Winter Storage

[Guest]

It is sad but true - snow will soon be falling in Maine and I am once again thinking about winter storage. Last year I took out an end wall of our porch and keep the hull out there. Couldn't find any barns or garages to keep her in this year either. The wife doesn't want the boat back on the porch. So any suggestions on wrapping an O'Day up for the winter? Six feet of snow is not uncommon and I worry about snow load and melting and freezing. Will just a tarp do it or is shrink wrap an answer. Thanks.

Gary Perlson (gperlson-at-somtel.com)

[Guest]

Ah winter! Being from the Great White North (Ottawa Ontario), I can relate all too well to your plight. I have had my DS 1 for 4 years, and have tried numerous approaches in dealing with the white stuff, but last year was the most successful. First off, when I was putting the boat away, I cleaned as if I were getting her ready for the spring launch. That included a good wash and wax. I left the boat on her trailer, I removed the wheels and supported the axles with some 6x6 pressure treated wood left over from a fence project. I removed everything that wasn't screwed to the hull and moved it into my basement (I admit it, in February, I've been known to be found in my workshop sanding teak, drinking dark rum and staring out the window hoping for an early melt...). Next, I constructed a simple frame out of 2x4's that supported a plastic tarp that covered the boat. An 8' board fits nicely from the cuddy top to the stern along the centre line. Another couple of shorter pieces sit athwartships to help carry the snow load. I stapled carpet scraps to the ends of the boards to prevent them from chafing the hull and the tarp. I then covered the whole works up with one of those polyethelyne tarps and secured it with a mile of rope.
I don't know if you heard about the Ice Storm we had up here last winter, but I know that Maine had sent a lot of Hydro workers to help us out. We had 9.3 cm (about 4 inches) of freezing rain fall over 3 days. Power was out at my buddie's house where I keep my boat for 16 days. The tarp was covered in ice but didn't rip. We also had our regular jillion feet of snow.
In the spring, with the cleaning that was done in the fall, commissioning was a synch. I can't emphasize enough to anyone that stores a boat in the winter, the cleaner it is when you put it away, the easier it is to get going in the spring.

Eric Sunstrum (esunstru-at-sprint.ca)