Covering boat for the Long Winter

[RandyMoon]

I am confused.

Some folks tarp their boats and get water in the bilge. Some folks tarp their boats and stay bone dry. Some folks put heaters inside and others put fans inside.

What is the variable? That leads me to believe there are predictable conditions that can cause/prevent problems.

Or am I reading too much in this?

[jklightner]

Because the boats are in different areas, and different climates. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it will be cool, damp. ( Alright, cold / wet ) In the Southeast, probably warm and damp. The Southwest probably warm and dry. ( Did you notice I left myself an out?)You have to go with what is common in your area. There is nothing predictable about the weather.

[RandyMoon]

jklightner:

I have a good suggestion - lets sell a reality TV idea to Hollywood.... they could tape a series about two guys with sailboats who swap places.... you move to Kansas and sail the lakes here and I move to Puget Sound and think I ascended to nirvana crusing the San Juans and British Columbia.

I might pay some dollars to subsize that show.

The good news about sailing Kansas, you will not wonder if you are going to get wind. 40 knots in a MAC is common (ok I am stretching the truth.) But out here, sailors keep their sails a few feet off the water (ok I am stretching the truth again.)

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Randy...not interested in trading places with ya...sorry

But I will give you a valuable tip instead. Install a solar powered durade ventilator at the top of your cabin. Cheapest and best way to keep your boat dry and smelling good inside. Of course, it won't work if you cover it with a tarp.

[Hubert]

I live in Ontario, Canada, for the past 3 years I used one of those 10'X20" canopies from Costco,which I raised & securied by by driving pipe into the ground. I then covered the whole thing with an old swimming pool tarp. works great and I have access to the inside of the boat with lots of ventilation.
Hubert

[dlandersson]

I'm looking for specific (vs. "one over the world") Tarp and mold control recommendations for winter storage (outside).

Some of the mold control stuff at West Marine talks about control "mold odor" - which to my suspicious mind doesn't mean much.

[Russ]

Mold is caused by moisture. So get rid of that and you will have most of the problem licked.

There are many moisture absorbing product out there. I often leave one or two open on the boat over the winter.
If you have power, a simple light bulb can produce enough heat to keep moisture out.

[dlandersson]

Wish I had - would need to be a solar panel sort of thing.

Used Damp-Rid" in the past with good results, but I admit the WM "Mold odor control" BS caught my attention.

:

Mold is caused by moisture. So get rid of that and you will have most of the problem licked.

There are many moisture absorbing product out there. I often leave one or two open on the boat over the winter.
If you have power, a simple light bulb can produce enough heat to keep moisture out.

[ronacarme]

2001 X wintered in SW MI since new.
Mast down, supported in middle.
Blue tarps over mast and tied to trailer frame. Tarps last 3 years, no more. Spreaders off mast and out of contact with tarps. Front tarp (tarp1) from bow to forward cabin-top stanchions. Tarp 2 between forward and aft cabin-top stanchions. Cabin top lifelines slackened to avoid interference with tarp 2. Tarp 3 covers cockpit. Tarp 4 vertical at transom to close the rear of the resultant tarped "chamber". Tarps tied/stiched together to minimize the openings therebetween.
1st 5 watt solar panel maintains battery charged and freeze-proof.
2nd 5 watt solar panel drives bilge ventilation fan (computer type fan)in daylight. Air flow thru bilge from near transom forward to front dinette bench. Nicro 3 " solar/battery exhaust fan in forehatch cover ventilates cabin 24/7. No mold in cabin and bilge stays dry.
In-cabin lockers are closed (to allow the mentioed forced bilge ventilation). Bunk cushions are raised a bit to allow air circulation under same.
This winter, for the first time, I have no tow vehicle and marina service will store the boat with mast up...so I have to come up with a new tarping system. Suggestions very welcome.
Ron

[taime1]

I got this in an email from Practical Sailor today on two home-made mold/mildew cleaning products. I think I'll try some as I have a couple spots in the boat that have some mildew....and I'm a fan of inexpensive home-based solutions.

Here's the email:

The two homemade spray formulas we tested each cost about one penny per ounce. Like the other mildew preventers in our test, you use these as cleaners by simply spraying the product on, wiping any excess away, and leaving it on. Before applying to any fabric, test the spray on an inconspicuous sample spot.

Formula A

1 quart hot water
1 tablespoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
2 tablespoons washing soda (sodium carbonate)
2 tablespoons trisodium phosphate (TSP)

Much like Concrobium (which it is modeled after), our homemade Formula A removed the mildew from test carpet on board and kept it away, even though the area got wet again. It was also very effective in the moist-environment lab test.

Formula B

1 quart hot water
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons Borax
1 tablespoon TSP

Formula B was the second-place performer in the liquid group. It was certainly the best value. It cleaned well, prevented mildew from returning to the carpet, and greatly slowed mildew infection in the moist-environment test in the lab.

We also tried treating with plain vinegar, which reportedly works on some hard surfaces, but testers found the smell a little too overpowering. A 10-percent solution of household bleach (3-percent sodium hypochlorite) was one of the best cleaners, but this has to be used with care. Bleach will bleed or degrade many fabrics, and can harm the marine environment.

[seahouse]

Good one t'aime1!

The components of Concrobium (which is known to be effective) are known and documented, but I could never find the proportions of them anywhere before. Hopefully that will appear in the print edition of PS.

As a prophylactic measure you can safely pre-treat a surface with it before painting or staining it, but those compounds are already present in good paint. HUGE markup on that product.

Better living through chemistry-- the other components are relatively benign, but TSP can be nasty stuff.

Now I know what I will be filling the Concrobium spray bottle with when it's finished (although I don't really use that much of it).

Just made a hard copy of your post.

Thanks - Brian.

[Russ]

2nd 5 watt solar panel drives bilge ventilation fan (computer type fan)in daylight. Air flow thru bilge from near transom forward to front dinette bench. Nicro 3 " solar/battery exhaust fan in forehatch cover ventilates cabin 24/7. No mold in cabin and bilge stays dry.

Very interesting. Did you hear that Lenier?

I may have to experiment with smaller solar panels and fans. We have a bunch of those O2 fans that move a lot of air and use very little power. I bet a 5w panel would drive it. Just keeping air moving in the cabin is a huge help in preventing mildew.
Hmm...time to break out the harbor freight solar panel pages.


--Russ

[Hugh]

I went with a fitted boat cover from Sail warehouse:
http://thesailwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/web ... 6848_17429
Wasn't cheap but Cedar Wind is stored in a compound where Chinook winds can howl and I felt I couldn't get a decent taut fit with off the rack tarps. It's stored west of Calgary so there are wide temperature ranges but low humidity.
I also add mast support at the step and aft of the cabin entrance for snow. Most snow however blows east to Saskatchewan
The drawback of this is the ropes used to tie down the tarp do rub a bit on the hull. There is a drawstring around the bottom hem of the tarp that snugs up the whole deal.

Hugh

[bbenkert26x]

Move to Florida, sail year around! Then you won't have to worry about covering/winterizing, just the darn barnacles! Capt. B!!

[dlandersson]

I looked at this, but $795 will take some thinking.

I went with a fitted boat cover from Sail warehouse:
http://thesailwarehouse.com/cgi-bin/web ... 6848_17429
Wasn't cheap but Cedar Wind is stored in a compound where Chinook winds can howl and I felt I couldn't get a decent taut fit with off the rack tarps. It's stored west of Calgary so there are wide temperature ranges but low humidity.
I also add mast support at the step and aft of the cabin entrance for snow. Most snow however blows east to Saskatchewan
The drawback of this is the ropes used to tie down the tarp do rub a bit on the hull. There is a drawstring around the bottom hem of the tarp that snugs up the whole deal.

Hugh