winterizing

[Mungo]

Can anyone suggest a good way to put a boat away for winter? I have retrieved my dad's old jolly boat but now it has to spend 4+ winter months outside. Where I live we have -10 to -35 (C) temps and expect 5-7 feet of snow (so it is dry, very dry). Leave it on the trailer or support it on tires? Belly up or belly down (I am so boat clueless it's sad, does the bottom of a boat have a name?). I have dried it well inside (meaning left it open and there is no apparent moisture there), I built some A frames to help shed snow and support a tarp over it and left the ends open for ventilation. I wrapped it tight with several miles of baling twine (it's windy here) and have put the trailer under some substantial pine trees to help alleviate snow accumulation. Anything else? Thanks
I'm feeling almost guilty pulling it out of a barn and now it stays outside...

[Ancient Geek]

Upside down ie bottom up would be best otherwise you seem to have done preety much all you can.

[Michael Brigg]

It really does have to be dry in this case because it seems likely that you may find it almost impossible to prevent it from dropping to a sub zero temparature, and one thing that kills the laminates of an old fairey hull is if any water gets into the laminate and freezes, it expands and separates the layers causing permanent damage.

I've heard that children in Canada are taught from an early age to treat exposed metal (in the -60' winter) with the same degree of caution that we give to the Kettle here in the UK

With this in mind, I would have thought it is worth letting the snow accumulate around the shelter as this will be a good insulater and possibly prevent some of the more extreme temparature fluctuations. Wrapping the hull in bubble wrap or some old blankets may also help.

With it being sooo cold there is less risk from condensation as there will be no moisture in the air in the first place and so ventilation will be less critical and I would in these circumstances seal the shelter once you are happy that it and the boat is dry inside. Consider the trick of putting a 60-100watt bulb inside so that you can trickle in some heat. If the hull is upside down the bulb can sit inside the hull and the heat it generates will rise up and be trapped under the hull where it is needed to keep a core temparature to your hibernating baby that prevents it from freezing.


Be careful when storing upside down to be sure that no standing water can get into the plate case where it will then lie hidden to penetrate the top of the case. The same applies to the underside of the decks and in a Jolly boat with wide external gunwhales, any water that lies on the angle between these and the hull can again end up penetrating the relatively unprotected end grain of the hull where it meets the deck, and if the frost then does its worst you may have a disaster.

And finally look out for any wildlife that decides to share the shelter when you go in in the spring! I believe you have bears out there?!

[Mungo]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't really explain what I did very well. I'll try taking a picture.

The boat is still on the trailer and I built a shallow A frame over the cockpit area. I then wrapped the boat tightly in a very large tarp but left the end of the A frame area open. It certainly will be below freezing (already is at night), but thankfully will not freeze and thaw. I doubt the boat has wet wood as it has been in an unheated barn for many many years and the hull appears OK. I am more concerned about the weight of the snow on the boat when it is sitting on a trailer. I can sweep it off, but there will be 2-3 nights where we will get 10-12 inches of snow and if it's wet snow it will be heavy. Upside down appeals to me as a snow shedding shape, just unsure how to support the boat as the deck is not flat. Spring is very wet so it will have to be raised off the ground.

In it's past location a raccoon used to hibernate in the stern so the precedent is set for that bear. Regretfully I live in suburban hell so coyotes (which do not hibernate) but no bears. I laughed at your comment about metal and cold. We are told to not lick flag poles in the winter (flag pole licking must be a curious Canadian tradition), and I do remember kids stuck to flag poles.... I'm guessing it's something you only do once http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGsdWTtLGPk.

[JimC]

If you can get space between your frame and the baot - turn it into a semi shed or something that will be of enormous benefit. Frost to my mind is the real boat killer, more than water... It would be good if none of the protective sheeting is touching the boat.

[Nessa]

I am thinking of doing something like Jim suggests. I haven't had any replies to my ads requesting boat storage, so I'm wondering if I can build a tarp tent type thing up agains the side of the boat shed.

At least I don't have to deal with such extremes of temperature as Mungo does.

[Mungo]

I'm hoping temperature isn't an issue if the boat is dry. The tarp house idea won't work for me. The winds in winter are horrendous so anything with even a small opening is just going to blow apart. Can a boat be stored on it's edge? If I were to build a dolly and put the boat on edge it would fit in the garage. The hull doesn't look like it would be fond of lateral compression. It's just a bit too heavy to hang from the ceiling. Shrink wrap it? Sympathize with Nessa, here indoor boat storage (unheated) is going for $20 a foot/month. Farmers have to make money now that they don't farm anymore... the clock ticks as the snow starts.

[JimC]

If I were to build a dolly and put the boat on edge it would fit in the garage. The hull doesn't look like it would be fond of lateral compression. It's just a bit too heavy to hang from the ceiling.

Better on edge and inside than outside I would say... My old boat is currently on edge in the garage. She's partly supported by rope from the ceiling, partly on foam on the floor...

[Nessa]

Yes, if her indoors weren't unreasonably expecting to keep her car in the garage one of the fleet would definitely be going in there, even if I had to balance it on the bow! On edge, with lots of padding, straps and support.

[Pat]

Costco do a mini marquee garage/tent which has strong poles and strong plastic cover and is about 20ft by 9ft. Ours has been standing in front of the garage for two years now through gales and snow and sun and successfully housed various boats, mostly the wooden fat Merlin. We got some large (56lb) weights from the scrapyard to act as tie down anchors and a couple of tying eyes into the garage wall also help.

[Garry R]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12x20x9-HEAVY-DUT ... 4a96d71dcf

Something like this well tied down?

[Ancient Geek]

Damp is your enemy, ventilation your friend, if it is really dry how about wrapping it in shrink wrap, but if it is damp that will just make it worse as it warms up in the spring.