Winter Liveaboard Tips and Tricks

[Seaworthy Lass]

We have no heating on board and although we are in the warmest spot in Europe and the boat is not covered in snow, in Jan and Feb it frequently gets down to 0-5C (32-41F) overnight.

We are at anchor (so without shore power), and a hot water bottle, a decent quilt and someone warm to snuggle up to are the only things that make winter temperatures tolerable .

PS Pulling the sunblind across the hatches makes a huge difference in keeping the cabin warmer in the evenings and prevents condensation on the inner aluminium rim of the hatches.

[wolfenzee]

An extra body on board makes a considerable difference, not just in the bunk, but keeping the cabin warm

[Buzzman]

I notice that *most* of the posts discuss warming the air inside the cabin, which is a terribly energy inefficient (ie: costly) way to keep warm.

Warm the *body* before warming the surrounding atmosphere.

Even if you *do* need to warm the air, it won't need to be as warm or heated as long, thus saving dollars as well as fuel....

East coast Oz winters aren't cold like PNW or Northern Europe, but do get down to zero C at night.

I get by with thermal underwear - polypro is cheap, but there are hiker/mountaineer-specific brands that are thicker and warmer.

Thermals under jeans and fleece jumper/jacket, with fleece beanie (skull cap) and hands in pockets I am warm as toast without ANY heating at all.

Wear more layers in colder climes, need less diesel or solid fuel or shore power.

We all need to tread more lightly on the planet, and *energy efficiency* is not just a "buzz" word......(pun intended)

[christhefish]

IN the damp UK I have insulated all lockers.hatches and ceiling voids with celotex and thick 10mm flexible foam in lockers.WE run a reflek diesel heater [no power required and drip fed always warm and dry.I always put the extract fan on when cooking and boiling the kettle ,after the kettle has boiled I put a bit of cold water in to stop the condensation,Outer covers on the windows make a lot of difference also bubble wrap inside helps.Slats under the bedding,and lift the bedding daily to allow an airflow.I know it does not get as cold as a lot of you guys but we have been down to -5 a few times this year with a cold NW wind.An ECO fan helps move the heat around.

[Yofy]

Those are really good suggestions. In all the cold climates, you need to cope with cold AND condensation. We remember the constant battle against mildew in winters.
Manny and Robyn

[ardoin]

Last year, I added a 750 fill down comforter to the bed. The first few morning I woke drooling on the pillow not wanting to get out. After a year, I have to recommend a 750+ down filled comforter to everyone! If you add two puppies to the mix you will find yourself handing a leg out of the comforter to keep from over heating in bed. I have also lowered the temp on the heater to 60F. If I set it any higher than 60F I get too hot under then comforter.

[michaelmrc]

on the topic of down comforters on a boat. dont you worry about dampness causing mold damage to the comforter

[Cjwelch]

Socks and gloves go a very long way. Snow ski socks or even those really guady night shoes they have now. A beanie doesnt suck either. The one thing I do to is to cover my head under the covers and allow my breath to heat the space under the covers. You will be surprised at how much that helps. IN the military they teach outdoor survival and getting inside your sleeping bag and zipping your head inside over night it quite toasty even in freezing temps. Although if you do that then try to wear as little clothes as possible because when you get up if you have too much on its harder to stay warm.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Cjwelch

Socks and gloves go a very long way. Snow ski socks or even those really guady night shoes they have now. A beanie doesnt suck either. The one thing I do to is to cover my head under the covers and allow my breath to heat the space under the covers. You will be surprised at how much that helps. IN the military they teach outdoor survival and getting inside your sleeping bag and zipping your head inside over night it quite toasty even in freezing temps. Although if you do that then try to wear as little clothes as possible because when you get up if you have too much on its harder to stay warm.

CJ, I thought you had a wonderful diesel heater on board. Has it stopped working or are you just economising on fuel?

[Cjwelch]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

CJ, I thought you had a wonderful diesel heater on board. Has it stopped working or are you just economising on fuel?

I do indeed, M'Lady, have a diesel heater, however the op does not and for those others that do not I wished to offer a few tips for keeping warm regardless of the equipment available. I may not have much to contribute but when I do i would like to offer it and hope that someone gets some use out of it!

[rw58ph]

We been a live a board fpr 18 years. Some basics

Keep heat source as low as possiple and the lowest part of the boat as heat rises.

Create a air flow or draft. This will move the heat thru the boat and vent the boat of stale and moist air.

Keep the warm air down in the area required. The best heat savers we ha e are small q
quilts hanging over stair ways. We have them over the stair way to the pilot house.

Cover windows with curtain to keep warm air off the windows as well as covering the oj
out side of the windows.

Carpet Iinsulate the floor and side walls. selves with books cloth stuff does more than.
you might think.

Keep boat at a constant low warm heat setting.

[cburger]

Good warm air, so at the end of the day our diesel heater while it took some time to learn about and deal with all its little quirks is one of my best friends when the weather turns frigid. Now I know that the guys from places like Alaska will laugh at this and call me a sissy but on the Hudson river the last couple of days we have had temps in the mid teens and wind gusts up to 35mph, the Newport kept us toasty on a low to medium setting, flu has the "H" cap and never the slightest indication of backdraft into the vessel. Another idea I believe in is keep things simple and small, in other words people trying to live on large powerboat types with a lot of exposed glass and windows have a bigger challenge trying to stay warm.

I have a friend living on a big wide body Benetau and his heating costs in the same marina is twice what I am paying.

[captain465]

Chris,
Where on the Hudson are you living aboard??
Fred

[cburger]

Haverstraw, hows things Fred?

[DainyRays]

I lived aboard for 10 years in Annapolis, Maryland. One of the best things I did was insulate the area between the deck and the ceiling. Also, using an electric blanket but sleeping on top of it with a down comforter to keep the heat in place. Oil-filled radiators (electric powered) provided the best heat. Anything with a flame produces too much moisture!