Leaving Boat In The Water - Winter

[scarlet]

We are in the process of buying a cat.. we have an accepted offer and are under contract. We will take it to Delaware after purchase, and have found a marina we like. We want to keep it there and use that as our sailing ground for the next couple of years. Once my husband retires in the next 18 months we will set sail for the Caribean.

For tax purposes, we really need to keep it in Delaware. This means keeping it in the water over the winter. We've never kept our current boat in the water, and we are understandably worried about doing that. We, of course will winterize all of our systems (once we learn how to do that.. lol!) But, even with that we are still worried.

Our marina will put bubblers in under our boat to keep open water around our hulls.. But what else do we need to be concerned with? Is this a risky thing to do? or perfectly safe? what kinds of things can go wrong?

I really appreciate any direction..

[Pendragon35]

I have my boat, an Alberg 35 full keel sailboat, at Anchorage Marina in Baltimore. It's stayed in the water all winter all five years I've owned it and I believe several years before that. We don't have bubblers. We do the usual winterization, in my case draining the water lines, winterize the engine, get rid of any liquids in the boat (the yard guys always take excess beer ). I can't think of anything else. I try to check on her every two or three weeks through December/January/February, usually start getting her set up again in March. Many people sail off and on all winter. We usually cut it off just before thanksgiving. Of course, your boat, your situation, your experience may be different.

[Chuck34]

Many, many thousands of boats stay in the water during the winter, just in and around the Chesapeake Bay. Not a lot of freezing in the southern bay. The northern bay, with bubblers, you're good to go. In fact, your boat is safer in the water than out.

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by Pendragon35

I have my boat, an Alberg 35 full keel sailboat, at Anchorage Marina in Baltimore. It's stayed in the water all winter all five years I've owned it and I believe several years before that. We don't have bubblers. We do the usual winterization, in my case draining the water lines, winterize the engine, get rid of any liquids in the boat (the yard guys always take excess beer ). I can't think of anything else. I try to check on her every two or three weeks through December/January/February, usually start getting her set up again in March. Many people sail off and on all winter. We usually cut it off just before thanksgiving. Of course, your boat, your situation, your experience may be different.

So, does your hull get ice locked then? from your post It seems like you haven't had any damage... especially when the ice breaks up in the late winter..

[Chuck34]

The marina we are at, lower Potomac, doesn't happen often, but some years ago, before we had a boat, I've seen the marina with as much as 10" of ice and this was in the days before bubblers. Many boats were here in the marina, quite a few were wood and no major damage I'm aware of. Talk about iced in...they could only move up and down with the tide.

[wdwalker]

I used to own a marina in the Baltimore area and put Ice Eaters in to protect the piers and boats. Less than half of my slip holders pull in the winter and we never saw any damage. In fact, if you use an hard bottom paint it will help you get more life out of it since it will not oxidize in the air. Another plus is distributing the weight of the boat in the water. Boats are made to be in the water. Pulling them puts tremendous stress on the keel and the areas where you place the boat stands. My 2 cent's worth.

[jump12k]

I have lived on my Sabre 34 for 6 years. Stay in the water. Have bubblers that keep ice away from hull. I don’t winterize my engine for I like to sail on warmer Winter days. I DO keep a mechanics light on in the engine compartment to make sure there is no freezing. (75) watt bulb. My cabin keeps everything else warm enough with two 1500 watt space heaters. Once or twice the bubblers broke down and ice thickened around the hull. Because of the taper of the hull there was no problem. The heat from inside kept enough ice away to float freely. In the Spring I noticed no scratches or damage to my hull.

[thinwater]

All good comments about wintering with ice (I do).


BUT, you should figure on checking on the boat monthly or so, like any boat kept in the water. Lines can wear. Batteries can go down. A neighboring boat can come loose (always check your negihbor's lines). You can ignore it for 6 months... but I would not.


Also read your insurance. There may be a lay-up clause.

[bmz]

The only time you need to worry about water freezing is when it is enclosed in something, like an engine or a water bottle, etc. When it is outside, like outside the boat, the ice won't crush or otherwise damage the hull. Bubblers are only needed to protect the dock, not the boats.

[redneckrob]

Yet another report from someone who leaves their cat in the water in Annapolis with no ill effects from the ice, which can get to a couple inches every winter where we're at. My only additional piece of advice is to keep in mind that bilge pumps don't work when they're submerged in frozen water. So if you have a slow buildup of water in your bilge that the bildge pump usually handles unbeknownst to you once a week, it will blow the pump fuse the first time it freezes then continue to build up, so you'll want to try to have dry bilges and check it periodically. I've got a wink system with water detectors that sends me an SMS if any of the bilges get wet, and my cat is in my back yard. Also, the water in the Chesapeake is fresh enough that your raw water will freeze in your heat pump if you try to operate it in the dead of winter, so don't plan on using that to keep your interior above freezing.

[thinwater]

^^ There are other things I should have mentioned:
* Cockpit drains can freeze or get blocked by snow. Common.
* A heavy snow load can press fitting and exhaust outlets under that are normally well above the waterline. Mostly a powerboat problem, but it sinks boats every year.
* If the bilge pump hose has a low loop or check valve, that WILL freeze and block the pump. I've seen a boat sunk with the pump running but the hose frozen.
* A dinghy on davits can fill with snow, ice, and water, and get ripped right off the tackle. Seen it. Like leaving the plug in.
* Most marinas won't let you leave the heat on if you are not on board. And of course, no heat pumps.



You really want to check on her the first season.

[FLLCatsailor]

I'm not sure why there are tax advantages of being in Delaware for a Kansas resident? Do make sure the US customs duty is paid though.

I don't deal with boats in Delaware regularly, but have quite a bit of experience with catamarans on the Chesapeake.

[peter loveridge]

kept my boat in the water in western Nova Scotia for many years. Now, while not tropical western NS doesn't have a lot of ice, its like North Carolina in the winter. Ice doesn't bother you unless it's coming past the boat in a strong tidal stream. Any sheltered place will do, don't really need bubblers. No fishing boat here is ever taken out in the winter. You need to dump a pile of salt in the bilge as the water that gets in is often fresh, you need to keep the bilge pump on. and above all protect your rigging and stuff from the 70 knot Nor'easters that happen every second week

[fred4936]

We sail north of you on the south shore of Long Island. We leave the boat in the water every other year. All the above advice works for us too. I also believe it is better for the hull to leave it in the water. But some maintenance is easier on the hard. I also check on it every week, but that may be overkill, since there has rarely been an issue.

[mnh]

Yes you can keep the boat in the water if you are in the Chesapeake, I've done it several times over the years. If you are at a dock with one bubbler, it will take care of many boats in the general vicinity of that device. The downside is that by not hauling and inspecting, you are assuming that there is no bottom growth in your thru hull intakes. That's a bad assumption. Growth can block the intakes to your fridge, engine, toilet etc.

So, before you store in the water, consider doing a short haul, pressure wash the bottom, inspect your thu-hulls (and grease them too), and clean your prop...
my humble suggestions based on several seasons in the Chese.
If you want to store on land, Herrington harbor North is pretty inexpensive for the winter, and located in Deale Md. It's also a good protected harbor to store your boat in water, as many people do in the winter

mnh