Winter Liveaboard Tips and Tricks

[SV THIRD DAY]

The only thing that makes living aboard in a cold climate comfortable for us...

Of course to me 44-degs outside is Freezing Cold but to others that is a sunny day in the park.

[Buzzman]

Yeah, thats about 7°C Down Under.

Pretty damn cold for my region on the coast, where it seldom gets below this at night in midwinter.

I don't even have a heater in my house. Warm clothes, thermal underwear, thick socks is enough.

At night, three blankets or a thick feather quilt.

Mind you, I am an eco-weirdo, so refuse to use elctric blanket, radiator or A/C and thus far have not needed the wood stove I have not installed.

My folks place, up river, where it gets down to 0°C or less at night, the wood stove is needed, and an electric blanket is nice.

Snow? What's that???? lol

[DeepFrz]

Yeah that's cold all right. Its only -24c here right now, warmed up a bit today. The wind is a little chilly though..

[Buzzman]

LOL..... only -24°F...???

Thut's noothin'.....when I were a lad......we lived at South Pole, in shoebox, in middle o' t' road. Oor Dad 'ad to work 48 hr a day, 8 days a week, lickin' ice off airport runway, for which privilege 'e 'ad to pay tuppence a day. Cold? It was so cold the brass monkeys emigrated to Greenland..!!

[RunningRabbit]

My recent addition of a heated mattress pad and heated blanket have made winter nights in the V-berth much more comfortable.

[lancelot9898]

Being at the dock during the winter in the Annapolis area was really no problem since we had electric. However the OP stated that he would be on the hook and while that is doable, I think the real problem would be ice forming around the fiberglass boat if you're in a northern climate.

[Buzzman]

On the hook needs propane or solid fuel, better solid fuel heater.

Harder to carry and store the fuel, but cheap to scrounge up driftwood and offcuts from workshops and building sites.

If you don't hav etime for scrounging, you can probably afford to buy briquettes.

Get a decent stock of Damp Rid crystals and dry them out in the sun or on top of the stove pipe, where evaporating moisture goes outside the boat.

Heat for warmth, Damp Rid to reduce condensation.

[Strait Shooter]

I think on the hook needs as great an insulation job as can be done to start with, and then worry about heat.

Even though I'm on a dock right now, I'm only using the electrical hookup for lights to work with. The diesel heater (Dickinson Bering) puts out enough heat to need a hatch and the companionway open a bit. A bit finicky adjustment wise until it warms up, but after that it's rock solid for days on end.

[Yofy]

Rich that looks fabulous. You need a big boat to carry one but there's nothing like a good fire to warm your feet by.

Winter has set in here and we're all complaining because its cold. 22C at 14:00.... sorry guys but we did our liveaboard stint in Canada and know what -24C feels like. Sure could have used that stove then...

Manny and Robyn

[unbusted67]

I have Dickinson Newport and a bunch of fans to move the warm air around. Got me through a full winter in Boston. Multiple nights of 0F degree weather and I would wake up sweating my ass off in the middle of the night. I also insulated the v berth with 1" cork insulation which is actually quite cheap and organic. That pink poly stuff can out-gas pretty nasty fumes for a few years after you buy it.

[El Pinguino]

I don't do 'cold' in the north american sense.. but down south often find myself living with the outside temp lying between -2 and +5C day and night. Sometimes a bit warmer but then humidity is an issue.
I'm with Buzzman... live at or near ambient and dress for the weather. Icebreaker merino ( up to 4 layers) is best... polyprop stinks something cruel after a few weeks.. OK I know..'nobody smells on a submarine' but polyprop truly stinks....

Possum wool gloves are good.....

I have moderate insulation and the windows are double glazed in a rudimentary fashion..
Temp in the cabin when I crawl out of my bunk is often 6C... so I put on the Eberspaker for an hour or so in the hope that the rest of the crew may see fit to rise.. that brings the temp up to 12C fairly quick... the rest of the day the hatch stays open and is usually cracked open at night. Evenings are comfortable enough with a bit of body heat and heat from the galley. The engine is a brilliant source of heat if you have been motoring.

Not infrequently I go aboard other boats where they maintain the cabin at about 20C and sit around in cotton t-shirts. No wonder they reckon its cold out.....

[Bash]

Originally Posted by michaelmrc

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

It's only a problem if you hate smelling like a wet goose.

Seriously. Down products are one of very few things that liveaboards should outlaw aboard.

Here's the list:

1. No steel wool.
2. No corrugated cardboard.
3. No fine crystal wine goblets.
4. No Jolly Roger pirate flags.
5. No ceramic flower pots.
6. No high heels.
7. No wind chimes.
8. No hampsters, pet snakes or goldfish.
9. No Michael Jackson music.
10. No down.

Exceptions to any of these rules should not be tolerated.

[Buzzman]

Originally Posted by Bash

4. No Jolly Roger pirate flags.

So what we Arthur Ransome (Swallows & Amazons) fans do to signal this to the world, if we can't have a Pirate Captain Nancy 'black flag' at the cross trees, or masthead.....????

For those who aren't [yet] aware of Captain Nancy's timber-shivering exploits, google AR, and then google TARS - The Arthur Ransome Society.

There's a branch near you.......

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Buzzman

So what we Arthur Ransome (Swallows & Amazons) fans do to signal this to the world, if we can't have a Pirate Captain Nancy 'black flag' at the cross trees, or masthead.....????

Correct. The fact that your heroine is a fictitious character makes this imperative doubly urgent.

Mind you, these guidelines are only applicable for bonafide liveaboards. The rest are welcome to fantasize to their heart's content.

[jongleur]

If you have a keel stepped aluminum mast,
it acts like a very large heat sink, constantly
sucking large amounts of heat up and out.

We made a quilted sleeve to fit around ours
inside our boat, and it made a tremendous difference.
Went from two radiant heaters down to just one.