winterising boat in lockdown I’m getting worried ????

No first hand news from the marina where I keep my boat as to whether they will remain open or not.
But they are a BMF member so hope the gate will be open to key holders .

Just now finished draining the domestic water off and the frost protection heaters were already in place . I have left the dehumidifier off and unplugged as wouldn't want to leave it unattended for a month.
So while I hope to be back at the boat at the weekend we are all sorted regardless of whether we are allowed to the boat or not.
 
Just out of interest.. I am using the Unibond Aero 360 moisture absorber and they are quite good for small areas (less than 10 sq metres) . 1 refill lasts a good 2 months. Better than nothing I guess!
 
A list of what is permitted was sent to me in an e-mail from a club following an RYA webinar. It included the following:
  • Visits must be kept to a minimum, and ideally journeys short.
  • Visiting your boat is allowed for emergencies and safety reasons only. The advice is that if you are visiting your boat come prepared with a reason because you may be challenged by a member of the public, HSE, or police. You may also be challenged during your journey
 
Greg2 said:
A list of what is permitted was sent to me in an e-mail from a club following an RYA webinar. It included the following:
  • Visits must be kept to a minimum, and ideally journeys short.
  • Visiting your boat is allowed for emergencies and safety reasons only. The advice is that if you are visiting your boat come prepared with a reason because you may be challenged by a member of the public, HSE, or police. You may also be challenged during your journey
Click to expand...
Who on earth came up with that list?
Are the public being encouraged to set up road blocks to question your reasons for travel? And how many non boat owners do you see on your pontoons? And HSE, what interest do they take in boating matters? The only authority I’d be concerned about is the police. I suspect they will be rather busier elsewhere.
 
Now ashore and managed to get down today and removed sails etc and ready for winter. Had to do it asap as I'm due a new knee on the 21st( lockdown mk2 permitting...) and I'll be unable to do much for about 8 weeks.
 
Well, mission accomplished, although my arms have stopped working.
The Marina was really busy today, seems like many people were also spooked by the deadline and the lack of clear information.

- Bedding, lifejackets and stuff removed
- Cockpit cushions stored below
- Oil and filters changed
- Tender and OB removed
- Domestic water system drained
- Tube heaters installed in engine bay
- Radiator and Dehumidifier fired up, but if a storm hits and the Dehumidifier falls off the galley worktop and catches fire ... that's what insurance is for ???
 
longjohnsilver said:
Who on earth came up with that list?
Are the public being encouraged to set up road blocks to question your reasons for travel? And how many non boat owners do you see on your pontoons? And HSE, what interest do they take in boating matters? The only authority I’d be concerned about is the police. I suspect they will be rather busier elsewhere.
Click to expand...

For me the important bit was that visiting the boat for emergency or safety reasons appears to be okay - the rest is just opinion I suspect.
 
FlowerPower said:
Well, mission accomplished, although my arms have stopped working.
The Marina was really busy today, seems like many people were also spooked by the deadline and the lack of clear information.

- Bedding, lifejackets and stuff removed
- Cockpit cushions stored below
- Oil and filters changed
- Tender and OB removed
- Domestic water system drained
- Tube heaters installed in engine bay
- Radiator and Dehumidifier fired up, but if a storm hits and the Dehumidifier falls off the galley worktop and catches fire ... that's what insurance is for ???
Click to expand...


I put our dehumidifier in the sink with a short drain tube.
 
Halsey said:
Our marina is quite clear - you can visit, you can do what you like, you cant stay overnight, up to you to justify your travel decisions and if asked they would support your journey on safety grounds looking after your boat particularly if/when there is a cold snap.
Click to expand...
Same for our marina. Very sensible advice. We visited ours yesterday and drained down the water. The engines get serviced in a week or so. The workshops are still working through the lockdown. Once that has been completed, we will wait 3 days and then visit to add diesel bug and top up the tank, install the tube heaters and dehumidifier and take away the last few bits of stuff.
 
FlowerPower said:
Well, mission accomplished, although my arms have stopped working.
The Marina was really busy today, seems like many people were also spooked by the deadline and the lack of clear information.

- Bedding, lifejackets and stuff removed
- Cockpit cushions stored below
- Oil and filters changed
- Tender and OB removed
- Domestic water system drained
- Tube heaters installed in engine bay
- Radiator and Dehumidifier fired up, but if a storm hits and the Dehumidifier falls off the galley worktop and catches fire ... that's what insurance is for ???
Click to expand...

near enough my exact list but i'll be going down friday evening to do it i've not been able to get down sooner and we've had frost already so hopefully not caused any problems :(
 
Megs20Burt! said:
Same for our marina. Very sensible advice. We visited ours yesterday and drained down the water. The engines get serviced in a week or so. The workshops are still working through the lockdown. Once that has been completed, we will wait 3 days and then visit to add diesel bug and top up the tank, install the tube heaters and dehumidifier and take away the last few bits of stuff.
Click to expand...
I've NEVER used de-humidifiers on past steel canal boats - first winter with a 32ft GRP "motorboat" - is this established practice if so (I assume I'm opening a can of worms now) what do people use - and - if I heat with 4 tubes and an oil filled rad why do I need it and where does it/do they go??
Thanks
 
Halsey said:
I've NEVER used de-humidifiers on past steel canal boats - first winter with a 32ft GRP "motorboat" - is this established practice if so (I assume I'm opening a can of worms now) what do people use - and - if I heat with 4 tubes and an oil filled rad why do I need it and where does it/do they go??
Thanks
Click to expand...
Plenty of heating may mean you don't need to use a dehumidifier .
Not sure which is the most energy efficient method . I used moisture traps on a 25ft boat but they didn't seem to be good enough on a 33ft boat.
 
Plenty of de-humidifier may mean you don't need to use much heating.

I keep it turned on to keep the relative humidity at around 40% - it sucks the water out of the air by condensation (there are also types that use a desiccant) but the net result is the same - no mouldy fabrics.

The oil-filled radiator keeps the air just warm enough for the de-humidifier to work.

I use two tubes for the engine bay.

One slight disadvantage is that a few boats have caught fire and burnt to the waterline due to faulty de-humidifiers.
 
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OK so what dehumidifier (or make thereof) stands out or are there loads - power or self sufficient??
£ VfM is not the prime concern but how well it does its job is..............
Thanks
 
I have a Meaco junior desiccant version. It freestands in the heads with continuous drainage into the bilge.

Two thermostat controlled 130 watt tube heaters in the engine room with taped up vents.
 
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