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Winter Storage: Mast Up or Off?

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bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1776 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2009 : 06:45:07

All good comments. I wish I could bring the boat to my yard, but the yard is too small and the zoning regulations too big! I plan on covering the boat. When younger I worked in boat yards and know that ice can do serious damage to drains, scuppers, leakage into the bilge, etc. Winter storage is one of those expenses that bothers me. Something like $1,500 to store the boat, another @$400. to remove and re-step the mast, another @$300. to store the mast, another @$400 to shrink wrap or @$100 to cover build a frame and cover -- all for the privilege of not using the boat. I trailer my 17' CC powerboat inland to a much less expensive venue for winter -- tough to do with a FK sailboat. At this point Norwalk Cove looks like the winner, but, a few of us are "negotiating" with the club to revert to past practices for sailboats.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2009 : 07:20:53

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Renzo
 ...and is more likely to be blown off it's cradle or jackstands, but how often do those things happen?
Wouldn't once would be enough!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Yes, once would be enough, but I haven't seen it happen even once in the 30 years that I sailed at my old lake, and in the 5 years that I've been sailing the Chesapeake Bay, including two major tropical storms. In my book, that makes it a fairly rare event of the type for which I carry insurance protection. I'm a very careful person, and I get fairly anal about risks to personal safety, but I don't get so anal about risks to property. Property can be replaced. On a scale of 1-10, I'm a 10 with regard to protection of people, and a 9 with regard to protection of property. It seems reasonable to me.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">...Moreover, isn't that why you have boat insurance?
I have auto insurance but I don't leave my car unlocked with the keys in the ignition.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> I'll bet you also don't hire a guard to watch your car when you leave it parked at the Mall, even though at many malls there is often a high risk that it will be stolen. There's a reasonable limit to the extent to which each of us will go to avoid risks.

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 09/11/2009 : 08:05:55

Our snowloads aren't as bad as some other folks, and our winters aren't as cold, but for reference... Average January Temperature is -8.1° C (17.42°F), with an extreme cold around -35°C (-31° F), about 27 days spent below freezing. In January we expect 9 days with more than 20 cm (8") of snowpack and a total of 80 cm (31") of snowfall. (See http://tinyurl.com/Barrieclimate for details)

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by bigelowp
 All good comments. I wish I could bring the boat to my yard, but the yard is too small and the zoning regulations too big! <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

When we moved out into the boonies, I loved that this place had a second driveway that the PO was storing a tractor-trailer in. Now I'm wishing I had a garage for storage. Local bylaws limit you to 1 boat per property as long as you don't block sightlines. On the downside, transporting it back and forth from the marina costs the same as winter storage would. The upside is that when I get home from work, I can tinker all I want.

We have found an end-run to the transport costs ($500/yr) by buying a flatbed trailer (@ $1000), however our van isn't up to the task of moving the boat. To that end we will be hiring a tow-truck this fall to bring the boat home - a fraction of the cost of a boat hauler, and since we don't need a hydraulic lift to get the cradle on the trailer, I think it will be an adequate solution. This means a 3-year break-even on th ecost of the trailer, depending on maintenance/other issues. The trailer comes in handy for a number of other tasks when the boat isn't on it.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by bigelowp
I plan on covering the boat. When younger I worked in boat yards and know that ice can do serious damage to drains, scuppers, leakage into the bilge, etc. Winter storage is one of those expenses that bothers me. Something like $1,500 to store the boat, another @$400. to remove and re-step the mast, another @$300. to store the mast, another @$400 to shrink wrap or @$100 to cover build a frame and cover -- all for the privilege of not using the boat. I trailer my 17' CC powerboat inland to a much less expensive venue for winter -- tough to do with a FK sailboat. At this point Norwalk Cove looks like the winner, but, a few of us are "negotiating" with the club to revert to past practices for sailboats.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

We have found that a tarp is good for 2 seasons. Since this will be our 3rd season of storage, our plan is to use the old tarps as a base under the new one. Our tarps are more heavily damaged by chafing and snow loading than by UV (as far as I can tell). I also plan to round all the corners on our mast supports and "Goal posts that we use to hold things up in the winter. This will be our 3rd season on the same set of PVC tubes that form our hoops to hold the tarp up. They are showing no fatigue. I would guess the total cost of our enclosure is a polytarp every 2 years and a bag of zip-ties. Probably around $50 - $75.

At that price it would take a long time to recover the cost of building a $12,000 kit garage for boat storage.

Edited by - on

Renzo
Admiral

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USA
621 Posts

Response Posted - 09/13/2009 : 08:45:33

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Renzo
 ...and is more likely to be blown off it's cradle or jackstands, but how often do those things happen?
Wouldn't once would be enough!

I hope you didn't take them personal.

But since you bring it up, in the 20+ years that I have been sailing I have seen two cases of boats blown off there cradles/trailers and a few cases of stress damage to rigging that I would attribute to improper winter storage. So, I guess my opinion has been shaped by those experiences and I feel that it is not all that uncommon.
You're right,though, I don't hire a guard to watch my car in the mall parking lot. But if you saw my car you'd understand why I don't bother.

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bradwaah
Deckhand

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Canada
7 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2009 : 11:56:31

The money you might save by leaving the mast up just isn’t worth the risk, especially when you add on the wear and tear on your mast and rigging, and the difficulty of fitting a cover around the mast and standing rigging. It is customary to unstep the mast when hauling the boat to reduce windage, which can tip the boat off kilter in high winter winds and induce the rig to vibrate if it is up, leading to cracked fittings. Extreme temperatures stress the rig by causing dissimilar metals in the spars and rigging to expand and contract at different rates. Aluminum masts, in particular, are affected by this problem and should be taken down. Don't be penny wise - pound foolish. The cost of unstepping the mast now can be less than expensive repairs later. Some insurance companies don't cover the boat for damages if the mast is stepped. Check your contract. Some marinas claim they aren't responsible for damages when the mast is stepped.
Should you opt to leave the mast stepped for the winter, relax the entire rig by loosening the turnbuckles for shrouds and stays and tie off the halyards so they won't slap against, and thus nick, the mast. While having the mast down makes it convenient to clean, check, and wax the spars and replace lights, it also means disconnecting the VHF antenna and wiring for lighting. It can mean several trips up the mast in the boson's chair if everything isn't properly reconnected in the spring.

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cks
Navigator

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126 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2009 : 16:59:20

i just got the price list for this winter:

to (only) unstep mast and store outside: 16.75/ft
remove furler and store: $145

i think that the cost is the same to restep the mast. these are a lot of pennies. i'm keeping my mast up but your points about removing and securing lines, etc are well taken.

Edited by - on

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