Winter Storage -- How to protect from ice & snow?

[hightide]

I've searched this forum and other web sources, trying to find out how to secure my trailered DS1 from winter weather. We get some stiff winds and ice storms here in New England and I don't trust those horrid blue tarp specials to hold up. There is a Tarp place on the net (Eastern Marine?) that offers a heavy duty silver tarp that seems to be more durable 14x14 weave) than those offered in the West Marine catalog (12x12 weave). Thicker poly and UV resistant. I don't have the URL handy.

Do you think it's adequate protection to do the following:
-- remove drain plug from cockpit and get all water out of boat.
-- Lay the mast over the top of the boat, slot side either down or to the side so that water doesn't accumulate in it (I've got to find, make or jury rig some supports fore and aft). Use the mast to support a tent shape for the tarp.
-- Cover the boat (how much of it? all?) with heavy duty (how heavy duty?), waterproof tarp. Secure tarp somehow (bottles of sand? bungee? rope?).
-- some web offering suggested snow fencing -- that pretty orange plastic wide-mesh netting used around the intersections of pasture and highway.

Is this enough? Or should I plan to bring the boat into the living room or install a couple of bird bath heaters in the cockpit

Most of the web information on winter boat protection addresses larger boats. I know ice is ice and covalent bonds are mighty forceful. I want to offer good protection against ice and snow, but don't want to go expensively overboard (so to speak). Shrink wrapping at even $10 per foot seems too costly, overkill and a waste of petroleum-based plastic.

Any tips or know how is appreciated. Thanks.

hightide

[Peter McMinn]

I live in Portland, Oregon and don't have the extremes you do. That said, it does snow & ice-up here now and then.

I've done pretty much everything you prescribe yourself--short of the "pretty orange snow fencing"--not sure what that's for.

Clear the drain hole and open all the inspection ports.

Use the heavy double-backed tarp available. Costco sells a pack of two, I think they're about 12'x 14'. Use a mast crutch that fits into the gudgeons on your transom (a modified raft paddle works well). Bungie it all down and forget about it till those March wind winds blow.

Have to get out and do this mysef, now.

[calden]

All that sounds good. Make sure that there's no water sitting in the underseat or bow areas - get it out with a shop vac if you need to. Some residual moisture won't hurt - it will only frost up in there - but an inch of sitting water might seep into delaminated fg and ice up and pull it apart even more.

Make sure the tarp's edges and corners are pretty secure with rope - if you've got one loose edge it can blow up and, like a sail, pull the whole thing off.

The orange snow fencing creates a wind trap for blowing snow and makes it pile up adjacent to the fence. This will keep it away from other areas. Only necessary if the boat is out in the open, like sitting out in the open in a large backyard with few trees. Mine is nestled between garage and tree and blown drifts are unlikely to get in there.

Although I live in Spokane, WA, where we get some snowy winters, I grew up in Buffalo, NY, and seem to have winter permanently in my DNA.

Carlos

[shawn]

I would be very careful using the mast to support the tarp. I've seen more than one mast buckle under the heavy snow especially in New England. When I was in Maine I stored my mast indoors and used a 2x4 for the tarp support.

Shawn

[Roger]

I went with a green tarp myself. I live in Manitoba, land of the 3 foot drifts and 40 below. My boat wintered outside with the tarp over the mast acting as a ridge pole. The mast was supported at the tongue end of the trailer on a stirrup, and at the back with a mast crutch. The crutch was lashed to each quarter cleat for increased stability. The middle of the mast was supported by a block of wood that fit into the tabernacle and wedged under the mast. The tarp was draped over the mast ridgepole and tied securly down to the trailer, and almost wrapped around the hull to prevent wind from getting at any loose flap. (The right side of tarp was lashed to the left side of the trailer under the boat and vice versa.) The trailer was tilted back to drain any spindrift that got in during the late fall and winter and melt in the spring running out the drain. Having done that, there was still a bit of ice (perhaps an inch or so) that accumulated in the sump at the back of the cockpit by the time spring rolled around. I would use a screwdriver to pry the ice out when I made an early spring visit to the boat. I never did get any delamination damage, so I think my efforts paid off. I used a tarp that was longer than the boat to give as much protection as possible. I also brought the sails home, as the area was frequented by mice which I am sure would have loved a dacron nest.

Check out a picture of my beautiful winter sail at http://groups.msn.com/RogerConrad/shoeb ... hotoID=224

[TIM WEBB]

What I do for Winter is take the binoculars out of the boat: the manatees are all in the springs, and we're not gonna see any gators this time of year - they're all up in the mangroves makin' next year's babies ...

Sorry - couldn't resist! ...

- Tim