Hello from Johnny - Testing Winter Long-Term Cruising!

[johnnyL]

Hello everyone,

My name is Johnny, and I’m new to the forum. I’m currently testing out winter long-term cruising and experimenting with my setup. To manage the colder months, I’ve been using sump pumps as bubblers to prevent ice buildup, sleeping bags laid over the deck for insulation, and 12-mil tarps for extra protection.

I’m excited to be here and looking forward to connecting with fellow enthusiasts. If you have tips for winter cruising or innovative ways to stay warm and protect your boat in freezing conditions, I’d love to hear them!



~Johnny

35-2
"Fuzzy Logic"
Duluth MN

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Welcome Johnny! You're a hardy soul!
When you say cruising, do you mean that you're moving from harbor to harbor, or are you staying in one spot all winter?
If it turns out you like this lifestyle and you're staying in one spot, you might want to learn how to shrink wrap and accumulate the frame and tools necessary (or hire someone to do it). Friends who have been live-aboards found this gave them extra living/storage space, better protection from the elements, and light. They had a door assembly as part of the frame which they reused every year. They used the translucent wrap, rather than white which gave them a good deal of greenhouse warming.

 

[johnnyL]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Shrink wrapping was definitely part of the plan, but with the mast, boom, and lines in place, tarps ended up being the easier option for now. I’ll definitely look into shrink wrapping in the future it sounds like it could make a big difference in comfort and protection. I know space is on my list for next time!

For insurance reasons, I’m not technically living aboard but doing long-term cruising locally, moving between Duluth and Bayfield. That said, I’m currently iced in, so it looks like I’ll be staying put for a bit!

Appreciate the advice and looking forward to learning more!

~Johnny

 

[Pete the Cat]

You need to keep the ice away from your hull as I guess you are doing. Even a thin coating will etch the fiberglass at the waterline and can be a mess to fix. I once had a boat for a winter on a river.

 

[johnnyL]

You need to keep the ice away from your hull as I guess you are doing. Even a thin coating will etch the fiberglass at the waterline and can be a mess to fix. I once had a boat for a winter on a river.

Good to know! I have had thin ice build up at the water line. What did you have to do to fix? I am hauling out this spring to replace all thru hulls / delete some. Is that the best time to check and treat the etching?

 

[Pete the Cat]

Good to know! I have had thin ice build up at the water line. What did you have to do to fix? I am hauling out this spring to replace all thru hulls / delete some. Is that the best time to check and treat the etching?

Generally keeping a bubbler under the boat so that the ice never forms.

 

[windblown]

Thinking ahead to a future season, you might ponder the benefits of making a canvas winter cover with a zippered entrance. The cover could go over or under the life lines, ending a few inches below the toe rail. There are waterproof or water resistant options that provide more breathability than shrink wrap. Most covers have two main pieces that unzip at the mast, so you could open up the cockpit to motor to a new location, or even take the whole thing off mid-winter and sail.
Mast, boom, and running rigging can all stay in place.

To secure the cover at the outside edges, you might use weighted bags over the side to create a taut surface for run-off (some people use this method for their boats on the hard, too.
A cover should provide more wind and moisture protection than the tarp system, since there are fewer places for a breeze to find its way between layers and create uplift and a draft.
Still, Looks like you’ve got a talent with tarps!
Here’s a quick winter cover option from Sailrite
https://www.sailrite.com/diy-winter-boat-cover
If you’re considering other canvas options down the line (like Bimini, main sail cover or stack pack, bin ale cover, dodger, sheet bags, winch covers, or cushion covers), the eventual investment in a heavy- duty sewing machine makes sense. They go on sale at Sailrite once a year, but they’re still a major investment.
If you have no interest in sewing projects in the future, never mind.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Shrink wrapping was definitely part of the plan, but with the mast, boom, and lines in place, tarps ended up being the easier option for now. I’ll definitely look into shrink wrapping in the future it sounds like it could make a big difference in comfort and protection. I know space is on my list for next time!

For insurance reasons, I’m not technically living aboard but doing long-term cruising locally, moving between Duluth and Bayfield. That said, I’m currently iced in, so it looks like I’ll be staying put for a bit!

Appreciate the advice and looking forward to learning more!

~Johnny

That's a really interesting model for winter boat life, Johnny. It looks like that trip could be as much as 100 miles by the time you go around the point and thread through the Apostle Islands. How often do you need to move the boat to satisfy insurance requirements?* Do you make the trip in one shot, or make stops? I sure wouldn't want to be out on "the Big Lake they call Gitche Gumee" at night in the winter.

A boat wintering in the water at a club here moved from a different yard after it had been shrink wrapped. They cut holes in the wrap for the driver to see and to access cleats for tie up. But I'm sure they just motored and I don't know how far they went.

I doubt you could install shrink wrap in a way that you could sail the boat. But the inveterate overthinking tinkerer in me is bandying about ways you could rig a wrap where it could be partially dismantled for a 100 mile motor transit and reinstalled at the destination. I'll ask Donna to give me a sharp rap with a 2x4 before I start doing sketches and making scale models.

@windblown - Deborah makes excellent points about the value of a canvas cover. Those make a lot of sense if you expect to have the boat for a number of years. We got one with our boat and had vinyl windows sewn into it and it's a dramatic improvement for doing work on the boat during the winter. If we lived aboard I'd install more or make these bigger.



* Is it the yard's insurance which makes the restriction, or your boat insurance? If the latter, that's odd. I'd think your boat is safer just staying put all winter. Here in New England it's fairly common for (a few hardy) folks to live-aboard through the winter. Unless you like moving about in the winter, there might be alternatives rather than building a transformer boat cover. If it's the yard's insurance, maybe you could find a place who's insurance will let you stay put. Or, if it's your insurance, maybe find a different company.

There are so many different ways we can integrate boating into our lives. It's fun learning about new ones.

Jeff

 

[johnnyL]

Thinking ahead to a future season, you might ponder the benefits of making a canvas winter cover with a zippered entrance. The cover could go over or under the life lines, ending a few inches below the toe rail. There are waterproof or water resistant options that provide more breathability than shrink wrap. Most covers have two main pieces that unzip at the mast, so you could open up the cockpit to motor to a new location, or even take the whole thing off mid-winter and sail.
Mast, boom, and running rigging can all stay in place.

To secure the cover at the outside edges, you might use weighted bags over the side to create a taut surface for run-off (some people use this method for their boats on the hard, too.
A cover should provide more wind and moisture protection than the tarp system, since there are fewer places for a breeze to find its way between layers and create uplift and a draft.
Still, Looks like you’ve got a talent with tarps!
Here’s a quick winter cover option from Sailrite
https://www.sailrite.com/diy-winter-boat-cover
If you’re considering other canvas options down the line (like Bimini, main sail cover or stack pack, bin ale cover, dodger, sheet bags, winch covers, or cushion covers), the eventual investment in a heavy- duty sewing machine makes sense. They go on sale at Sailrite once a year, but they’re still a major investment.
If you have no interest in sewing projects in the future, never mind.

Excellent idea!! I just picked up a Sailrite machine. I think this is the way to go. I love it! Thanks for the great idea!