When to lift?

paradave

paradave

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Hello

I took ownership of my boat in Feb so this has been my first year with her. We keep her in a marina and I'd like her out for the winter so I can strip the antifoul, let the hull dry out for a few weeks and re-anti foul but not sure when's the best time to do it.

I was thinking Dec-March...am I missing any obvious issues?

Any advice on this would be appreciated, I suspect I'm overthinking it a little!
 
A matter of what suits you really. If you really want the hull to dry a bit then the longer the better so may as well get it lifted when you stop using it. Remember to winterise the engines and drain the fresh water system because frost damage is more of a risk when the boat is out of the water.
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Thanks Greg, I need to read up on winterisation of the engine. If the raw water drains out (seacock open for lift) and a small heater is left on in the boat while on the hardstanding, would that be better?
 
paradave said:
Thanks Greg, I need to read up on winterisation of the engine. If the raw water drains out (seacock open for lift) and a small heater is left on in the boat while on the hardstanding, would that be better?
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I wouldn’t rely on a heater - if the shore power goes off at the wrong time it could be a problem.
Leaving the seacock open when you lift the boat will only drain the pipe to the water strainer and the engine will still have raw water in it, which is the main issue. How you drain the raw water from the engine varies depending upon the make/model but an easy option is to run environmentally friendly anti-freeze through the raw water side. Again, how you do this will depend upon the engine and whether it is an outdrive or on shafts.
 
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I take mine out around the 2nd week in Jan and put her back in late march.
Remember for anti fouling paint you want 10+ degrees C which can be tricky in feb. (for UK based boats)
 
Has the marina got lifting facilities? If not, try to do it when there's a crane on site for some other work, it's cheaper.
 
You do not mention where you keep your boat. In southern England at least the seawater / river temperature rarely goes much below 5oC, so keeping the boat afloat keeps the boat warmer, without extra electrical heating. Once ashore the boat is surrounded by very cold / freezing air and cools rapidly. Also staying afloat it is simpler to keep the engine/s in commission with a start and moderate run every few weeks. We do get decent enough days even in December and January, so why not keep her in use - no hooray Henry's about in January and the pub landlords are always pleased to see you.
 
I don't think there is a certain "best" time to get lifted . I always used to be out for 4 or 6 weeks over winter but for the last few years have lifted sometime around late Sept, am currently having soup for lunch onboard 10' up the air in the boat park. To me the beauty of going ashore this time of year is that I'm not working under a boat in minus 5 with horizontal sleet, temps are still nice for outdoor jobs and as mentioned are still good for antifouling. The days are longer days so you get more done than when it gets dark at 1600hrs. Plus the boat parks aren't as busy so there's no pressure if you want to stay out an extra couple of weekends. Its all personal preference but I like doing it this way, and I've never been convinced that a hull does actually "dry out" over a 4 or 6 week lift, if the hulls were that porous the bilge pumps would be working overtime the rest of the year afloat, but I'm happy to be proven wrong on that as I'm not saying it with any scientific backing ! :)
 
Hi what does your insurance policy say about when you can stay afloat? I am restricted to 1st April to 31st October(my choice it keeps the cost down).
 
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