Living Aboard in the Winter

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Capt. lulz

Oh, now that I think of it, would it be a good idea to instead of using a fridge inside where it's hot, put your food in some sort of container outside in the winter?

Thats what I did last winter when I was on the boat..worked great for the week end ,wouldnt eat or drink anything if we forgot and left it all week and returned the next weekend..you never know what some people consider to be funny...!DVC

[Capt. lulz]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

you never know what some people consider to be funny...!DVC

I live in a place where there's no reason to trust anyone for anything. I need everything to be locked in some way.

I felt uncomfortable leaving my (locked) apartment alone for a week.

[SabreKai]

[QUOTE=stratosailor;739357]


would this be Port Credit Marina by any chance?

[Bash]

Keeping warm is the easy part; keeping dry is an art form. When we finally bought a dehumidifier, living aboard in the winter was greatly enhanced.

One learns, quickly, that there are some things you don't do during nasty spells. For example, it's goofy to boil pasta in the middle of a storm. This is when you should be baking in the oven. If it's raining, that's a good point not to shower aboard, but to use the marina showers instead.

A lot of this is common sense, but we had to learn these things the hard way.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Capt. lulz

I live in a place where there's no reason to trust anyone for anything. I need everything to be locked in some way.

I felt uncomfortable leaving my (locked) apartment alone for a week.

In the city of brotherly Love I see. DVC

[tropicalescape]

At my former marina when I plugged in two small ocsolating electric heaters the bracker would trip on shore and then we had to re-set the switch..when I made mention of this they, told me "it was set that way so no one could use to much electric power"...???DVC

[Jesse]

Put a venting product under your mattress and between your bedding and the hull or the bed will stay damp and cold. I used Dry Bunk, but there are other good products that perform well too. The de-humidifier sounds like a great idea as condensation was the biggest problem, and drawing cold dry outside air into the boat increased the heating costs. I remember the twelve years on my boat as the best of my life.

[stratosailor]

[QUOTE=SabreKai;740103]

Originally Posted by stratosailor

would this be Port Credit Marina by any chance?

hah hah! that's a good one my friend! I can see the humor in that, however, there are those who enjoy a life of self-sufficiency. If you're in debt up to your eye-balls then the self-sufficient life is kind of pointless. It's usually the people who live on their boats that have very little debt, since they don't owe on a mortgage. For those who buy an old boat outright and fix it up, it often affords them an opportunity to save up some money to buy an even nicer boat. After all, live-aboards are committed to living on a boat, not out of necessity, but because it is a way of life they have dreamed of living. So while it may look "ghetto" to some, the example of a sailboat properly set up for winter living is a very honest statement in my view. I understand this is not a live-aboard forum, however the question posed by the OP was a live-aboard question, and I tried to give him a good example of how it's done. Not everyone is in a high-income bracket and not everyone can afford to have both a house and a sailboat. Not everyone drives a BMW and not everyone can afford or would even want a million-dollar boat. Sometimes the simple life has it's own rewards.

By the way, you should see one when it's all decked-out with Christmas lights!

[mawfish]

I think stratosailor was referring to the actual Port Credit Marina in Ontario not inferring anything about credit.

[janice142]

We used a small catalytic heater (about $30 at Wal-Mart) -- mine's intended for hunters... it's the smallest unit sold, and yes, it keeps the boat warm and cozy. It uses the 1 pound propane cannisters ($2.50 or so) and burns for 14 hours. THere is no adjustment -- it's either on or off.

It does warm the boat nicely. Last winter we had a couple solid weeks of 20 degree weather and I was NOT cold. The heater warmed the boat fine. Oh, and no, I didn't leave a hatch open (is your boat air-tight? mine isn't) however I never felt the need to have it on at night. During the day it was under my dinette (the heat rises and oh, it was comfy) and then just before bed, I'd take it below and put it near my bunk to warm my cabin.

When I went below, I turned off the heater. Yes, I've got an O2 monitor -- it's 6" below my bunk so if there is a problem I'll know before the danger reaches me.

p.s. -- I refuse to wear a sweater in my home. I want the air warm, not bulky clothing. That said, I did revert to flannel jammies and if I was going to be someplace cold ever again (I sincerely hope not!) I'll buy a 12-volt car electric blanket. They retail (Amazon) for about $30, and work for approximately 45 minutes -- drawing 6-7 amps, then shut off. That would nicely warm the bunk/blanket.

Happy cruising, and good luck staying warm.

[stratosailor]

[QUOTE=SabreKai;740103]

Originally Posted by stratosailor

would this be Port Credit Marina by any chance?

Boy, do I feel dumb, SabreKai! I'm glad mawfish enlightened me. Well, here's me sticking my foot in my mouth....

I wasn't aware of Port Credit. I guess that proves I'm no Einstein!

Again, sorry SabreKai, and my sincere apologies to all the citizens of Port Credit, Ontario! I'm sure it's a beautiful place.

[ShaunJ]

A buddy of mine has wintered on the Delaware river in Philadelphia for two seasons and has used 2 electric heaters on a 33 Morgan. It was mostly warm, he did use the cold to refrigerate and wishes he had a little insulation. WFIW

[SurferShane]

Everyone seems to think I am going to freeze to death, but the boat has been really comfortable and snug even without a heater.

The only issue I have had is with condensation. Even though it is cold outside you really need flow through ventilation otherwise it can start raining from the ceiling.

[lookoutnw]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

Everyone seems to think I am going to freeze to death, but the boat has been really comfortable and snug even without a heater.

The only issue I have had is with condensation. Even though it is cold outside you really need flow through ventilation otherwise it can start raining from the ceiling.

hat is why I and some others suggest a dehumidifier. They work wonders and depending on teh size of the boat cost $50 - $200. small tank are ok but I like the larger one as it can hold more and I don't have to empty it during the night. Up here is really wet. Habit dump in morning and dump before bed. Or you can plumb for constant drain, but this has it's own issues...

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by mawfish

I think stratosailor was referring to the actual Port Credit Marina in Ontario not inferring anything about credit.

I agree, but I believe the referrence was from SabreKai in Toronto. Stratosailor's comments are interesting, but the "Port Credit" comment, I'm sure, was not originally meant as scarasm or a joke, but a referrence to the Mississauga village on Lake Ontario.

Man I'm slow at typing! All has been said!