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rossny · 24-10-2017, 05:51

Hi all, I am planning on wrapping my uninsulated sailboat, what are successful ways to make a doorway that will last for the winter. I think the usual zipper will rip quickly and want to make a real door. Also the 3 piece wood hatch and sliding cover are not very winter friendly, how to best insulate? Also...the glass hatches and ports, do I insulate inside,outside or both (bubble wrap?). Thanks

Suijin · 24-10-2017, 06:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossny

Hi all, I am planning on wrapping my uninsulated sailboat, what are successful ways to make a doorway that will last for the winter. I think the usual zipper will rip quickly and want to make a real door. Also the 3 piece wood hatch and sliding cover are not very winter friendly, how to best insulate? Also...the glass hatches and ports, do I insulate inside,outside or both (bubble wrap?). Thanks

If you're shrink wrapping your boat, the zipper doors are your best bet, even though they are a serious point of failure. Just make sure it's big enough and that reinforcing tape is liberally applied where it is installed. There may be hard door options that people have figured out but I've never seen them.

I would suggest that you use clear wrap to wrap the boat. It creates a green house effect, cutting your heating costs/needs, and will help to lessen condensation issues vs. solid white wrap.

You can insulate the port lights and hatches...if you want to live in a cave. It will help with condensation around glazing, but for me the tradeoff would be unattractive.

As for your washboards, you can make a one-piece one out of plywood and insulate it on the inside if your concern is heat transfer. A one piece is also nice to have a a live aboard in general, making coming and going and closing up the boat just a bit easier. Mine is half inch tinted acrylic.

Arthur Garfield · 24-10-2017, 14:39

In lieu of zipper perhaps sample various lengths of adhesive backed Velcro.

All the Best

boatpoker · 24-10-2017, 16:33

Lived about 20 years under shrink wrap in Toronto winters. never saw anyone use a zipper door. We all used 2x2 or 2x4 frames with plywood or 2x2 framed doors which were then shrink wrapped. We all kept those doors for years.

Ventilation of the shrink wrap is key to keeping humidity down. Insulating the boat can be difficult but we lined the entire hull with 2" blue foam board and covered it in the engine compartment with fire rated cloth. We remove all headliners and insulated with the same foam (1") between the battens.

Two years ago we had 10 days in a row below minus 30 degrees Centigrade.
We were quite comfortable.

I've got some photos I'll try to post tomorrow, The Wifi here in Indiantown marine is too crappy to upload photos in the evening when everyone is trying to stream movies.

Larry Florida · 24-10-2017, 17:06

OP, Will you be on the hard or in a slip

MartinF · 25-10-2017, 10:18

Boatpoker, I did not know people overwintered that far north. You must have been stuck in ice a foot thick! Is there not risk of hull damage from that amount of ice?
M

boatpoker · 25-10-2017, 10:35

There are a number of harbours in Ontario with liveaboards. For many years there was a power plant nearby that ejected it's turbine cooling water into out basin, the water steamed all winter. Eventually the power plant closed and we turned to bubblers (ice agitators). Two years ago the yacht club installed underwater piping (with small holes) and ran compressed air through them, that keeps the entire harbour ice free. I've never seen a boat damaged by ice.

boatpoker · 25-10-2017, 10:37

PS. It was 20 below when this shot was taken of Sharon working on the deck. I was wearing shorts when I took it. Once the sun comes out the shrink wrap works like a greenhouse.