I hate to admit it but here in the Northeast once November hits the air and water temperature drops like a rock and unless you have a wet/dry suit it's time to put the sailboat up for winter. What really adds insult to injury is that in November the winds are pretty awesome and it blows consistently. However, reluctantly I put my boat away for the winter and I thought I would share with you how I did it. The first thing I do is to take everything out of the sailboat including the cushions, anchor, ropes, and most important the 12 volt battery I use to run the aux lights. I also make sure that the main and jib sail are completely dry before packing them away for the winter. I store most everything like the sails in the basement and a few other things like the cushions in my shed.
My next concern is making sure that all the water is out of the hull of the boat as I have a drain located in the cockpit area and another inside the cabin area that has no drain. The one in the cabin is like a sump pump hole without the pump and I have to use a wet-vac to remove any water that has built up there, otherwise it would freeze and could cause significant damage to the fiberglass hull.
Sailing Tip-This year I also took advantage of a nice warm day to move my trailer lights higher on the trailer, so that I can now tip the trailer if the water happens to be shallow while launching my boat. If I hadn't of moved them, I would not be able to tip the trailer as the lights would hit the boat ramp and damage them. I was glad I took care of that now instead of waiting until next spring, when I rather be sailing as opposed to fixing the lights at that time.
Once everything is out of the boat, I covered the sailboat with a tarp large enough to cover it from the stern to the bow. I secured the tarp with bungee cords to the boat trailer to hold it in place. The mast and boom serve well as a center board if you will that forms a pitched roof for the tarp over the top of the boat to easily shed off water and snow. I also cover the boat winch with a piece of stove pipe that naturally curls around it and stays in place by the tension properties of the metal, and I cover the hitch with a 5 gallon bucket to keep it dry as well. I also employ 3 rv jacks that I use to secure the trailer from the weight of any snow load that may accumulate over the winter. I put one of the jacks under the middle of the long trailer tongue and two in the back on each side of the trailer frame that will prevent any possible damage to it from any additional snow weight. Wet snow and ice can be very heavy and could stress the trailer frame beyond its weight limitations.
Stay tune for my next sailing beginner article on winterizing the outboard. Until-then- Happy Sailing!
My next concern is making sure that all the water is out of the hull of the boat as I have a drain located in the cockpit area and another inside the cabin area that has no drain. The one in the cabin is like a sump pump hole without the pump and I have to use a wet-vac to remove any water that has built up there, otherwise it would freeze and could cause significant damage to the fiberglass hull.
Sailing Tip-This year I also took advantage of a nice warm day to move my trailer lights higher on the trailer, so that I can now tip the trailer if the water happens to be shallow while launching my boat. If I hadn't of moved them, I would not be able to tip the trailer as the lights would hit the boat ramp and damage them. I was glad I took care of that now instead of waiting until next spring, when I rather be sailing as opposed to fixing the lights at that time.
Once everything is out of the boat, I covered the sailboat with a tarp large enough to cover it from the stern to the bow. I secured the tarp with bungee cords to the boat trailer to hold it in place. The mast and boom serve well as a center board if you will that forms a pitched roof for the tarp over the top of the boat to easily shed off water and snow. I also cover the boat winch with a piece of stove pipe that naturally curls around it and stays in place by the tension properties of the metal, and I cover the hitch with a 5 gallon bucket to keep it dry as well. I also employ 3 rv jacks that I use to secure the trailer from the weight of any snow load that may accumulate over the winter. I put one of the jacks under the middle of the long trailer tongue and two in the back on each side of the trailer frame that will prevent any possible damage to it from any additional snow weight. Wet snow and ice can be very heavy and could stress the trailer frame beyond its weight limitations.
Stay tune for my next sailing beginner article on winterizing the outboard. Until-then- Happy Sailing!
From my humble sailing beginning, I have taught myself how to sail a boat with my hand on the tiller and a boat load of time and research. Now you too can learn how to sail by clicking this link: Learn How To Sail
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