Winter Hull Storage

G

Guest

Guest
I store my boat for the winter on a lakefront dock (wood w/fixed steel legs). Last year I pulled the hull onto two bunks and covered w/a tarp, had some snow/ice buildup in the cockpit, despite trying to "tent" it with PVC pipe.

Others have suggested that I turn the hull upside down and skip the tarp. Is this better for the hull (avoid depressions from bunks)?

Do I need to remove the jibcars to prevent damage?

Is there risk of damage to teak coamings; the bow fitting; the mast tabernacle; or the mainsheet swivel block/barney post, from the weight of the hull (I have a Mod 2)?

Should I now cover the bottom of the hull with a tarp?

Do I need to do anything to secure the centerboard?

Any other pros/cons for either method?

Thx in advance.
 
I'm no expert, but I do know that the hull is heavy! I'm not sure how you would turn it over safely. It seems to me that turning it over introduces unnecessary risk that something might go wrong as you turn it. But maybe others will advise that it can be done safely.

My boat sits on a trailer all winter (as do many others I would guess) which has two large bunks for the main support as well as rollers underneath and the hull seems to be in good shape - no depressions. But, now you have me wondering about how it will be ten years from now.

Have you tried laying the mast across the boat, resting on the transom and the foredeck, to serve as a support for the tarp so that the rain runs off? Snow won't run off until it melts, so you would have to pull the tarp tight enough to prevent it from sagging from the weight of the snow.

Paul
 
I am a new owner so no real experience. I plan to store my 14.2 on the trailer. My trailer has a boom support at the front of the boat. I have run the mast from that support to the center of the transom. I bought a 15'x11' tarp that seems to fit well. You need to use shock cords to keep the tarp tight at the bottom of the boom support, mid boat and the rear. With the trailer raised high in the front rain seems to run off well. In addition the front of the tarp runs vertically on eather side of the mast creating a vertical slot for airflow. I plan 2 things 1) Make a support for the rear of the mast to get a little more run off at the rear. 2) To support the weight of snow, I may use rope or strapping to wrap around the boat and the mast. This should provide support but still allow runoff.
 
storage

I store my mast and boom in my garage strapped to the ceiling to stay out of the way. I store the boat on the trailer on an incline with trailer tounge pointed up hill. I raise the tounge and put an upturned 5 gallon bucket under it and then a concrete block on top of that. This has the back end of the boat pointed down at a steep angle. I then cover the boat with a tarp. I leave out the cockpit drain plugs and the bilge drain for any water to drain out. The combined angle of the incline(hill) and the tounge raised up was enough to keep 6-8 inches of snow and any rain off without any bracing underneath.
 

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