Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

[fireman182]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I stopped covering my boat (up near Boston) anD even stopped taking the sails off during the winter. Nothing bad happened!

Thats been my experience so far. I don't Boston and Toronto are too different in terms of climate and winters

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by EarlWer

What about car snow shelters? They would just have to be made higher, perhaps an extra set of legs. They are available in multiple lengths.

I'm going to say not heavy duty enough. Brother-in-law put one up at the cabin a couple years ago for his 17' fishing boat. Snow load collapsed it. Granted, we are not up there a lot in the winter so no one was checking it.

In addition to height, boats also tend to be a lot wider than cars so modifying one would be more trouble than it's worth IMO.

[fireman182]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

I guarantee you there has been damage done to your boat as a result of not covering it which you don’t know about or haven’t yet found.

I'm not saying you're wrong but how bad is the damage if in 10 plus years of no cover, issues are still not found ?

At worst I can see having to re bed a few deck mounted grab rails, which most owners don't do anyways.

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I stopped covering my boat (up near Boston) anD even stopped taking the sails off during the winter. Nothing bad happened!

"[N]othing bad happened"

Yet... or that you know of?

[fireman182]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

$120 for shrink wrap that goes in the recycling bin in spring
$200 for the propane gun in 1994
and we can get creative

My pal Cuddy was the model for this effort

As a surveyor, have you seen first hand real damage from un covered boats due to winter?

I don't mean neglected or abandoned boats. Like I said earlier the most expensive boat in our yard doesn't have any cover and yet the tanzer 22 does.

Thoughts?

[Scorpius]

I would think that, with shrink wrap, you'd have to be really careful to ensure adequate ventilation. I can just envision coming back to a mold greenhouse in the spring. I just throw a couple of plastic tarps over a couple of areas. Having no bright work to protect is a godsend.

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by fireman182

I'm not saying you're wrong but how bad is the damage if in 10 plus years of no cover, issues are still not found ?

Real bad. I had a 27' Hunter Cherubini, bought it sight unseen (my bad), off eBay. (Good news was... I paid very little for it.) Turns out, the boat had a wet core. Didn't realize how bad until, a few years after I bought it, the mast suddenly tipped forward about 10". An 18" crack, 3/4" deep formed in front of the step and the cabin top was collapsing because the core underneath was mulch. Fortunately, I sail a 'small' lake in Wisconsin (Winnebago - 30 miles long, about 7 wide) and never had her out in a bad blow. Otherwise? I could have been dismasted. I did attempt repair, but when I determined the extent of the wet core I scrapped the boat.

I've also seen first hand (and helped fix) where the core rotted around the base of the lifeline stanchion. During a tack a crew member fell against and grabbed the the lifeline; the nearest stanchion ripped out at the base; the crewman went overboard; he got tangled in the mess; he also struck his head in the fall (scalp wounds are extremely messy, but you probably know that) and another crew member had to go over the side and assist. The injuries were bad enough we called the Sheriff's boat to come and take him ashore. EMT's transported to ER. 17 stitches for the scalp lac, concussion and overnight observation. The next day we pulled the other stanchions to check and found they all had core rot. The owner never covered the boat, said he never saw any leaks inside and thought everything was fine.

Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there.

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

I would think that, with shrink wrap, you'd have to be really careful to ensure adequate ventilation. I can just envision coming back to a mold greenhouse in the spring. I just throw a couple of plastic tarps over a couple of areas. Having no bright work to protect is a godsend.

The professionals put vents in, presumably to prevent condensation issues. Also, have never heard anyone at our club who shrink wraps complain (we're a small club so, if anyone had issues everybody hears about it.) I also help in spring when we uncover and have never seen evidence of mold/mildew issues. Now inside the boat...

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by EarlWer

What about car snow shelters? They would just have to be made higher, perhaps an extra set of legs. They are available in multiple lengths.
We have lots of these in Quebec. They seem rugged enough to stay in place and cover a boat. They would have to be anchored into the ground, etc...
This is the 4th or 5th year with the same shelter and frame for our cars...

There's a guy in the yard here that has a HD steel frame / plastic cover over-sized garage he uses to cover his ~35' trawler. After the boat is hauled and blocked, the travel lift, with slings removed, is used to lift the structure over the boat where it's footings are then supported by 12' 4 x 4's up to deck level and stabilized by brackets to the stantions. Then the whole thing is tied down to 1000# concrete blocks. It seems to work. It's been used for about three years now. We get some pretty serious winds and it's not blown over yet. You've got to love back woods ingenuity!

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

The professionals put vents in, presumably to prevent condensation issues. Also, have never heard anyone at our club who shrink wraps complain (we're a small club so, if anyone had issues everybody hears about it.) I also help in spring when we uncover and have never seen evidence of mold/mildew issues. Now inside the boat...

I was actually talking about inside the boat.

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

I was actually talking about inside the boat.

Moisture inside can be an issue whether you cover or not. My boat collected so much water in the bilge over the winter I put in a garboard/bilge drain and left it open. It never froze shut but always had an icicle. As my boat was always covered the only explanation was condensation forming inside the glass hull. I left my hatches open and it helps, but there was always some mildew come spring. Many of us wanted to run fans over the winter but the club felt it was too great a fire hazard.

Fwiw the last few years I have been storing my latest boat inside a unheated shed, out of the weather and sun, she's dry as a bone.

[Boatwright]

2 big problems I've seen with shrink-wrap:

1) The build-up of moisture inside. I know about the vents available -- they don't work. If you want a mildewed cabin come spring there is no better plan than shrink-wrap.

2) Several boats I know about, including one I used to own have had blistered, or burned hull finishes from careless use of the flame gun. Good luck placing a claim against "Dock Rat We Do Shrinkwrap" - no insurance, no business license, etc..

We have a cold, snowy winter here, so covering is needed. Most around here are no longer using the wrap, but tent the boat with a tarp open at the ends.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by fireman182

I'm not saying you're wrong but how bad is the damage if in 10 plus years of no cover, issues are still not found ?

At worst I can see having to re bed a few deck mounted grab rails, which most owners don't do anyways.

Like the old joke about the guy who jumps off a 10 story building heard saying, as he passes floors 9 -2, so far, so good.

To state the obvious, Moisture/water will seep into any crevice/crack, opening, confined space, void, etc... and expand when it freezes. The damage is both insidious and inevitable. You do that math.

Lots of people don’t cover their boat because they think it saves them money. The reason is always about money. False economy but your choice.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by fireman182

As a surveyor, have you seen first hand real damage from un covered boats due to winter?

I don't mean neglected or abandoned boats. Like I said earlier the most expensive boat in our yard doesn't have any cover and yet the tanzer 22 does.

Thoughts?

I kept the boat shown below in Wiarton one winter (93-94 I think ?). When I went back up to do some work the side decks were full of ice to the gunnels (approx' 24" deep from the front of the pilot house to transom) There was a tremendous amount of damage. I've never left a boat uncovered since.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by Boatwright

2 big problems I've seen with shrink-wrap:

1) The build-up of moisture inside. I know about the vents available -- they don't work. If you want a mildewed cabin come spring there is no better plan than shrink-wrap.

2) Several boats I know about, including one I used to own have had blistered, or burned hull finishes from careless use of the flame gun. Good luck placing a claim against "Dock Rat We Do Shrinkwrap" - no insurance, no business license, etc..

We have a cold, snowy winter here, so covering is needed. Most around here are no longer using the wrap, but tent the boat with a tarp open at the ends.

Vents do work . as long as they are installed. Burned hulls isn't a shrink wrap problem its a careless operator issue. Sounds like your area suffered from some really careless applicators. If shrink wrappnig caused the issues above regularly it wouldn't be so popular an option!