you don't do it right, you get a tarp flapping in the wind and potentially doing more harm than good.

 

[sinnettc]

It works for me here in rainy Oregon. I use the mast as the ridge pole and have a pvc frame that goes in the cockpit to keep the sides from filling with water/snow. I do leave the back open, which lets in some leaves, but also lets me mount my solar panel on the mast crutch to keep the battery topped of and I can have lights/power when I need to do minor maintenance over the winter.

So far I've gotten 2 winters out of this $60 tarp and it looks to be good for at least one more. I did tie it off to the trailer last year instead of the blocks so I could tow it the 1/2 mile to the house if I need to do something that requires 110 instead of 12v power.

I have given some thought to wrapping the ends of the mast in a tarp or saran wrap or something.

 

[olsalt]

Last winter I had mine in a barn AND covered by tarps because of the resident pigeon problems...

Even though we get about a hundred feet of snow, this winter she'll be stored at the house, outside iin the side yard under tarps. I'd rather have her close by just to keep an eye on her, and its always easier to maintain when nearby.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Winter storage..what to do?

The first picture is interesting where you see part of my cover, a custom cover on the Bene, and a bunch with no covers. Then another where my boat was covered just to the toerail. I use drain pipe as part of the spine. And a third picture where, one winter, I covered over the stanchions.

My two concerns are water freezing in the portlights and the cockpit full of water, then ice. If you can use the mast for the "tent" that is ideal.

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Although NJ is not as tough as even NY State it can still be harsh due to more frequent freeze/thaw/freeze cycles, But I still use a tarp as well. The ordinary vinyl tarps can be shredded by high winds even when new. I used a two-sided one like Sinnitec has for 4 seasons(the last one turning into a full year). I am having trouble finding the same type to replace it though and fall is approaching. Do you remember which type of store you picked your's up in Sinnitec? My boat's only a 21 but that still means a 22X15 or equivalent... So far none large enough in Home Depot..
I also wrap the mast ends in contractor bags to protect the roller furler and the exposed halyards(too lazy to take them off and figure out the right running direction in the spring) from the damp/freeze damages.

 

[RonRelyea]

Poor Man's Custom Cover

I used a tarp last year with great success ... Upstate NY ... ice and snow and winds ... I guess the key is to have a good enough peak to shed the heavy stuff.

I went to the "custom cover" producer's web site and copied their design for the frame. 3/4 inch emt pipe I bent myself (pretty easy to do ... go to Home depot and pay $30 for a pipe bender)... used connectors from www.framemakerclamps.com (I've no association with these folks). Got the tarp online too ... rubber crutch tips where it hits the deck .. cheap 1x2 wood strapping and nylon reinforced 1" tape ...

Tarp survived well over a rough winter ... probably good for another couple - three years at least ...

It helped me that I have an unstayed mast .. no shrouds to contend with .. you'd just have to cut some slits and use gorilla tape to seal ....

 

[kendall]

I've considered the custom cover route too. If they last as long as claimed, they are more economical in the long run, but they are made for either mast up storage or mast down, not both, so you have to chose one or the other and stick with it. Kind of reduces your flexibility.

But if you go with a mast up version, you can build a stub 'mast and boom' from wood or tubing and use it as support instead of the real mast/boom.

For winter storage, I'm most concerned with snow/ice buildup in the cockpit area, so I'm pretty happy with a boom tent arrangement, though have also used the mast as a ridge and tented the whole boat. When I use just the boom tent I sweep the deck after every snow to keep ice buildup down, and throw an electric heater in it when freezing rain is expected. (I do keep the boat home for winter, so it's just a matter of walking out the door)

Loose and flopping in the wind is a bad thing, as are pockets caused by sags, they'll trash the covering and sometimes break the framework.

 

[Scott B]

Tarps work for 2-3 years, sometimes more. Custom covers, more expensive but last 10 + years. Shrinkwrap is easier for you, but after 2-3 years equals the cost of a custom cover.

I've tarped mine with mast up for 4 years with great success. 90% of the boats in our marine store mast up. Only issues I've seen is a boat leaned over due to a crappy cradle that broke.

Buy a heavier tarp, hay bale tarps from an agricultural hardware type store. I use a 2x4 as a ridge pole, tied off to the cleats and mast. Make sure it's high enough and tight enough to shed the snow.

 

[Maine Sail]

Definitely cover it if you get snow. Interior condensation can become a major problem as can the freeze that when it gets into nooks, crannies and under deck fittings or into scuppers.

32F snow sitting on a deck stays at 32F all day so the interior side of the deck is at 32F. When the sun hits the hull/topsides it can raise inside temps to 50F+ and when this happens the underside of the deck can literally begin to rain inside the boat if there is any humidity in the air or moisture in the bilge. Saw a 38 foot Ericson left uncovered in Southern Maine for ONE winter with a literally destroyed interior. Headliner got so wet from condensation that the weight of water in the foam collapsed it in places.

If you store mast up you need to take water in the bilge into consideration as well as lower swages on the rigging absorbing moisture and eventually cracking. None of my rigger friends have seen upper swages fail due to cracking only failures due to swage defects. On the other hand some of them have seen piles of cracked lower swages. If you use mechanical fittings on your rigging I see no detriment to mast up if you are deck stepped and can keep a dry bilge. It is a good idea to replace halyards though with sacrificial runners so they don't suffer wind chafe and element exposure any longer than they have to.

If done right a standard tarp can work fine but if done wrong..

If you have a painted hull you would be best to not use a home made cover as they can ruin a paint job in short order if not terminated above the painted topsides.

P.S. Rule #1 in snow load areas is pitch, pitch & more pitch!!! Low pitch low snow shedding...

 

[Richard Bryer]

I have stored under tarps for the past 8 winters- well more or less "under" the first couple when I was experimenting with frames. I tried 1" pvc conduit bent in hoops with length ways runes of the same stuff taped on- that blew down. Next was 1.5 with elbows and fitted over the stanchions. That collapsed under a heavy wet snow and bent a stanchion. I then went to a frame built with 1X3 lumber with A frame shaped supports , uprights resting on the cabin top and a ridge pole. That has worked fine for 6 years, I marked where each piece fits the ridgepole and numbered each piece. Goes together with screws. I have 2 tarps- one a 20X30 and one a 15X30. They overlap just over the hatch. They are a heaver fabric- not the light weight blue ones. The secret seems to be to get them wide enough to hang well over the toe rails and make sure they are nice and tight. take the stanchions out and lay them on the deck with the lifelines still thru them.
I used the bigger tarp for 6 years and I am still using the smaller original. I patch each year with duct tape on a warm day so it sticks.
My cost per year works out to about 35$ including the duct tape.

The boat is nice and dry each spring, there is enough wind circulation under the tarp to keep things from getting damp. I even started leaving the cushions on board. I certainly think the freezing and thawing that happens over the course of the winter is VERY hard on an older boat.

 

[higgs]

I have stored with mast up using tarps in many a WI winter. I did spend a lot of time slicing the tarp to fit around rigging and mast. using duct tape to hold it all together. It workede for a dozen years with few problems. My boat in WI was somewhat sheltered from wind. Out here in NY on L Ontario, I am on the lakefront and the wind will raise hell with a blue tarp. One Suggestion is to use snow fences draped over the tarp job to help hold it in a blow.

 

[dscribner]

Wow, a lot of input! I made a PVC frame that ties to the toe rail and stands about 24" high, to get over the life lines. Then, I have PVC bowed over the stored mast. The final piece is a compulsory blue "Marden's" tarp that I have tailored to fit the rails and the boat. It looks better to the neighbors and allows me access for winter repairs. Also, tailored like this, it's less likely to be caught by a Nor'eastah.

 

[Ed Schenck]

re. Winter Storage - what about halyards?

Do you folks put away your running rigging for the winter? My boat has five halyards. Some winters I took them all home. Most winters I simply pulled them into the mast and covered them at the bottom. Either way the key is to use really good messenger lines. Too many times I have seen lines rot through the winter. Having to run a halyard without a messenger can really screw up your spring launch.

 

[Bill1565]

In the bad old days whenever I put a boat away, I just looped the halyards over the spreaders, around the shrouds so they didn't bang on the mast all winter and keep the other boats awake.

I don't climb masts, so I change halyards at the first sign of wear, but they seemed to last longer in northen latitudes and fresh water. A few summers here in the tropics and new dacron halyards and sheets look awful even tho they are rinsed by 60 inches of rain. Amsteel dyneema looks the same (backstay tackle on my S-2 7.9). Don't know yet if it retains all that strength

 

[DougM]

Its a no brainer if you store outdoors. A good custom tarp will last several years with proper care. Its cheaper and environmentally more responsible than shrink wrapping.

My tarp is a full tent secured below the stanchions. The boom is the ridge pole supported by a wood A-frame. The ridge from the front of the mast to the tip of the bow is a 2x 6.

The tarp is secured around each stanchion and to the cradle. This year will be year 5.

I usually replace the halyards withh messenger lines, and put them back in the Spring.

We do get a lot of wind and snow here too.

 

[Prime Time]

Simple System

On my old Mirage 27, I used tarps very successfully. I removed the stanchions to increase the pitch and limit chafe.

I built a very simple frame. I bought saw horse kits and built one to go on the foredeck and over the main cabin. I would remove the boom. I Built a third support that sat on the cockpit floor, basically a high saw horse. I placed the saw horses so they were aligned to the middle of the boat. I put together 1 x 4s as a ridge pole. I taped the ridge pole to the forestay, the mast, the backstay and the saw horses. I covered the corners with old carpet. I used 2 tarps, and connected them around the mast with tarp connectors I bought from Lowes.

It worked very well.