winter cover

[empet]

Hi - newbie here - not only first macgregor, but also first boat - thank you all - what a helpful, supportive community - hope you'll see me through this trying phase.....

My question: What do you do for winter cover/protection in outside storage in the cold and icy North-East US?

Thanks

[Divecoz]

empet, I am just outside Chicago. WE get cold and we get snow and we get ice and then thaw and freeze again. I learned after the first year, to just winterize and close her up. She does just fine, IF . . .you cover her it has to be in such a way that NO. . . ZERO water or snow will build up in a valley on the tarp / cover. You could bend your mast and or just about anything and everything else, conditions being right/wrong
Snow sleet rain and surly not the winter sun, is not going hurt a thing.
Besides she easier to get into and out of just the way she sits . well should you as 99.9% of us find yourself wanting to make a few mods during the non-sailing season.

[pokerrick1]

My question: What do you do for winter cover/protection in outside storage in the cold and icy North-East US?

Move West young man; Move West

Rick

[empet]

ok - thanks - both - great suggestions - thks

[atzserv]

Last winter was my first and I also had the concern. The marina wanted 500 or more to seal it in the shrink plastic. I looked around the marina and saw well over half had no covering at all so I opted to do the same. Boat looked just like new in the spring when I began doing mods and put it in the water.

[albion]

Welcome to the club EMPET, when I bought my boat last year from Bill at B4S.He told me he gets a few requests every year for new masts from guys who had covered their MACs. He said they had bent or broken masts.I leave mine out all winter with high winds and lots of lake effect snow.

[marc ducharme]

I have had my Mac since 04 and have covered it over with a tarp for the winter and I have a brace in place on top of the cabin to support the center of the mast in case of heavy snow fall. I will also shovel out the valley, s of ice and snow as needed. Everything else survives our winter just fine. For this neck of woods we range from minus 35 F to rain in february, we get a little bit of evrything

sailing ya gota love it

[empet]

Thank you all - you just saved me $380 for the shrink wrapping job - which I now can spend on the great mods on these pages... ...

[John McDonough]

As of monday night I need a new tarp. 45 mph gusts destroyed my 7 year old tarp.

I cover my Mac 26x, motor and trailor to keep the dirt, snow & ice out. (bird crap too)I have to lower the mast onto the hatch, so I can get about 16` of boat under my open deck area. I add a support under the mast where the mast step is located to prevent bending from Heavy snow or Ice. I use 1/2" PVc plastic conduit to build a tent frame. Glue 20` together and it droops over the mast perfect. Tie wired to trailor so it doesnt move. 4 supports so you need about 80` of plastic pipe.

I buy a 30` x 20` cheap blue utlity tarp. The trick is to get it tight so it does not allow water or ice to puddle and keep it from flapping. These cheap tarps will shread in short time if you let it flap excessifly.

Our Pet Cat is outside a lot in the winter. I keep a cushion in the fuel locker area. Good excuse to cover the whole boat.

[waternwaves]

John,

I am impressed....I have never got more than 2 winter seasons out of one of the reinforced blue poly tarps...

I pretty much used just the thicker silver ones.

I am trying to leave it ready for trailering this winter....(yeah sure I will, especially since half the wiring is torn out at this time....) but at this home, I dont have any better place to store the furled genny than on the mast.

But I hate tripping over the frame all winter when I service the boat. how long is your frame lasting. My other boats frame cover frames exposed to 80 to 100 mph winds never lasted more than a season or two.

[John McDonough]

W.W.

Keeping the tarp from flapping is the key to long term. Stretched tight.
I also keep the boat under my deck. Thats 16`, so only the Front 10` stick out. PVC framing is 7years old. In 2000 I simply glued 1/2 " plastic conduit together and bent it over the mast. One support at the rear, tied off to the top end of mast, and bottom secured to ground at transom, second support over cabin entrance bottom secured to trailor, third support over mast step, 4th support over front hatch.

[NiceAft]

Here in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, I don't get the severe weather that John gets in Pittsburgh. I use a heavy duty silver colored tarp (20x30). I keep it taut by placing large Styrofoam blocks in the appropriate places on the deck of my M.

Ray

[pokerrick1]

I keep two 2006 Mac Trailers covered on my property all winter. Both boats are in the water, and I have room for my slip neighbors trailer so I keep it for him - - - we both rarely use the trailer. I put them side by side and cover them TIGHTLY with a 30 x 50 tarp (blue) that reaches the ground on all sides ($79 at Harbor Freight Tools) and gets anchored down securely. The tarp is our only storage expense; but it looks like we will be replacing it every year. I'll settle - - - $40 each per YEAR for trailer storage - - - not bad.

We get A LOT of snow and even more wind up here at home at 6,100 feet; so the tarp really takes a beating.

Rick

[Catigale]

Empet - greetings from Albany - 90 nminute North of you of course.

I have 4 seasons on a cheap blue tarp that I use to cover Catigale each winter - the trick is to secure it to prevent chafe/flapping damage.

I use 3/4 inch PS pipe bent in U shapes to frame the tarp over the boat.

Tie down tarp with bungees and/or line.

After a heavy snow fall I check the tarp for snow load and dump it off if I get a lot stuck on.

I jack it up and take the wheels off to preserve tires (also a theft deterrent but not an issue in my area)

[Andy26M]

In the past I have built a wooden framework to securely support a tarp and it has worked very well - search this topic for more discussion and pictures. This year, however, I found a guy less than a mile from my house who has a big barn and was willing to let me put my boat in there for less than 50 bucks a month - it's definitely the lazy way to go, but also much better protection

- Andy