Wooden Trawler storage in Maine?

I have a 46' GB Alaskan woody, and am looking for indoor storage options in Maine. Do any of you know of a yard with large indoor storage? Need something with 20' height clearance, and 15' beam.

Let me offer you a comment about wooden hull survival out of the water because I am guessing that storage for months up there in that dry weather will pull the planks apart. I had a Canadian visit my pier in a GB woodie, and he regaled me with tales of being able to drop a nickel between the strakes before relaunch every year and how many pumps it took to dewater the boat while it hung in the slings overnight.

When I brought my GB42 woodie across the desert on a truck from San Diego to Galveston in 1990, I smeared the entire underwater body of the boat with Vaseline to prevent drying of the hull during the ten-day trip, and upon relaunch, while the boat hung overnight in the slings as a precaution, the pencil line I drew at the waterline of a small puddle in the deepest part of the bilge was not even covered.

rgano said:

Let me offer you a comment about wooden hull survival out of the water because I am guessing that storage for months up there in that dry weather will pull the planks apart. I had a Canadian visit my pier in a GB woodie, and he regaled me with tales of being able to drop a nickel between the strakes before relaunch every year and how many pumps it took to dewater the boat while it hung in the slings overnight.

When I brought my GB42 woodie across the desert on a truck from San Diego to Galveston in 1990, I smeared the entire underwater body of the boat with Vaseline to prevent drying of the hull during the ten-day trip, and upon relaunch, while the boat hung overnight in the slings as a precaution, the pencil line I drew at the waterline of a small puddle in the deepest part of the bilge was not even covered.

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That a lot of vaseline Rich! Costco??? Good point though, I wonder if most wooden boat owners look for in-water winter storage up north. I once bought a sailboat in Maine. Not wood, but it had been in the water year-round. In fact I think it was a live-aboard for an older woman and her dog. Must need some good bubblers in Maine.

backinblue said:

That a lot of vaseline Rich! Costco??? Good point though, I wonder if most wooden boat owners look for in-water winter storage up north. I once bought a sailboat in Maine. Not wood, but it had been in the water year-round. In fact I think it was a live-aboard for an older woman and her dog. Must need some good bubblers in Maine.

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I bought four or five of the large size tubs for the job. Used old wash cloths to rub it on with two of us taking an hour or two. Had lots left over, maybe two tubs. After five hundred and sixty miles of travel in the ICW between Galveston and Panama City there was still some on the aft end of the hull.

I had the boat out of the water here in humid Florida once for over a month, and it leaked like a sieve for a few days - normally ran a dry bilge.

Lyman Morse in Thomaston has indoor storage.

In New England they store on dirt floors no heat no problem. Concrete and heat no good.

Rick

Journey's End marina in Rockland has indoor storage both heated and cold.

I have heard of woodies being filled with water to pre soak. Check with your yard they may not allow it. It might make it too heavy for their lift.

pete

Thanks, AnsleyS - I'll reach out to them!

I live up here on the Maine coast and ran a yard in the Boothbay Harbor area for 5-6 years. Wood hulls certainly do better in the water than out. We had an old Grand Alaskan that sat in her slip every winter - they covered the flybridge and cockpit areas against the snow - but nothing else.....Every spring we would haul that boat, clean the bottom and change out the zincs and lower her back in.......she did fine for as long as I was there for sure. As a side note, even hauling and storing inside a cold dirt floor building, planking on most wooden hulls opened up - some worse than others.

There are several marinas in this area that you could try - Hodgdon Marine - Boothbay Harbor and Southport Island.......Ocean Point Marina in East Boothbay.......Carosel Marine, again in BBH.......Several of these places leave some docks in over the winter where your boat could tie up.

Hope this helps some!
PS I'm a "newbie" as well......so far this Forum has been a great source of information and frankly some great humor to help get through the northern boatless season! Welcome aboard!

Plus 1 with Slainte 1. I've had mine going on 10 years with the same process. Also if I do need to do work beyond typical I would ensure that the work is done within two weeks.

Good Luck

Pete Meisinger said:

I have heard of woodies being filled with water to pre soak. Check with your yard they may not allow it. It might make it too heavy for their lift.
pete

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This is generally not a good idea -- potential problems are pushing caulking out of place, loosening fastenings, and maybe even losing a plank or two.


Remember that when in the water, the planks are pushed against the frames and the fastenings are only lightly loaded and that's in shear. Full of water, the fastenings are loaded in tension.


You might accomplish much the same thing by putting a tub under the garboard plug, putting an automatic pump in the tub and running its output to spray nozzles inside.


Or, you could tent the hull up to the waterline and keep a big pool of water (kiddie pool?) under the boat. We did the opposite of this with dehumidifiers to dry out Sweetwater before epoxying her bottom.


Jim


Sweetwater -- Swan 57 sloop on which we circumnavigated 1995-98
Fintry -- x Royal Navy Fleet Tender -- owned 2003-2022, 20,000 miles including trans-Atlantic
Morning Light -- Webbers Cove 42 single screw trawler 2021- ?

Dry and Maine should not be used in the same sentence