Checklist of for Fall/Winter Storage

[Spartan]

Sailing Season is coming to an end here in Pittsburgh.  I have to have the boat out of the water by Oct 31 and i'm getting ready to stoor my CP-16 for winter.  I was wondering if anyone has a checklist of what they do at the end of the sailing season.  I'm bound to forget something if I try and make a list of my own.

Thanks
Tom

[kearns]

Hi Tom,

I don't have a formal list, but here are things I try to do:

1. Clean the boat inside and out, use power wash on the bottom. I like to wax the hull before winter. Makes spring cleaning much easier.
2. I store my motor in a heated garage, so not need to winterize it
3. Take cushions out of the cabin and bring them home for dry storage (winter condensation will be hard on them if stored in the boat)
4. Remove battery and store indoors
5. Obviously remove sails, life vests, and anything else that can mold from the cabin and bring it home for dry storage
6. Throw some mothballs into the cabin to keep critters from making their winter home in there.
7. Cover the tiller (if you want to protect the wood)
8. Drop the mast, throw a large tarp over it "tent style", secure it well and bid the boat farewell till spring.

Hope this helps.
Kevin

[Spartan]

Thanks for the input, a couple of good items I didn't think about, especially the moth balls.

[marc]

Tom,
Besides what Kevin said, I get the outboard ready for next sailing season. I fog the motor, change the oil if it's a 4-stroke, change the lower unit oil, check the zinc, squirt grease into any zerks, check the fuel filter, change the impeller if I haven't checked it in awhile and touch up paint.

I always wash my sails and let them air dry (suspended between trees) before I put them away.

Make a list of all the small stuff you want to do to get ready for next season before you forget them!
Marc

[Salty19]

I highly but respectably disagree on the outboard storage approach.  This is the one piece of equipment that doesn't tolerate just setting it in a corner of garage, forgotten until spring.

At a bare minimum, drain the carburator and fuel line of gas. If you want it to last, spray "Deep Creek" into the carb after draining gas and tighening the drain plug.  Change the oil if it's a 4 stroke.  Change the gear oil.  Finally, spray some Fogging oil in the spark plug hole, pull the starter a few times slowly (with ignition lanyard disconnected!!!!).

In the spring, run the engine for 10-15 minutes, let it cool, then remove/clean the spark plugs (oven cleaner works well). Rinse with water, let dry and reinstall.

We don't have to go into details of ethanol issues, there are countless articles on the web about it.

I do way more than the list shows..things like varnishing, lubing blocks, vacuuming the interior, checking rigging/bolts. Lube motor bracket. Cleaning electrical connections. Charge the battery.  Lube bearings and check the trailer and tires over thoroughly-including the lights.  

look for any cracks or issues on the keel from groundings.   I also remove, inspect  and wash all lines..one of my dock lines was ready to break this year...didn't notice it until fall inspection.

I also like to compound and wax in the fall so I only have to apply wax again in the spring (didn't get around to it this year though).

lastly I always loosen the bow winch (and any straps keping the boat in contract with the trailer) to remove strain at these points.

[Spartan]

Ah yes the electric troller motor, the gift that keeps on giving.  I don't the the gas engine challenges, but I do need to keep batteries trickle charged over the winter at home.

But good discussion for those that do.

[Bob23]

   In addition to Marc's and Salty's advice on outboards, I also rinse my sails. When the boat is at the marina, I'll pick a dry, not too windy day and raise the sails, hose 'em off, let them dry. Then I'll drop the sails and bag them for the winter, after rolling them up on the living room floor. Of course the dog thinks it's play time!
   Because I sail in salt water, all lines, sail ties, sheets, halyards, etc are rinsed in a barrel of mild soapy water then rinsed in fresh water and hug out to dry. I then label everything, bag them according to use, and store them with the sails.  Any fittings, blocks, etc on the boom are lubricated as well as the mast head.
   Note on the outboard: After I'm done with the fall maintenance, I thank Miss Nissan, size 8 for another wonderful season. She's one faithful friend!
   A shot of my cover:



Bob23

[MKBLK]

A check list is a good idea. As a relatively new ComPac 16 owner, last winter was my first with the boat. I too made a "tent" out of a large aluminized tarp. To prevent chaffing and ripping, I removed all rigging hardware from the mast and labeled them accordingling (port, starboard, bow, etc.). I also photographed all the top-o-mast hardware to help me remember how to put it all back in the spring. I left the chainplates on, but bubble-wrapped and taped them. Now that I had my tent ridgepole in place on the crutches I inserted a pair of foam drink insulators over the ends of the mast. Several tie-downs to the trailer and some clips to close up the ends and she's ready for the (hopefully) not too long winters sleep.

Don't forget to jack up the trailer. Leaving the tires on the hard isn't good for them. I also place a support under the stern so she doesn't do a flip should I decide to climb in for whatever reason.

Marty K.

[skip1930]

Winter Storage Of Com-Pac's Outdoors
« on: October 01, 2011, 06:22:42 AM »
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The trouble with keeping any boat outside in freezing snowy weather is in the details. Those very tiny fissure-like cracks, I call them stress cracks in the fiberglass that develop as the boat settles and changes shape over the years. Shape can be stress induced as on an ill fitting cradle, three footed and mis welded [not flat] triangle tube stanchions, or a maladjusted trailer with bunks pushing on the hull. All can contribute to twisting on the hull, not felt and influencing the the shape of the hull when floating.      

It is these tiny cracks that let water in and when that water freezes, and expands, ice works the crack open a bit more. So what's a sailor to do? Watching what happens to my buddies CP-19 when left outside uncovered and when tarp covered but still outside, one finds a myriad of problems.

Uncovered of course leads to the accumulation of plant and dirt and leaf litter, freezing and thawing in sun and dark.  Leading to a mess in the forth coming spring.

But when tarp covered the tie down lines beat against the boat leaving scars and scratches. But the worst damage to the boat by tarp covering is the weight of the snow piled high and this can apply a great deal of force that tends to pull the safety lines and it's stanchions over. This tends to pull the fastening hardware out of the deck. Or at times the trap parts and allows snow to 'see' the deck where melting and freezing takes place.  Again the above problem happens.

So I recommend that a frame structure be constructed to support a trap and to allow the boat and associated trailer or cradle to be parked under the trap without the tarp touching the boat. Additionally this allows for air to circulate under and around the tarp keeping the accumulation of condensation and hence condensed water from pooling on the boat. The boat stays cleaner and happier. And that should keep the sailor happier too.

I see that I should actually stay away from the keyboard when feeling chipper.

My Comfort & Joy, CP-19 resides uncovered in a cement floored, sheet metal building...unheated and well weather tight along with the 1930 Ford Model 'A' for 6 months. Both for $150 for the duration of the stay. One box of sented Bounce dryer sheets on or under everything that touches the floor keeps the mice at bay.

skip.

[Bob23]

   When I designed my frame, the goal was that no part of the frame or tarp should touch the hull. The cover should cover the entire boat, down to the waterline. And there should be a breathing space so the temp under the tarp can stay as constant as possible with the outside temp. And, of course, it had to be cheap, easy to build and reusable. I achieved all these goals and won't go into construction details as it's pretty easy to see from the photos.
   The cover is a a true canvas, which has a water repellant and made by Fisher Canvas Products here in NJ. Locally, Fisher covers are renowned for thier quality and fit and I've seen 20 year old ones still in service. It's not light, so it's a bit of a job to haul that canvas up onto the ridgepole every year (and every year it seems to get a bit heavier) but it's been through snowstorms, rainstorms, you name it- and stays put every winter. In the first few years, I used the same frame system with a heavy duty tarp but found that I only got 1 1/2 winters out of it. Yeah, it deteriorated halfway through the second winter, so I went the Fisher Canvas route. Thank you Fred Fisher, who is a pleasure to deal with.
   BTW, my cover system also provides for standing room in the cockpit so working on the boat in the winter is easy. (Note the worklights in the first photo.)
    And unfortunately, the times coming when the cover will be going on till spring.
bob23

[brackish]

Winter storage??

[Citroen/Dave]

My first job was being a lapidary in a craft shop on Lake George in New York.  Silver Bay was the summer home of the WMCA for the Northeast, a conference center that could handle 1,000 guests at a time.  My first task was to un box and clean tubs of a zillion hand tools from the winter's storage - oil bath. 

Moth Balls I thought.  Next year there was no rust on tools from the experiment where I placed tools in a near air tight box with Moth Balls.  That was the last season the new guy had to spend days un oiling all those hand tools.

ALWAYS put a Moth Ball or two in your tool box to prevent rust, or other storage box to keep out the varmints.  Boxes should be high sided as the fumes accumulate in the bottom and overflow at the lowest vent.

[Eagleye]

     A shot of my cover:

Bob23

Bob,
I like the simplicity of your cover frame.  What size PVC did you use and did you glue any of the joints?

[wes]

What is this "winter" of which you speak? "Covers" are for keeping the hot sun off, are they not?

[Bob23]

Eagle:
   3/4" pvc and I did glue the t's at the ends of the ribs. Most everything else is either a friction fit or screwed together during assembly. It has worked really well and I think this will be the 4th winter for the cover.
Brack, Wes:
   Winter is the time of year that I spend dreaming of spring. Also a great time to cross country ski in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. You do cross country ski, don't you? 
   I toyed with leaving the boat in all year one winter. Trouble is, I never know how warm or cold it's gonna be. Last winter would've been the one.
Bob23...dreaming of snow