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Leaving/using My Boat Over Winter

Willowherb

By Willowherb
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Mouldy

Mouldy

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome to the Forum.  We’ve only had our boat since mid 2019 and for the two winters since have used a dehumidifier, draining directly into the sink.  Even last winter, when due to lockdown we were unable to visit the boat from mid December until towards the end of March, we had no mould issues at all.  We’ve also had tube heaters installed in the engine bay, connected by thermostatic switches.  It’s also important to keep your fuel tank filled, to minimise condensation in the tank, which could lead to diesel bug.

We usually use the boat for weekends during the winter, so don’t want to fully winterise her.  If you do go down the dehumidifier route, make sure you get a desiccant type, which will function correctly at low temperatures.  We use one of these:

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/dd8l/meaco-dd8l-8-litre-dehumidifier-dehumidifier

Good luck with your boat!!

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grendel

grendel

Posted
Posted

with no electric hookup, it makes it slightly more tricky, i would suggest emptying the water tank and leaving taps open, and some form of antifreeze in the engine cooling circuit, there is another recent thread on this with a lot of helpful advice too.

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Mouldy

Mouldy

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

Hi and welcome to the Forum.  We’ve only had our boat since mid 2019 and for the two winters since have used a dehumidifier, draining directly into the sink.  Even last winter, when due to lockdown we were unable to visit the boat from mid December until towards the end of March, we had no mould issues at all.  We’ve also had tube heaters installed in the engine bay, connected by thermostatic switches.  It’s also important to keep your fuel tank filled, to minimise condensation in the tank, which could lead to diesel bug.

We usually use the boat for weekends during the winter, so don’t want to fully winterise her.  If you do go down the dehumidifier route, make sure you get a desiccant type, which will function correctly at low temperatures.  We use one of these:

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/dd8l/meaco-dd8l-8-litre-dehumidifier-dehumidifier

Good luck with your boat!!

Sorry, moment of dyslexia and totally misread your post.  Could have sworn it said you had electric hook up!! :default_coat:

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rightsaidfred

rightsaidfred

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome, first piece of advice is use it as much as possible all year round, second is to concur with moisture traps along with adequate ventilation along with removing shower heads and leaving taps open and fuel tank full, the rest largely depends on boat design ie inboard engine or  external engine (bathtub) or similar, whenever a mooring freezes over there is rarely ice around the hull itself.

Fred

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annv

annv

Posted
Posted

Hi Willow You dont say what type f boat you have! what type of toilet or water heating you have Basically you need 50% antifreeze coolant mixture in the engine the heat exchanger/raw water needs flushing through with a 20% antifreeze mixture and inlet valve turned of likewise the toilet flushing system the water tank needs emptying and all water pipes need draining the waste tank needs emptying, all taps need to be left open if you have a temp controlled shower the controls need undoing to drain the water that is trapped there, the prop shaft seal needs greasing and prop turned on turn by hand to stop the water drip,or tighten adjusting nuts, BUT! leave a note on helm to remind you to slacken before use,  the battery's need removing to dry place and  float charged or solar panel fitted to maintain battery's charged condition, all doors cupboards should be left open and windows if hopper type left slightly open you cant have to much though ventilation, Diesel tank should be filled with FAME free fuel and/or additive added. Ideally glass fibre boats should be pulled onto the hard to allow hull to dry along with new coat of antifoul before launching, remove or cover all valuable/gisits from view. John

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Vaughan

Vaughan

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, annv said:

remove or cover all valuable/gisits from view. John

GISITS.  

Now there's an old RAF expression that I haven't heard for about 50 years!

I agree with what John says and I made a thread called basic winter maintenance, a couple of days ago.

You don't have to follow all of that, as what I posted is designed for hire boats, but you can select the "best" bits from it.

In my experience, the key word is VENTILATION. Let plenty of air flow through the boat.

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BroadAmbition

BroadAmbition

Posted
Posted

GISITS.  

Now there's an old RAF expression that I haven't heard for about 50 years!

Really? - Your out of date Vaughan, the senior service still use that expression today (Or did when I departed twenty one years ago), Oh and BTW, it's hardly an RAF expression,  the RN was using the term 'Gisits' before the crabfats had been invented !

Griff

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Hylander

Hylander

Posted
Posted

Sorry if someone has suggested it already but it pays to leave a window slightly open to let the air in.    I know it goes against the grain but apparently it helps with the condensation.    Obviously has to be a window that will not let the weather in.

 

 

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Hylander

Hylander

Posted
Posted
Just now, Hylander said:

Sorry if someone has suggested it already but it pays to leave a window slightly open to let the air in.    I know it goes against the grain but apparently it helps with the condensation.    Obviously has to be a window that will not let the weather in.

 

 

Sorry just read Vaughan's post.  Great minds think alike.     As the daughter of an RAF Warrant Officer , a very proud man, long since passed in 1997,   he was one of the first RAF men to be given the Warrant , so Mother used to tell us.     He died of Cancer and had served a few spells on Christmas Island.     I love to hear the friendly banter between the services.   

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Bikertov

Bikertov

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Hylander said:

Sorry just read Vaughan's post.  Great minds think alike.     As the daughter of an RAF Warrant Officer , a very proud man, long since passed in 1997,   he was one of the first RAF men to be given the Warrant , so Mother used to tell us.     He died of Cancer and had served a few spells on Christmas Island.     I love to hear the friendly banter between the services.   

I think the healthy rivalry between the services is great, but knowing that when the sh.t hits the fan when it counts out in the field, they will all pull together for Queen, Country and their fellow brothers (and sisters) in arms.

BTW, for the record - my late father was a Sergeant in the RAF during his National Service, and one of my uncles did his in the RAF too. And me and my siblings were in our school Combined Cadet Force, RAF section. Just saying ...

Oh, and I also found out recently that a relative serving in the Royal Navy during WW2 was a VC recipient :453_military_medal:

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annv

annv

Posted
Posted

Hi Willow just to add IF you dont/can't remove batteries or connect a solar pane at the very least remove the connecting leads between the batteries this will help to stop them discharging each other and when replacing clean all connecting surfaces and smear with Vaseline or correct electrical grease BUT not ordinary grease. John

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Hylander

Hylander

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, BrundallNavy said:

Just seen on FB they are advertising snow and temperatures down to -11 from the end of November, let’s just hope they are wrong :default_eusa_naughty:

 

 

Greta Thunberg will be most upset - what happened to global warming.  That isnt going to be that cold.   You never believe any of the nonsense on Face Ache!!

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ExSurveyor

ExSurveyor

Posted
Posted

I did read a Met office prediction that said a high chance of snow and very cold weather from early December, something to do with one of the Ninos being very low down.

The Sun will probably predict a barbeque winter and the Express a new ice age.

I always check the weather by looking out the window. :default_badday:

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