So hot!

[mjsmjsb]

I've been in Florida and the South for 25 years and 75 is now jacket weather. After 45 years in the North (VT) / MA / PA. cool is below 80.

[MicHughV]

I gotta go with CarlF...awnings.....I sewed up awnings that cover the deck from stem to stern..simple to make....simple to setup.....worth their weight in gold...the awnings and a nice breeze is all you need...nice thing about awnings, you can keep the companionway and other hatches open when it rains...

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I gotta go with CarlF...awnings.....I sewed up awnings that cover the deck from stem to stern..simple to make....simple to setup.....worth their weight in gold...the awnings and a nice breeze is all you need...nice thing about awnings, you can keep the companionway and other hatches open when it rains...

What do you do when it is raining and the wind has kicked up pretty good? Awnings can be a bit tenuous in such conditions.

[EngineerRetired]

The older you get the more you like the heat. Don't ask how I know this...

[Howler]

Stay wet, stay in the shade and have lots of fans in your cabin. They barely draw on your batteries. Or get rechargeable lithium-ion clip-on fans.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by EngineerRetired

The older you get the more you like the heat. Don't ask how I know this...

One of the primary ways humans control their body temperature is to expand or contract blood vessels in the skin.

As you get older, they get stretched out and don't contract very well, so you are always pumping warm blood to the surface and cooling you. On the other hand, younger people's vessels contract and conserve heat.

Back to the original subject: Yes, you can survive and acclimate to heat to a degree...but if you don't have to, why be miserable.

Shade and a breeze can help but when it's hot and humid, it's still uncomfortable.

[R Hutcheson]

Marinas/docks tend to be miserable in the summer. As others have said air flow at anchor is key. I've used the following strategies with success. Aboard a Catalina 22 at a dock during the summer, I would go swimming right before bed to cool off. Instead of toweling off, I just dried naturally in the cockpit. This lowers your body temperature significantly, and helps you get to sleep. I also ran an extension cord to a 20" box fan below deck. That moves a lot of air in a 22 footer.

On a 28' in the islands, to boost airflow, I would anchor, then walk the anchor rode (rope not chain) to an aft cleat, and secure it with a sacrificial line and a rolling hitch at the rode. In the event the weather gets rough simply throw off the sacrificial line and the boat rotates and hangs off the bow. The combination of the dodger and open companionway allows a lot of airflow. Also, I would shower right before bed, and again, dry off naturally. Fans at the berth also helped with airflow. I would frequently wake up cold at night even in July. You'll also meet a lot of people who are curious as to why your boat is facing the direction it is.

Eventually I installed a small AC unit in the boat. I found room by installing the unit on an existing shelf in the aft stateroom and building a cabinet around it. This solved the dockside problem, and installing a soft start to the system allowed me to occasionally run it at anchor on a Honda 2000 portable generator. Great when there is no wind and the bugs are out. Suspending the generator with black tie down straps and tying it off so it didn't swing, got the exhaust fumes away from the boat and solved the vibration issue.

Good luck!

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by R Hutcheson

On a 28' in the islands, to boost airflow, I would anchor, then walk the anchor rode (rope not chain) to an aft cleat, and secure it with a sacrificial line and a rolling hitch at the rode. In the event the weather gets rough simply throw off the sacrificial line and the boat rotates and hangs off the bow. The combination of the dodger and open companionway allows a lot of airflow. Also, I would shower right before bed, and again, dry off naturally. Fans at the berth also helped with airflow. I would frequently wake up cold at night even in July. You'll also meet a lot of people who are curious as to why your boat is facing the direction it is.

Interesting. Would it be safe to assume that she swings more at anchor when stern to the wind?

[R Hutcheson]

Originally Posted by lestersails

Interesting. Would it be safe to assume that she swings more at anchor when stern to the wind?

On that particular boat. Surprisingly no. It was a Precision 28, she always danced all over the place when anchored of the bow. Anchored off the stern cleat she was completely stable at a slight angle to the wind.

[Canuck_123]

I have a 32' sailboat in Toronto and another slightly bigger one in Florida / Bahamas. If the past 2 weeks in Toronto with the multiple heat warnings are what inspired your question, then I wouldn't worry. It's definitely been hotter and more humid here than what I experienced the past 2 years in the Bahamas Jan to May.
Also as others noted, we tend to stay in marinas on Lake Ontario whereas in the Bahamas I was always at anchor which makes a huge difference. More breeze and since the bow will be to the wind you'll catch more of it with the hatches open.
I also have a bimini, dodger, and connector and this year added mesh side curtains which provide shade while allowing some wind through. That was a great purchase.

[rslifkin]

Boats that sail at anchor due to too much windage forward will often be more stable anchored backwards (although there are plenty of downsides to doing this).

[MicHughV]

my awnings are supported by 1" dia. pvc pipes that go across the awning, ie, perpendicular to the boat. I have a pvc pipe about every 18" or so.....the awning has grommets pressed into the fabric at each pipe location, which has been reinforced with several layers of canvas, and is fastened to the pipe with some 3/8" rope, I made a hole at the end of each pipe...and the rope is threaded thru' this hole, underneath the hole I put a stopper knot, and left about a 24' tail, which is tied of the lifelines, the mast, etc...the pvc pipes are quite stiff, but takes a bend going over the mast, so the awning has a parabolic shape....the awning from bow to mast, also has the pvc pipes, but these taper down to accommodate the shape of the bow.

in essence, the awning is supported about every 18" or so. In really heavy wind it will flop around a bit, but stays put....I've never had a problem......when I want to go, I simple roll the awnings up and they get stashed along deck, adjacent to bottom of the stanchions where they are fastened.

I went to my local Walmart, bought a relatively inexpensive sewing machine, ordered some Sunbrella fabric and went to work, but you can get a canvas shop to fabricate them to your specifications.

Hope that helps....

[alaskanviking]

Originally Posted by Emoyeni

Hello, I have been enjoying my first season on Lake Ontario with my C&C 30 sailboat. I had inclinations to take this boat down to the Carribean when I first bought it, but I am astounded just how hot and uncomfortable it can be to hang out on this boat in the summer, even in temps ranging from the 20's-30's Celsius, humidity in the 70's.

For those who spend much time in the Carribean, how do you deal with the heat? Is a Carribean winter even more unbearable vs what I'm experiencing here in Canada's summer?

insulate your overhead! I have teak decks and it really sucks up the heat and puts it in the cabin. i also have a pilothouse with big windows, so that upper area is really warm.

inside temps are about 10-15 degrees hotter than outside, even with hatches open and fans going. the upper pilothouse areas is hotter still

insulation is critical. the best quality foam insulation you can get the better. big differences in interior temps even with the foil covered bubble wrap stuff

[merrydolphin]

My last boat had 15 opening ports, 2 companionways (center cockpit) and opening hatches. We were in the Caribbean for nearly 10 yrs and never used or had air conditioning. You don’t need ac down there but you do need good ventilation. We it got hotter and less breezy in the late summer we also tented as much of the boat as possible. A bow tent down low and main boom tent and a one over cockpit and aft cabin. Makes a huge difference. But ventilation a must.

[donradcliffe]

I sailed in the tropics for years, and was comfortable with awinings, windscoops, and fans. After 2 days in Singapore, I bought a window air conditioner, and used it in marinas until I left SE Asia.