Long Term Sailboat Storage On Land

[ztsf]

I'm considering a move out of the country that would require storing my boat for an extended period on land - some 3 to 5 years.

Currently I'm hauled and winterized in Rhode Island. The boat is on jack stands and has a framed Mills canvass cover that comes to the deck toe-rail and laces on.

Boat has fresh oil, filters, and two full tanks of diesel (90 gals each). Water systems are drained and winterized, Engine and gen set are winterized with -100F pink.

The boat also has a Superwind wind gen and two 3' x 3' solar panels, that keep the seven (7), 8D batteries (2011) topped up when on land. Batteries are AGM.

The boat will be kept at a reputable marina/yard, and I would anticipate having them periodically inspect the boat (monthly/quarterly). I also have friends in the area, and can visit it myself at least once per year.

Currently the mast is stepped., hull is Awlgripped, bottom is freshly painted with Interlux ablative.

Can anyone comment on what additional steps I should take with systems and rigging, or point me in the direction of written information on the subject? Not sure what additional steps to take with the engine/gen set - (anti-corrosive additives, periodically turning it them over), rigging (leave stepped or unstep), fuel - leave aboard or pump out, reposition jackstands periodically. Stuff like that.

[sailormed]

Where are your sails? Rigged? I would remove them and put in dry storage.
Same for all the lines.
To prevent mold, install an ozone generator on a timer in your boat.

[Tetepare]

Have a cradle built so you don't worry about jackstands and store it indoors. You can always re-use the cradle, so that's a good investment anyway.

Keeping in mind that the boat will depreciate during those years, particularly if stored outdoors, it may be best to sell it. Sorry.

Also, 3-5 years may take you in a new direction. This also says sell. Sorry.

Think of it this way: cradle $2k, storage $12k- $20k. That's $14k to $22k, plus depreciation. That's a good amount of cash that can be invested and readied for another boat when the time comes.

[ztsf]

Thank you for your input!

[UNCIVILIZED]

As previously noted, the depreciation thing is real. And boats accumulate wear, whether they're used or not. Enough so that I've had friends lease or lend out their vessels to their best mates while they were gone. Knowing that their friends would well care for her. And sometimes only stipulating that the "cost" of the lend/lease was to keep up on the maintenance, along with perhaps splitting the cost of say a new mainsail, or rigging wire (wire only, no professional labor, & she had mechanical terminals), when the owner's returned.

It worked out quite well, for all involved. So if you've some trusted sailing friends currently lacking a boat... One's that won't use her so much as to put major wear on anything.

For example, in my early 20's, a couple of decades back, when one of my mates was on his first 6-month deployment, it was my "job" to look after a mate's classic, custom tuned, E-type Jaguar. Driving it a couple of times a month, checking the tires & running gear, doing oil changes etc.

A chore which I obviously adored having. And it freed up his wife to run other, more important, household matters. Which, I, & a few other "family", groomsmen from the wedding, Annapolis classmates, etc. Looked after her & the family as well. Including when she was pregnant, & later, our nephews, & niece.

Anyway, it's an option. Especially if it's a boat that's seriously worth hanging on to, & you've good mates.

Originally Posted by ztsf

I'm considering a move out of the country that would require storing my boat for an extended period on land - some 3 to 5 years.

Currently I'm hauled and winterized in Rhode Island. The boat is on jack stands and has a framed Mills canvass cover that comes to the deck toe-rail and laces on.
How well does the cover deal with accumulations of snow & ice? Meaning is it tested, including having been left to care for itself over a harsh winter?
And is there anywhere onboard that ice could accumulate, thaw, & then refreeze, thus causing issues? Cockpit drains clogged with leaves suck in this regard!

Have the bilges & cockpit regularly checked for standing water, along with drain clogs.

Boat has fresh oil, filters, and two full tanks of diesel (90 gals each). Water systems are drained and winterized, Engine and gen set are winterized with -100F pink.
Fog the cylinders with a corrosion preventative. Add biocide to the fuel, so that it grows less sludge. Clean the engine so that there's no salt water, or salt water residue on it anywhere. And fog the key bits with corrosion block.

NOTE: Clean the engine properly, meaning don't get water anywhere near the electrics, or the air intake, etc. There's a thread or two on here on how to do such. And doing it wrong can lead to BIG problems.

Decouple the transmission from the prop shaft, as the boat will change shape on the hard. Which could stress this connection, & or, the engine mounts.

The boat also has a Superwind wind gen and two 3' x 3' solar panels, that keep the seven (7), 8D batteries (2011) topped up when on land. Batteries are AGM.
Might this be a recipe for overcharging? Since there will be little to no load on the batteries. Most likely one panel would keep them topped up. And it'd also save you wear on the wind gen. Do the math on this one. As you can always have someone hook up a shore charger for a bit if they need a bit extra. It'd probably be a better option than cooking them.
Also, get them to regularly check the battery fluid levels.

The boat will be kept at a reputable marina/yard, and I would anticipate having them periodically inspect the boat (monthly/quarterly). I also have friends in the area, and can visit it myself at least once per year.
Put this in writing, especially for the marina's responsibilities. Including when to call you if there's an issue. That or an unusually severe storm 3 days away, etc. Snow, wind, or wave (Hurricane surge, or flooding from rains/snow melt).

Currently the mast is stepped., hull is Awlgripped, bottom is freshly painted with Interlux ablative.
Pull the spar, & stow it properly, with more supports than you'd think necessary. Since even small long term bends are bad for mast tubes.
And I say to pull it, as the vibrations cause by wind in the rigging contribute to the work hardening, & crystallization of her standing rigging & their fittings.

First though, measure all of your turnbuckle settings with a micrometer. And check & record your stay tensions with a Loos gauge. Then label all of your rigging wires as to what they are prior to pulling the stick. And you may wish to stow the rigging wires somewhere safe, indoors, to save wear & tear on them. Remove the windex, & your wind instrument wand/sensor too.

Also, remove all of the running rigging from it, & replace the halyards with 5mm cord. It costs $0.10/ft, & given that every halyard & reefing line should have a Reeving Splice in it's tail end. It then takes but 3 min to remove a halyard for inspection or replacement. In this case with 5mm leader cord.
Which is also good practice if you'll not be using the boat for anything more than say 2 weeks, as it saves a lot of chafe & UV wear on your running rigging. Including the jib sheets on the furler, etc. It adds Years to your halyards, etc. And is standard practice on a lot of racing boats for that reason.
Samson Solid Braid Nylon Rope

Can anyone comment on what additional steps I should take with systems and rigging, or point me in the direction of written information on the subject? Not sure what additional steps to take with the engine/gen set - (anti-corrosive additives, periodically turning it them over), rigging (leave stepped or unstep), fuel - leave aboard or pump out, reposition jackstands periodically. Stuff like that.

Take everything off of the boat that you can, even her electronics as much as possible. And stow them somewhere safe & dry. Putting plenty of mouse repellants in with/around the sails, cushions, canvas, & running rigging. Such as multiple old socks partially filled with moth balls. And you may wish to put some of this/these on the boat as well.
Renew with some regularity, as they work by sublimation.

It goes without saying to pull all of the food off of her. Charts too. Personal kit, linens... And if you're in an area prone to bugs, particularly roaches, take appropriate measures. Also remove, & stow off ship, any tied or shackled in place blocks & hardware, winch handles, etc. Plus most of your good rum Gotta' leave a little onboard for emergencies

One other thing is that on rare occasions, batteries will develop a short circiut in one cell, thus sparking a fire. So some folks remove their batteries for long term layup periods. Leaving them on a float charger somewhere on land.

EDIT: Add bio-safe antifreeze to the bilges, your fresh water tanks & setup, ditto the heat & holding tank. Disconnect bilge pumps that are hard wired into the batteries, ditto the VHF. Add screens to Dorades, etc. to prevent bugs such as wasps.

DO NOT shrink wrap the boat's topsides, nor have plastic snugly up against her topsides or deck paint. It'll wind up ruining it. And of course, long term canvas contact plus wind equals abrasion. Probably some moisture retention too, which would spook me a bit on a $10,000 paint job. Especially the tiny bits of ice which can also form in it.

The plastic wrap thing applies to the spar too. And be sure to use plenty of non-abrasive padding on any saw horses. Where the mast rests on them, & on their feet if they're on deck.

[a64pilot]

On the engine, fog the cylinders, I'd disconnect the exhaust hose and cover the exhaust with tin foil to prevent any moisture from getting in, same for intake, and I'd use this oil.
It's a preservative oil meant to preserve aircraft engines for years, you drain your oil, fill with this oil and run the engine just a minute or two.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...clickkey=25736

Of course do the oil first, then the other steps and the engine ought to remain good for many years

[robert sailor]

Second the engine pickling. If your going to leave your batteries in place make sure they are kept charged and have a friend check and top off the water every couple of months. I would also hang some sun packs around to ensure your boat is kept mold free. Putting tin foil over the ports can keep the inside temps down in the summer and stop uv from wrecking interior finishes. Cover your hatches as well for the same reason. Remove sails and try to protect your running rigging, there are different ways to do this. Wipe down all the teak interior with vinegar before you leave as this will kill any mildew or mold spores. Apply heavy grease to the tops of the metal stands to keep bugs out. Remove all your canvas work and build a cover that goes from stem to stern, try to make it so the edges go over the lifelines so rain/snow is kept off the deck. If your area has lots of snow then you'll need a steep pitch and reinforcing. Cheers, R

[JPA Cate]

I'll only add to make sure all the exterior teak is covered, and at 3-5 years, that'll be clean it thoroughly, 2 coats of varnish and one coat paint. When you come back to it, It'll all come off with a heat gun, meanwhile the varnish seals the teak and the paint protects the varnish.

Ann

[Zach]

Add a garboard drain plug down in the keel to keep the bilge dry.

[gjordan]

The point about a garboard drain is important. I left my boat for 6 months in Antigua and left the lowest seacock open in case water got in. Batteries were ashore. While I was gone my insurance company sent a surveyor down to inspect the boat. He put the hose back on the seacock without saying anything and sure enough, a deck scupper went bad. Instead of a little water in the bilge, I had $20,000 worth of interior damage. It was the first time in my life that I had to use a lawyer, but the insurance company finally paid up. A bilge drain is important, but leave large signs in case an insurance company expert tries to help you. Just my 2 cents worth. ____Grant.

[Don C L]

I may have missed it but I'll just add to be sure the keel is on solid ground. I saw a boat once that had been set on a soft spot. The keel settled in but the jackstands didn't and caused a lot of damage to the hull.

[Island Time O25]

Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation!!! If you trust your canvas cover open the hatches and ports if not all of them at least some fore and aft so that there is some decent air circulation. I find those little air fans built-in into the hatch glass to be less useful than an open hatch. And of course mesh screens to keep the critters out. Although the screens do cut down on air circulation considerably. In any event a frequent look-see will be required (every 2-3 months?) especially before and after named storms.

This advice was given to me long time ago by a boatbuilder-NA friend with 300+ boats built in his 45+ year career. He is not a proponent of air tight storage methods as he says that condensation from temp. swings will eventually lead to mold, mildew, etc. I have to say that my personal experience with this issue in 10+ years of boat ownership echoes his advice.

Also the issue of the cover's age will become more important due to the 24/7 use. Assuming it is a fairly newish cover ater 3-5 years of being up and exposed to the elements it will be at its useful life's end certainly by 5th year, if not sooner. I just talked to the canvas maker the other day getting a quote for a cockpit enclosure and he mentioned 3-5 years useful life in Florida and 5-7 seasons in New England, may be a few more if the care is good. Meaning that for the 24/7 exposed cover, especially in New England, 4-5 years would be the extent of the useful life after which time the protection would become iffy. We discussed the issue of chafe at length as the proposed enclosure would have to avoid some spots on my home built hard top where the chafe would be most likely. He says it is not just the sun but also the chafe which kills canvas and since most boats are kept and stored near the water there is always more wind to consider than even a few miles inland.

[Zach]

Idea...

If you know you are going to be gone 3-5 years, why not seek out an indoor covered space, maybe a warehouse where they store RVs?

Around here it is $600 to $1000 to have a hydraulic trailer move the boat each way. A couple seasons worth of yard rent, to get it moved, but the potential for wear and tear goes down a lot!

No Rain, no wind... no sun...

Zach

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by Zach

Idea...

If you know you are going to be gone 3-5 years, why not seek out an indoor covered space, maybe a warehouse where they store RVs?

Around here it is $600 to $1000 to have a hydraulic trailer move the boat each way. A couple seasons worth of yard rent, to get it moved, but the potential for wear and tear goes down a lot!

No Rain, no wind... no sun...

Zach

I know where I'm storing my boat long term! Even up here in Canada $600-$1000 wouldn't even cover half of one season's storage!