Life Aboard a (Very) Small Sailboat in Scandinavia

[KillerBoo]

here we are again..: First time this season for the temp to drop below freezing point. Frost on the sprayhood. Frost on the main sail cover and slippery on deck. Nevertheless, had a beautiful day sailing, even though it might not be more than a month or so left of the season. Engine is a bit cranky the first few attempts to start it for the day but at these temp´s it´s understandable.

I´ll be taking aboard some stuff needed for the winter next weekend, such as LPG heater, winter gear etc. Last fall I was looking forward to the winter in some masochistic kinda way.. but now I´m just as bored and fed up with winter as all the previous years not living aboard

[aegean adrift]

What happened with your guest?
Grebe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

Last fall I was looking forward to the winter in some masochistic kinda way.. but now I´m just as bored and fed up with winter as all the previous years not living aboard

It might be time to head south and explore some new fishing grounds?

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by aegean adrift

What happened with your guest?
Grebe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I released him when the ice was about to break. He stayed around a while tapping the hull every now and then, looking for a "snack" Then one morning he was gone. Didn´t even bother to pay the rent hehe.

It´s one of the things that makes living on the boat so satisfying: You get close to the nature, even when not being out sailing.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

It might be time to head south and explore some new fishing grounds?

I´m actually looking into the possibilities already Just need to make a few more $ first. Unfortunately, that usually involves work, and after having worked for a while I tend to use the cash to comfort myself after having to work and then much of the savings will be goooone.. it´s an ever lasting evil circle hehe

[zeehag]

you are doing great! those snow shots made me shivver just looking at them! good pix-- keep up the good work..

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by zeehag

you are doing great! those snow shots made me shivver just looking at them! good pix-- keep up the good work..

Tyvm.
Unfortunately, in Sweden there are plenty of opportunities to take a few snowy pics brrrrrr

[PatrickS]

How do you orient your water pump that keeps the ice free around your boat? Is it moving the surface water, or is it pulling warmer water up from closer to the bottom, where it is warmer?

I'm considering doing something similar here in Finland and am very interested in the pump you're using and how you have installed it.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by PatrickS

How do you orient your water pump that keeps the ice free around your boat? Is it moving the surface water, or is it pulling warmer water up from closer to the bottom, where it is warmer?

I'm considering doing something similar here in Finland and am very interested in the pump you're using and how you have installed it.

I placed it "standing up" on a pole using strap ties and duct tape. Then submerged until the pump was about half a metre from the bottom and secured the pole to the push pit at the aft. The outlet pointing upwards as shown in the picture. It pumped the warmer water up towards the surface and so kept a rather big area open

[PatrickS]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

I placed it "standing up" on a pole using strap ties and duct tape. Then submerged until the pump was about half a metre from the bottom and secured the pole to the push pit at the aft. The outlet pointing upwards as shown in the picture. It pumped the warmer water up towards the surface and so kept a rather big area open

OK. Great. I like to see a proven solution with something affordable rather than the frighteningly expensive pumps designed for that purpose.

I may go with a pair of smaller pumps, one at each end, so if (or when) the cheap pumps fail, there will remain at least one working while I swap out the other. Ice tends to be a bit thicker and last a bit longer in this area of the Baltic than where you are at.

I may also just mount them to a short pole attached to a cement block and let them sit right on the bottom like an anchor (it's only about 3m deep where my slip is, so the closer to the bottom the better).

Cheers.

[PatrickS]

Funny. Went to the Biltema web site to price them, and there it was. The very same pump ;-)

I could go through ten or more of those for the same price as the purpose-built pump.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by PatrickS

OK. Great. I like to see a proven solution with something affordable rather than the frighteningly expensive pumps designed for that purpose.

I may go with a pair of smaller pumps, one at each end, so if (or when) the cheap pumps fail, there will remain at least one working while I swap out the other. Ice tends to be a bit thicker and last a bit longer in this area of the Baltic than where you are at.

I may also just mount them to a short pole attached to a cement block and let them sit right on the bottom like an anchor (it's only about 3m deep where my slip is, so the closer to the bottom the better).

Cheers.

Yes, me too. Why pay dearly for something that really can be substituted with something at a fraction of the price tag says.
As they are cheap, I´d absolutely advise you to get 2 of them. However, no need to use both simultaneously. One alone will make for a pool around 10-15 metres in diameter and as long as you dont plan on sailing in it, that would be sufficient. If it fails, then the ice wont get very thick just over a day or 2 anyway. Get 2, swap when the 1st fails and replace on warranty
As for the ice not getting thick around here.. I´m not in the Baltic... I´m in a freshwater "inland sea" called Lake Vänern. The ice gets "a bit" thicker than you might think. Around my boat, along the edges of the open water pool I created it was no more than a decimeter or so, but 10 meters away it was between 50 and 70 cm thick.. I´d say that if I can manage to keep open water on one pump in those conditions you could too, even if you get a metre of ice.

oc you could attach the pole to a cement block, but imho it´s an overkill. If you use a 3 metre pole you´ll be just fine attaching it to your boats push pit.

EDIT: DO NOT put the pump too close to the bottom. It will suck in a lot of mud and other stuff you don´t want to get inside the pump. 0.5 metres or so is sufficient

[PatrickS]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

Yes, me too. Why pay dearly for something that really can be substituted with something at a fraction of the price tag says.
As they are cheap, I´d absolutely advise you to get 2 of them. However, no need to use both simultaneously. One alone will make for a pool around 10-15 metres in diameter and as long as you dont plan on sailing in it, that would be sufficient. If it fails, then the ice wont get very thick just over a day or 2 anyway. Get 2, swap when the 1st fails and replace on warranty
As for the ice not getting thick around here.. I´m not in the Baltic... I´m in a freshwater "inland sea" called Lake Vänern. The ice gets "a bit" thicker than you might think. Around my boat, along the edges of the open water pool I created it was no more than a decimeter or so, but 10 meters away it was between 50 and 70 cm thick.. I´d say that if I can manage to keep open water on one pump in those conditions you could too, even if you get a metre of ice.

oc you could attach the pole to a cement block, but imho it´s an overkill. If you use a 3 metre pole you´ll be just fine attaching it to your boats push pit.

EDIT: DO NOT put the pump too close to the bottom. It will suck in a lot of mud and other stuff you don´t want to get inside the pump. 0.5 metres or so is sufficient

Thanks. I think I may get one to test this winter, even though the boat will be on the hard, to verify that it will work as needed.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by PatrickS

Funny. Went to the Biltema web site to price them, and there it was. The very same pump ;-)

I could go through ten or more of those for the same price as the purpose-built pump.

Haha, I was actually going to suggest you try Biltema if they reside in Finland too. I took the pic from their swedish website, but got mine (exactly same pump) from Clas Ohlson.. maybe they too have stores in Fin..?
And ye, you really can get a lot of those pumps for the same money a pro de-icer will set you back. Get 10 and it will last you 5 years at least. Get one pro de-icer and you can bet your a$$ it fails the day after the warranty expires...

[PatrickS]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

Haha, I was actually going to suggest you try Biltema if they reside in Finland too. I took the pic from their swedish website, but got mine (exactly same pump) from Clas Ohlson.. maybe they too have stores in Fin..?
And ye, you really can get a lot of those pumps for the same money a pro de-icer will set you back. Get 10 and it will last you 5 years at least. Get one pro de-icer and you can bet your a$$ it fails the day after the warranty expires...

Yes, we also have Clas Ohlson here. I'll see which is cheapest.

I'm curious what the legal status is regarding liveaboards in Sweden. Technically, it's not allowed in Finland, though there are activists working on getting that changed. It's necessary to be very low key and have some other 'normal' mailing address that is your official residence, etc.

Is your slip at the marina your official address, or do you also have to pretend to live somewhere else?