Connecticut people!!!!

[Ansmith]

Can you live aboard there? We may be moving there soon and want to live aboard but worried about the cold with a infant. If so, give us any info you think is useful!!! We will be around Groton ct.


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[sparrowhawk1]

I lived aboard for 1 winter in a marina on the Connecticut River. This was many years ago and I can't remember the name of the marina but it was just south of Essex and I think the only marina that allowed liveaboards in that area. It had a 30 amp receptacle and I had a Quartz Heater and an electric blanket so I was reasonably comfortable. if I can remember the name I'll post it later, had a very good experience, they're good people. Edit: just looked it up on my navonics chart its called offshore East. Located in oldsaybrook. Most marinas turn off the water in the winter but they had a heated spigot up at the main building

[skipmac]

I used to work in CT and it does get really cold in the winter. You need to have a really good heater on the boat to even think about it.

Last winter was particularly cold and most of New England the rivers and bays were frozen solid. And to expand on Sparrowhawk's comments, not only do most of the marinas turn off the water, many of them close down and require the boats to leave for the winter. A good friend lives in Essex and all the moorings on the CT river are pulled every winter and all the marinas I know of haul all the boats until spring.

Maybe I'm spoiled by north Florida but I was also astonished at the prices in that part of New England. Transient rates for my 42' boat were over $100/night. Seasonal rates at a marina were better but still very expensive by my standards. 42' boat I found $700-$1000/month for the season, May 1 - Oct 31. I finally rented a mooring and paid $2500 for the season for a mooring 2 miles from the dinghy dock.

[Stu Jackson]

It's spring.

It will be getting warmer.

How long ya gonna be there?

[Ansmith]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

I lived aboard for 1 winter in a marina on the Connecticut River. This was many years ago and I can't remember the name of the marina but it was just south of Essex and I think the only marina that allowed liveaboards in that area. It had a 30 amp receptacle and I had a Quartz Heater and an electric blanket so I was reasonably comfortable. if I can remember the name I'll post it later, had a very good experience, they're good people. Edit: just looked it up on my navonics chart its called offshore East. Located in oldsaybrook. Most marinas turn off the water in the winter but they had a heated spigot up at the main building

Thank you for that! I'll have to look that place up and see if it will be near us. Everywhere I have searched online seems like there is no liveaboards. Was there a live aboard fee? We figured we will have a hard time finding a place to do it up there. The cold is a worry since we will have an infant.


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[Ansmith]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I used to work in CT and it does get really cold in the winter. You need to have a really good heater on the boat to even think about it.

Last winter was particularly cold and most of New England the rivers and bays were frozen solid. And to expand on Sparrowhawk's comments, not only do most of the marinas turn off the water, many of them close down and require the boats to leave for the winter. A good friend lives in Essex and all the moorings on the CT river are pulled every winter and all the marinas I know of haul all the boats until spring.

Maybe I'm spoiled by north Florida but I was also astonished at the prices in that part of New England. Transient rates for my 42' boat were over $100/night. Seasonal rates at a marina were better but still very expensive by my standards. 42' boat I found $700-$1000/month for the season, May 1 - Oct 31. I finally rented a mooring and paid $2500 for the season for a mooring 2 miles from the dinghy dock.

Oh wow! Well that definitely puts a damper on our plans. I noticed in a lot of my searches of how their seasons work. That's a big expense to have to move it, let alone figuring out where we'd stay during that time. Oh how I wish they would of sent us to Florida or Hawaii!!! Haha


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[Ansmith]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

It's spring.

It will be getting warmer.

How long ya gonna be there?

We will be there for at least 3 years.


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[accomplice]

While electric space heaters help take the chill off, I have found that even a few kW worth were unable to get the inside temps on my former 28'er above the upper 40s on the coldest, sub zero days.

I have spoken with several (Boston area) liveaboards who swear by diesel heat.

I met a diesel-heated liveaboard at a gas station a few miles from a marina. He was filling up jerry jugs with diesel to keep his boat warm. The harbor was frozen in and there was no way for him to take the short trip to the fuel dock (which I'm not sure was even open). Consider how you will refuel.

Travel around and visit marinas -- some will have a few hearty souls who liveaboard year around. Talk to them about it. Some things to consider are who's going to shovel the docks for you to get to your boat? (Ever walk down an icy dock heaving on the swells of a winter storm as high winds try to send you for a dunk?) Do you have a water maker? If not, most marinas shut off their water on the docks by November. What will you do for water? For waste? Don't count on a pumpout boat being available in the middle of winter. The probably exist in New England, but I've only seen docks with fixed waste attachments down south.

I have found in many parts of New England that in-the-water (wet) winter storage can be quite reasonably priced -- in contrast to the summer dockage.

[caradow]

Many years ago my girlfriend and I lived on my ketch for over a year here in CT.
Had a great time, used electric heaters, had the boat shrink wrapped, and used the marina showers and head in the winter. When inside the boat it was warm and very comfortable. You do get a lot of condensation in the winter months and it is necessary to place insulating foam (mat) under your bunks if you want to keep them dry.
Several marinas have an "official" no live aboard polices but apparently look the other way which I have personally witnessed.
HOWEVER I would strongly try to discourage you from doing it in the winter months especially with an infant!
Inside the boat is fine but walking on an icy dock can be absolutely treacherous. And this past winter was especially brutal with all the snow and low temperatures.
One option would be to live aboard in the spring summer and fall, then there are many seasonal beach cottages owners rent out quite reasonably for the winter months. Your family will be much happier and safe.
Good luck, this is a beautiful place to cruise but the winters suck.

[Pendragon35]

I lived in CT in Norwich, north of Groton, for 11 years. I've never lived aboard a boat. In a three year period, you have a good chance of getting at least one really bad winter. That means a lot of snow, ice, power outages. You would be living on a boat on stands: think of the up and down part in ice. Perhaps manageable by a young couple on their own. Definitely NOT something to do with an infant.

[TJ D]

Hi,

We spent some of this winter on board in Rhode Island, but we hauled the boat out in Mid-December, and moved back on board the first of March.

This past winter is probably a bad example, but I think that it would have been really, really miserable for a couple of months, and I'm glad we decided not to be here.

We have a pretty big hydronic diesel heater, so can keep the boat at 70 even if it's in the teens outside. Even with that system running we were battling condensation in a big way when temps outside were below freezing. Our boat's probably about average on the insulation front. Dehumidifiers do very little.

I guess that's the main issue, battling the moisture inside, assuming you can keep the boat warm. And, as others have mentioned, beware the icy docks. Falling off of one into the water could be seriously bad.

Also, you will be carrying water to the boat, and will have to shower somewhere other than on board (the moisture again). Pumpouts can also be a problem, so you might have to bundle up and hike up to the marina facility every time.

So, in summary, I think that it's fine to push the season pretty far beyond the norm on either end, but the dead of winter (especially if it's one like this year) you might find to be a bit much.

Of course, we might be wimpier than you, too!

Good luck!

TJ

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by Ansmith

Thank you for that! I'll have to look that place up and see if it will be near us. Everywhere I have searched online seems like there is no liveaboards. Was there a live aboard fee? We figured we will have a hard time finding a place to do it up there. The cold is a worry since we will have an infant.


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Not only the cold...but with an infant you have to be concerned even about things like walking on docks and climbing on and off of the boat with the baby in arms when there is ice on everything (and I do mean everything). You might look at S/V Smitty's blog about living aboard in winter in Boston, although they don't have a baby as an extra concern.