leaving the boat in the water over winter?

Cactus Sailing

Cactus Sailing

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is there anything specific I need to start thinking about for leaving my boat in over the winter, I will be still sailing every month at least if not more frequent so the engine will get a run out and everything aired out once and a while but is there anything I'm missing?

what should I be considering with different systems

i.e. water tanks full / empty, anything specific to do with the engine raw water intake during the periods not on-board?

this will be my first winter as a sailor so any advice appreciated - was away this weekend and condensation from breathing was on the ceiling on our cabin already! ill be investing in a de-humidifier or oil radiator to combat this in future I think.
 
De-humidifiers are most effective if you can warm the air and restrict the volume they have to cope with. So I use them in bursts one cabin at a time with a heater in the same cabin.

I presume you're alongside rather than on a mooring. More fenders the better. And appreciate that the boat might well roll so attach the fenders to avoid the tops of them being caught under the pontoon. Naturally, wear and tear of the guardrails isn't good, so don't attach them there.

As many lines as practical to spread the loads.

Sea is usually warm enough to prevent freezing on board. Could get ice on deck.

Lots of wear and tear on canvas so think about what you take down to store below. Consider dropping the headsail each trip.

I presume you've changed the oil in the engine recently. Good idea to do it if you haven't.

Keeping the fuel tank full to avoid condensation is a bit of a yacht club myth but is frequently mindlessly repeated.

And if you visit regularly you spot small issues before they become big ones.
 
You don't say whereabouts the boat is kept, so assuming you're towards the South, have an AWB and in a marina i'd say there's not too much to be done if you live reasonably close.

- We leave a dehumidifier running (with the cabin well sealed up - an oil radiator left running will just mean you have a warm damp cabin, but can make the dehumidifier more effective),
- Water and fuel tanks full (but watch the forecast - if there's a real cold snap we would pop down and drain the water system).
- Engine raw water will not normally freeze afloat - make sure the fresh water coolant has enough antifreeze.
- Make sure the warps are well padded and heavy enough for winter blows.
- Extra lashing on the roller furling - just in case the furling line slips
- Make sure the sail cover is well secured
- Lash (frap) halyards (which should be done anyway)
- Watch the forecast - if there's a blow forecast we tend to drop the sprayhood, double up the warps etc.
- Change your gas to propane - butane (in the blue bottles) will freeze just when you really need it).
- Invest in hot water bottles

Finally enjoy the winter sailing !
 
+1 for hot water bottles.

I have found a dehumidifier at a low setting more than adequate, even for bedding if left on board. A dry boat will heat up much quicker than a damp one.

Shore lines need to be secure. If shackled, the shackles should be wired. If just line, then a non-chafe attachment such as a cow hitch is a minimum.

I wrap a spinnaker halyard round my jib. This protects the sail for its whole length.

Leave a bottle of rum on board. It's no accident that that is what sailors drank.
 
Check your insurance, probably OK if in a marina but make sure there aren't set dates when they expect the boat to be ashore, a quick phone call to make sure they're aware you will be sailing all winter might save heaps of grief and a get-out for them if anything happens.

Most insurers are dead against leaving boats on swinging moorings past the end of October, though on the odd occasion I've needed a few more weeks - as may well happen this year, our club hoist out is planned for this weekend but seems dodgy at the moment - my insurers have always been happy to grant a few more weeks on the mooring, as long as I ask beforehand.
 
Kenneth McGrew said:
is there anything specific I need to start thinking about for leaving my boat in over the winter, I will be still sailing every month at least if not more frequent so the engine will get a run out and everything aired out once and a while but is there anything I'm missing?

what should I be considering with different systems

i.e. water tanks full / empty, anything specific to do with the engine raw water intake during the periods not on-board?

this will be my first winter as a sailor so any advice appreciated - was away this weekend and condensation from breathing was on the ceiling on our cabin already! ill be investing in a de-humidifier or oil radiator to combat this in future I think.
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In the UK South or East my experience is that heaters and dehumidifiers are not necessary if the inside of your boat is dry. That is if you have no rainwater leaks and the bilge in the accomodation area is dry and you have good ventilation. All my soft furnishings stay on board. Freshwater galley pumps, pipes, valves and calorifiers should be drained although i usually do not drain the tank itself. I have been doing this for 15 years.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
The inside of your boat and the bilges & engine, if unheated, will stay at much the same temperature as the water it is floating in - so above freezing unless you are somewhere really cold. Boats stored ashore are much more prone to fluctuations in temperature, since they aren't attached to a "heat sink"!
As others have said you can expect ice to form on the deck and other exposed surfaces if the air temperature drops sub-zero.
 
Not sure that motorboats are any different but have never done anything other than crack a window or two and maybe lift a bilge cover to encourage a good flow of air throughout boat.
Nothing is drained down.
However we do use the boat throughout the year and are only mins away from our (mainly) salt water mooring.
Last time our river really froze was in the 1960s.
Chum on the freshwater Thames actually installed some sensors in the bilges of his boat, located in a marina with no flow , to get some actual facts.
The device recorded temp every hour or so.
Even when the water surface was frozen the temp in the bilge did not drop below 8C or so.
Have suspicion that vast amounts of energy are being consumed by devices that provide reassurance but precious little else ?
 
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oldgit said:
Have suspicion that vast amounts of energy are being consumed by devices that provide reassurance but precious little else ?
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Got to keep the water warm for the benefit of others...:p
Edit:
I did run a dehumidifier/heater on a timer on my boat occasionally during the winter, to keep it dry. If ashore (only) I would have a "greenhouse heater" set to come on if temperature dropped below 4degrees C, with fresh water drained, engine raw water flushed with anti-freeze mix and shower/WC flushed with car windscreen additive mix...
Fuel tank full, to keep old wives' tails happy.:encouragement:
 
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Thanks for all the replies, im actually out on a fore and aft mooring - Insurance is valid for this area in the Solent on such moorings too, I made sure of that when ringing around for insurance and also taking over the mooring, there's a fair few others keeping theirs in too ( I imagine a lot of boats actually stay in I suppose I will see next month!)

there are a few offers on at local marinas I may take them up on over December & January though just to make life a little more comfortable

its nice to have other views; when I googled it and asked some of the older local salts about it, I was hearing some concerning thoughts.
 
Regarding insurance, not had problem with leaving on a swinging mooring over winter (GJW). I've seen roller headsails unravel in storms so I always fix a sail tie around at the clew. Also, take another line from the end of the boom at an angle to tension against the mainsheet. On a swinging mooring all the stuff about heating and dehumidifying is of course irrelevant.
Seem to be equal opinion for and against leaving fuel tank full.

Have to say after being on a (mid-river) pontoon where the prevailing wind ground the hull into the fenders, I'm much happier on a swinging mooring.
 
Kenneth McGrew said:
Thanks for all the replies, im actually out on a fore and aft mooring
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That really rules out running the de-humidifier and electric heater regularly. Natural ventilation might be some use that far south.

Extra thing to watch out for is the batteries. They naturally self-discharge, so some means of keeping them topped up really helps. Going out to the boat occasionally and running the engine is a pretty inefficient way of re-charging them. Maybe look at fitting a temporary solar panel to trickle charge them.
 
eddystone said:
Regarding insurance, not had problem with leaving on a swinging mooring over winter (GJW). I've seen roller headsails unravel in storms so I always fix a sail tie around at the clew. Also, take another line from the end of the boom at an angle to tension against the mainsheet. On a swinging mooring all the stuff about heating and dehumidifying is of course irrelevant.
Seem to be equal opinion for and against leaving fuel tank full.

Have to say after being on a (mid-river) pontoon where the prevailing wind ground the hull into the fenders, I'm much happier on a swinging mooring.
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You said that this was your first year as a sailor so presumably you have done it as a MOBO owner, so you will have your own experience of full or part full tanks. I know that the only year I did not leave full I had diesel bug & i do have a high fuel turnover.
 
lpdsn said:
That really rules out running the de-humidifier and electric heater regularly. Natural ventilation might be some use that far south.

Extra thing to watch out for is the batteries. They naturally self-discharge, so some means of keeping them topped up really helps. Going out to the boat occasionally and running the engine is a pretty inefficient way of re-charging them. Maybe look at fitting a temporary solar panel to trickle charge them.
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I usually stop over at marinas if im out for a few days so I plug in to top up, I also have a solar trickle charge- albeit a very small one, the oil radiator / dehumidifier is more for me when im on board - it has a diesel heater but its noisy so I only had it on for a short while at the weekend.

it was when I was sleeping there was condensation on the ceiling from breathing other than that the boat is dry, I have a few of the silica moisture traps about too and I only replace them circa 3 months when they're full.

I have an air vent into the saloon which is open, should I consider leaving the top hatches open on the latch?
 
Kenneth McGrew said:
it has a diesel heater but its noisy so I only had it on for a short while at the weekend.

it was when I was sleeping there was condensation on the ceiling from breathing other than that the boat is dry, I have a few of the silica moisture traps about too and I only replace them circa 3 months when they're full.

I have an air vent into the saloon which is open, should I consider leaving the top hatches open on the latch?
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The diesel heater will be very handy. Expensive to fit, but you don't have that problem, but not expensive to run.

I'm not sure the Silica moisture traps are much use except for small enclosed spaces. My de-humidifier will get a smallish bucket of water out of a cabin if left on for 24 hours, I can't see moisture traps replicating that. And if you combine them with natural ventilation they'll just end up capturing atmospheric moisture.

I tend the leave hatches open or on the latch providing there's no way rain can get in. I never see it doing that much good. At best it means the internal air's humidity matches that outside, which generally means it is pretty damp. Better than nothing though.
 
No dehumidifier here and no damp worth talking about either. I have two deck hatches and an aft cabin hatch, all on the catches to let some air through, i also have a pair of mushroom vents and a pair of dorade vents, plus a vent in the washboard. I sometimes get some condensation on the alloy portlight frames, but when it's really cold and i'm using the heating a get none. The heater draws fresh air, rather than recycling the cabin air and the aforementioned ventilation does not make the boat cold or draughty. In fact, without the open vents and hatches it gets stuffy and far too hot.

Inside of the boat is mostly foam backed vinyl, which helps considerably in he fight against condensation. Some odd areas which are no lined with foam backed vinyl, such as the heads cupboards, do suffer from a little damp, particularly if the weather conditions mean i have to close the heads portlight, which is usually open about 10mm.Boats with lots of hull area completely un-insulated will suffer badly with condensation.

I generally keep my fuel tank full, have and never use any bug treatments on any of my boats and never h ad a problem. IMO condensation does occur, however minimally. People spend good money on fuel treatments, just in case, so why not keep the tanks full, just in case ?

If leaving unattended during Winter i would run the taps until the tank was empty then turn the pumps off, leaving taps open. When using the boat in Winter get a container with a tap on it. For instance https://www.amazon.co.uk/Litre-Plastic-Container-Airflow-Standard/dp/B008TAGFPW

If not on shore power, a small solar panel connected to each battery bank makes good sense.
 
My boat stays on a swinging mooring all year round.
Winter regime is to strip off all canvas (inc sprayhood), remove the boom, rig up the cockpit cover and leave the washboards out and the forehatch locked ajar. Inner forestay deployed, halyards taken clear of the mast to strong points. 50w solar panel easily keeps the batteries topped up. All cushions and books, charts etc come off.
I visit at least once a week to check on the bilges, mooring strop, and rig.
I don't do anything in particular to the engine or tanks, but may run the engine once a month or so. If you do run it, make sure you are doing more good than harm by actually getting it up to temperature and putting some load on it.
 
Kelpie said:
My boat stays on a swinging mooring all year round.
Winter regime is to strip off all canvas (inc sprayhood), remove the boom, rig up the cockpit cover and leave the washboards out and the forehatch locked ajar. Inner forestay deployed, halyards taken clear of the mast to strong points. 50w solar panel easily keeps the batteries topped up. All cushions and books, charts etc come off.
I visit at least once a week to check on the bilges, mooring strop, and rig.
I don't do anything in particular to the engine or tanks, but may run the engine once a month or so. If you do run it, make sure you are doing more good than harm by actually getting it up to temperature and putting some load on it.
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I've always kept my boat afloat, though admittedly in a marina for some years. A couple of drybags help - anything you don't want to go musty keeps well inside them.
 
We have always kept our boats in water over winter although on a marina . Some thoughts in no particular order though:
1 Have a diesel heater of some sort as can be run to warm up when returning to berth;
2 Have an electric blanket ;
3 Have a electric fan heater as used for geenhouses etc;;
4 have a convector heater ;
5 use dehumidifier when not on board;
6 put crystal bags in lockers to absorb moisture;
7 Buy a few rugs for cabins or fitted carpets
8have a cockpit enclosure tent etc;
9 keep diesel tanks full;
10 remove outboard as won't use to garage etc
11 remove bedding when away
Take home salt cellar
Have a TV and DVD player on board
 
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