Winterizing in the Pacific NW

[Jazzmanic]

We're reluctantly moving our boat from the warm, dry confines of Twin Bridges Marina to an outside storage facility this month. My question, mostly directed to the Seattle area brats who keep their boats on a trailer outside but open to anyone:

Do you winterize your C-Dory for our typical PNW winters, cool to cold, lots of rain and wind? What are the steps that you take? If you do, I'm assuming the boat is shut down until spring? If you don't, why not?

[Pat Anderson]

Patty here. Hey, Peter, Pat is the main post person and will probably respond, but here's what we do. We plan on getting out on the water once a month (doesn't always work out) so we don't "winterize" the boat. We drain the water in case of particularly cold weather. We make sure there is Stabil (spelling?) in the gas tank. We keep a light on in the cabin (a separate isolated bulb) or keep an electric heater on low if it's really cold. We take all the bedding out so it won't get moldy, and we make sure none of the decorative pillows are touching the walls. That's about it. Daydream sits in our driveway all the time. The one thing we really need is a cover. We are considering an RV cover rather than an expensive custom boat cover.

[Pat Anderson]

What Patty said - I can't think of anything else we have done over the four years that we have had a C-Dory sitting in our driveway during the winter...

[Jazzmanic]

Thanks Pat & Patty. Would this plan work if we didn't take out the boat for three months (Nov-Jan)? For the past two winters, since it was stored at Twin Bridges, we did no winterizing at all and she started up immediately each time. Both years, we boated until mid-October and then not again until mid-February. Since it will be at a storage facility, we won't have access to electricity (for a light or heat).

[Pat Anderson]

Patty here. Last year we did not get out on the water from October through February due to the unusual winter weather. The boat performed just fine her first time out (I think that was the Poulsbo CBGT).

[DaveS]

Peter,
I'd suggest that since you won't have electricity, to set out some "Dri Eze" water catch basins to capture the dampness. Actually, they are calcium chloride crystals that suck water out of the air and conveniently collect the water in the lower unit of the device. I use them on the boat, even with it stored in my shop. (Of course after I get all of that water sucked out of the bow area of my vessel with the syringe, perhaps, there will not be as much moisture to collect.... ).

[Rob & Karen]

Dave,

I did a google search for Dri Eze, but the only thing that comes up is something for hearing aids. Where do you buy Dri Eze? Thanks.

Rob

[al and judy]

It's actually DRI-Z-AIR and it WORKS!!

Forgot to say it's available at WAL-MART in the sporting goods/camping gear area.

[colobear]

Hi Peter and Caryn,

Dri-Z-air is available at Home Depot in the plumbing dept. I agree with what everybody has said about winterizing but would like to add a caution, if your boat has the bilge pump under the step at the rear of the cabin, make sure that well is dry. I failed to do that last year and bought a new bilge pump to remind me, the old one had frozen and had some interesting new geometry.

I keep dri-z-air in the boat most of the time and put a small electric heater in after a trip or, like today when it rains and the canvas is wet on the inside.

Incidentally, I have recently started putting bedding, etc. inside those vacuum seal bags available from Wal Mart. Boy do they shrink things down and I think they will help with dampness. I do not have a boat cover as such and put a tarp over the boat during the winter but building a covered storage area is on my (long) list. We are going to try and get out every month and so will not put stabilizer in the fuel but we will empty all the water/ sodas, etc. from the inside of the boat.

[Dora~Jean]

Pat/Patty,

I got by for years with various covers, like the triple layered silver/black tarps they sell at Home Depot. They lasted just under 2 years out here in mild SoCal. I found though, that the wind made them brush constantly on the gelcoat and caused scratches, no matter how tight I thought I tied them down. With my new custom cover, it fits tight, no more scratches and, a BIG added benefit, the boat is very clean when I take the cover off for the next outing -- I used to have to wash it again before I took it out. Very happy with my new sunbrella cover.

[hardee]

We have a custom sunbrella cover for Sleepy C and since our storage is outside I am looking to do a couple of improvements. 1. The Custom cover leaves the splash-well uncovered, and it gets all kinds of junk, leaves, and water and drowned spiders etc in it. I want to extend that cover to include the OBs (twin 40's). and 2. For probably 3-4 months, Nov-Feb I am thinking of covering the Sunbrella with a polly tarp to help increase the longevity of the Sunbrella, Improve water tightness, and cover farther down on the sides of the boat.
Question: Has anyone made or is anyone using an extended (aftward) cover? Or Has anyone had any experience with double covering? Seems I read somewhere that doing that caused excessive wear on the Sunbrella cover, but I'm not turning it up when I go looking for that now.

Comments Please. And Thank you.

Harvey

Sleepy C

[dotnmarty]

[localboy]