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Old 21-01-2021, 15:37   #61
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

Normally, I wouldn't bother. But, mine is stored in Alaska so wrapped it to shed the snow. In Seattle I may put a tarp over the boom, so I can work on it. Otherwise, I want it ready to sail, year around.
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Old 21-01-2021, 16:45   #62
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

Okay Mike, here's my pictures with metal/wood frame for canvas mostly assembled and then with her winter "blanket" tied down to keep her topsides protected from the degrading effects of sun and other elements for 6-7months. I use one of the halyards to hoist the canvas (est 130 lbs) on deck prior to leaving the marina for the season. Remove all items from down below (cushions, weather gear">foul weather gear, dishes, silverware, tools, line) while in my slip then remove all sails, sheets, safety gear (except EPIRB-no reason) when tied up at winter yard dock. Run anti-freeze thru all fresh water lines, head, and diesel raw water intake. Doneski!
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Old 21-01-2021, 17:51   #63
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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Originally Posted by pcmm View Post
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!
I'll second this. Again, no one at our club complains, and the plastic is dry when it's removed - we won't/can't recycle it if it's wet. As to burning the hulls? I've never heard of that problem... how does an installer stay in business if that happens?
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Old 21-01-2021, 18:26   #64
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Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

I’ve had several small boats shrink wrapped with success. I’ve built the pvc frame and covered with tarps with both success, and failure due to snow loads. I’ve had the wonderful conduit framed Fairclough canvas cover, lumping that really heavy canvas up a ladder. I’ve had an uncovered boat under the eave of a boat shed where the bilge and cockpit filled with ice and snow. That sucked.
All in eastern Massachusetts.
I’ve given up and now use indoor unheated storage. It costs more short term cash than covering the boat with either shrink wrap or canvas BUT I truly believe that the reduced wear and tear on the boat and woodwork is a long term savings.
None of these boats were stored mast up. The fairclough was cut so it could be used for in water mast up storage but I didn’t use it that way.
The pricing on the canvas cover was about a 7-10 year payback vs shrink wrap.
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Old 21-01-2021, 19:07   #65
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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Originally Posted by fireman182 View Post
Hey Guys,

I've been checking on my boat all winter and looking around at the boat yard and noticed not all boats shrink wrap. Mine included.

Looking for some opinions.

I have never wrapped my boat in anything. I haven't found any issues with it being exposed.

At $400 to $500 per season in plastic, plus the environmental impact of these huge single use plastic sheets (or $5000 in custom canvas) what are the benefits of covering your boat?
We had a full winter cover made for our boat (coated fabric like the taut-liner trucks use).

The cover has now seen some 72 months exposure to the elements, and by the time we manage to get back to our boat, that will be around 100 months, (the cover is very much giving us peace of mind at the moment with us being stuck in Australia, but the cover will be well-due due for replacement on our return).

So that's the equivalent of over eight years that our topsides have not been exposed to the elements, and our gelcoat (which we use LionProtect Gelcoat Sealer on), and our full teak decks (which we use Semco on) etc are still looking pretty well as new, and that's the way we want our boat to keep looking, despite the many miles and seasons she has seen in the Mediterranean sun - and hail and ice with possibly a bit of snow thrown in.

We paid less than EUR1500 for the cover (North Africa), and to replace it where we are in the Med at the moment it is going to be some EUR8500 (we may go for a sail to save on that ....), but even that, plus the 4 hours to remove and pack away each season start, along with the 8 hours to put back on and tie down at season end, we consider well worth while.

We just don't like the idea of our boat weathering in a yard when we are not using her.
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Old 21-01-2021, 19:23   #66
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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Originally Posted by Hoodsail View Post
Okay Mike, here's my pictures with metal/wood frame for canvas mostly assembled and then with her winter "blanket" tied down to keep her topsides protected from the degrading effects of sun and other elements for 6-7months. I use one of the halyards to hoist the canvas (est 130 lbs) on deck prior to leaving the marina for the season. Remove all items from down below (cushions, foul weather gear, dishes, silverware, tools, line) while in my slip then remove all sails, sheets, safety gear (except EPIRB-no reason) when tied up at winter yard dock. Run anti-freeze thru all fresh water lines, head, and diesel raw water intake. Doneski!

Looks great .
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Old 21-01-2021, 19:54   #67
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

Our 36' sailboat came with a cover from the prior owner (two actually, one for out of the water and one for in water), but a funky system of 2x4 boards for a frame that was heavy and a pain to assemble each year. We replaced it with a frame we made out of 3/4" EMT tubing, using a system from a company named "Kover Klamps" ( Kover Klamps Frames.com - Custom Boat Covers and Frames ), which we've found works very well. Easy to assemble in the fall and strike in the spring, comes with color coded labels to keep track of all the bits. Just need to buy a tubing bender to fabricate it the first time.
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Old 22-01-2021, 05:11   #68
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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Originally Posted by S/V Illusion View Post
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.
I asked the manufacturer of my sail boat if leaving it out during the winter through freeze and thaw cycles would hurt it.

He said no. UV and salt water will hurt it.

Ironically, the same 2 things that will destroy your vehicle. UV and road salt.

My dodge ram doesn't have any damage from freeze thaw cycles but the dash is taking a beating from the sun and the road salt is rusting the tail gate.

I'm still waiting for the elusive major damage. It seems more like folk lore at this point.
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Old 22-01-2021, 05:19   #69
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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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.
When I was boat shopping I found that nearly half the boats I looked at had rotted decks. From cheap boats to higher end turn key boats.

These boats all had winter covers.

I've re bed my deck hardware and they're dry as a bone. I drill out a one inch hole then fill it completely with fiberglass and resin. THEN put the deck screw back in.

Most owners don't do this. A more likely source of water intrusion is lack of maintenance
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Old 22-01-2021, 05:34   #70
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

What things will suffer from being uncovered in winter will vary depending on the boat. Some do a better job of keeping water away from stanchions and such than others (although deep snow buildup can still be a problem). And some have cockpit or deck drain designs that are more prone to freeze damage.
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Old 22-01-2021, 06:07   #71
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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If you are going to cover a boat in a snowy climate, plastic lets snow slide off the slick surface. Otherwise you may need more precautions. I learned that the hard way one winter when I covered my schooner with a tarpaulin and went traveling for a month. When I returned, snow, ice, and hundreds of pounds of rain water had made a pocket in the tarpaulin and collapsed the stainless steel boom gallows. Ouch! What a pain that was to repair. This year I bent 1/2 inch PVC pipes to make frames under the tarpaulin like an old covered wagon. And, of course, with the pandemic, I can get over to check on the boat almost daily. I still prefer a reusable tarpaulin ($100) to paying $300 a year for environmentally unfriendly plastic, though.
I think you could get away with PVC in the Chesapeake (but then I'm in the Chesapeake and don't see the need to cover my boat anyway). But anywhere that you get a combination of cold temps and snow load the PVC is going to get very brittle when cold and effectively shatter when exposed to any kind of load. If you do a search you'll see some stories of folks who've experienced this (https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ns-210346.html is one example).
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Old 22-01-2021, 07:08   #72
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

I did my own shrink wrap, and support system on our boat ! Gulfstar 37 !I take it off in the spring, roll it up, put in a dock type box at home where we keep the boat in the winter ! supports go in the garage ! I made the cover 4 yrs ago ! I bought a whole set for wrapping from a gent retiring, with the wrap, for $450, so I figure it has cost me $115 a year ! The wrap before that lasted us 8 yrs ! We live on Plum Island in North East Mass. The wind cranks steady around 25-30 most of the winter, with some days gusting to 50 ! I made the cover so I can remove and reinstall with out to much trouble ! Takes about 2 hours to put on, about an hour to take off ! The only thing a have found I have to replace every 3 yrs or so is the door ! As to why cover your boat as said before, it protects it ! If you have wood outside the harsh winter environment will do damage to the finish, never mind, the sealants. Also because the sun is 1.4 millions closer in our winter the uv does more damg to the gelcoat !
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Old 22-01-2021, 07:27   #73
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

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Originally Posted by fireman182 View Post
You sold me on the canvas. lol. Short term pain for long term gain.

Just not in the budget right now. Maybe the Toronto virtual boat show will have some deals
When you do do it get the tarp in 3 pieces. A lot easier to move around and stow. Genco made ours also about 12 years ago. had it made to use the boom and spin pole as ridge poles. made up a post to fit the mast partner with a couple of eye bolts to hold the ends of the poles other ends were rested on pulpit and an a frame fastened to the binnacle. Can use it with mast up or down and stores in a rope locker or lazzerate. Think it was about 2,000.
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Old 29-01-2021, 04:50   #74
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

Nope. Never covered my boats either. Found it to be silly and wasteful. I'm in Newfoundland and the winter winds make short work of even the best tarps. All types of wraps are simply extra windage and put more stress on the stands and cribbage. This is not to mention the damage I've seen from the cordage used to keep some of the wrappings in place. Once they start to shred in the aforementioned wind grommets and such simply scar the hull.
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Old 29-01-2021, 05:02   #75
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Re: Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

I shrink wrap my boat for two reasons. 1) It protects the boat from the freeze/thaw cycles. 2) I live in southwestern ontario where airborne pollution is still a problem. If I didn't cover the boat, there would be a thin black coating on the gel coat that is difficult to remove.
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