Winter Storage Advice?

Seevee said:

Not to hijack the thread, but along the same lines....

What are the options for winter storage for one that wants to store the boat for the winter and spend winter in FL. Like doing the loop?

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Not sure what the question is but some folks store there boats along the way and pick up again next year instead of rushing through to get it done.
Many I've met store at Winter Hbr just off Oneida Lk in NY. I'm sure there are many other options

Bacchus said:

Not sure what the question is but some folks store there boats along the way and pick up again next year instead of rushing through to get it done.
Many I've met store at Winter Hbr just off Oneida Lk in NY. I'm sure there are many other options

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Bacchus,

Good answer. Are there marinas that cater to loopers, and it there a thought of being a bit south for milder winters, like KY, GA, NC, SC.

Seevee said:

Bacchus,

Good answer. Are there marinas that cater to loopers, and it there a thought of being a bit south for milder winters, like KY, GA, NC, SC.

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Seevee
I'll qualify my answer before proceeding - am not a looper but have traveled NY & Canadian canals, Lk Ontario, Lk Champlain & St Lawrence often. Lots of great cruising in those areas. I have spoken to many loopers at our home port on Seneca Lk (NY Finger Lakes) and while cruising.

I would say...
There are good & not so good marinas / yards most everywhere
I am not aware of any that "cater" to loopers
I'd say looking for a good marina would be secondary to figuring out where you want to be or plan to be at / near the end of a season and then to look for recommendations for a good marina/yard

Further south may be an advantage - but depends - if a season cruising will put you there but not so good if it's not that far from home port. NY canals typically open approx may 1st but will depend on winter run-off & spring rains...also the Hudson can be a little treacherous during spring hi water due to lots of logs/debris.

Several cruisers I have spoken to have left there boat at Brewerton, NY - there are a couple of good choices there (from others experience & recommendations) Winter Hbr has indoor heated storage - not inexpensive but an advantage if you wan to do any work while on the hard. EssKay yards is another I have done some business with and others have spoken about.

Brewerton is close to Syracuse and an advantage if you would be flying in/out.
If driving there are other very good yards not too far away.
Brewerton is also a good location in that you are close to the canal junction at 3 Rivers where you can head W to explore the Finger Lakes, or go all the way to Buffalo & Lk Erie or you can head N to Oswego to get to St Lawrence, 1,000 Is, Rideau Canal, Trent Severn canal, or do a seasons worth of cruising a small loop through most of the above plus Chambly canal to Lk Champlain, & back to Albany & Brewerton

Some loopers I've talked to have completed the loop and returned to explore the areas above in a more leisurely pace...one i met this season was from Tampa and has left there boat at Brewerton 3 winters to return and explore addn'l areas.

If you will end a season on Georgian Bay Lk Huron I would strongly recommend considering South bay Cove Marina in Honey hbr- I've stayed there when we cruised the Trent Severn Canal and it is the nicest marina I have ever been in. We are considering moving there for a season to explore Georgian Bay & N Channel.

There are a couple of "Looper" groups that should be able to provide more first hand info / opinions. Probably worth connecting with them when you start to do some serious planning.

Happy to provide more info based on your specific situation or desires

Winter cover

I had a fitted cover made lke the truckers use & it although heave did the job, new owner still has it so over 10 years service seems a good deal

Don,
Thanks, great info. I'm just in the early planning stages and would most likely do a loop in two years leaving the boat somewhere.

There are loads of places , some hurricane proof , to store in the summer in FLA and spend the winter warm.

Folks that store for the winter , remember "stuff happens" , which means it is wise to winterize , even in places that "never" freeze.

Either way be sure to look in Da Book (the repair manual) for "out of service for over 30 days"or a similar heading and follow the advice 100%..

Shrinkwrap is an insanely expensive throw away item for outdoor storage. BUT, the damage and repair costs (nevermind the uv damage) are greatly minimized or eliminated when wrapped.

Your question is sort of like my pondering. I could inside store my boat for about 3600 or outside for 1400. So I had to cost and compare the extra 400 for wrapping totaling 1800 versus 3600 for inside (although not heated). Its all about how much you want to preserve the boat and not have a hassle next spring.

I found taking the dehumidifier from the basement to the boat and running it for a week totally dried out the inside of the boat after wrapping eliminating any mold, smell issue for the entire winter.

kchace said:

This is what I have always done and it works great. I get 3-4 years out of a *good quality* tarp and the framework lasts forever. Note that the "sharp edges" on the frame were trimmed off before the cover went on. A bonus to a good cover on the boat is you can work inside and when the sun is shining it gets a lot warmer than the outside temps.

Ken

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I was wondering how big your trawler is and how big of a tarp. Framework looks interesting did it work well. Do you have a design?

Davidj said:

I was wondering how big your trawler is and how big of a tarp. Framework looks interesting did it work well. Do you have a design?

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That is a 43' trawler. The tarp is 40 x 60. The framework has to be made to fit - no design per se. One must use a heavy tarp - the blue ones are far too thin to hold up. Good tarps are way up in price, but so is shrink wrapping. My current boat (A Defever 44) is 3K to shrink-wrap which really hurts, but even a 40 x 60 tarp would be too small.

Ken

Thanks so much. I just want to make sure I don’t buildup frozen ice in the aft section. I have just purchased a Mainship 34

Dave Johnson
231-690-5611

To shrink wrap a boat here is $1 per square foot. We do heated inside storage that costs about $3,300. You certainly don’t want to have water sitting on the boat because when it leaks into tight spaces and then freezes it can open up seams and fittings and cause more leaks and damage. The blue tarps don’t usually make it through the winter here. Every year there are people that try them but they end up in tatters before spring.