Shrink wrap vs. Tarp

[labatt]

Ouch... My marina recommended a guy who charges $21/foot to shrinkwrap, not including a frame (which we already have built). I'll have to see who else is on Lake Champlain and can do it... Or we're definitely going the tarp route.

[sailingdog]

One reason I store my boat indoors, rather than shrinkwrapping or tarping it is cost.... the price difference for my boat between outdoor storage and indoor storage is almost the cost of shrinkwrapping in my neck of the woods. I figure, for the slight premium, my boat is better protected from the elements, and I can work on it in more comfort during the limited hours the marina is open during the off-season... and I don't have to deal with the problems of unwrapping her and such.

[Pub911]

For what it's worth...I have 5 year old Awlgrip job that looks brand new on my 30 year old NorthStar 38, despite use of a "home-depot" type plastic tarp. The trick? I wrap the hull with a blanket of soft fleece-like stretchy material. Admittedly, it looks silly while I'm doing it, but the boat pops out in the spring spit-shined, verses scuffed.

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by Pub911

For what it's worth...I have 5 year old Awlgrip job that looks brand new on my 30 year old NorthStar 38, despite use of a "home-depot" type plastic tarp. The trick? I wrap the hull with a blanket of soft fleece-like stretchy material. Admittedly, it looks silly while I'm doing it, but the boat pops out in the spring spit-shined, verses scuffed.

The blanket is anti-chafe, or the fabric equivalent of a sacrificial anode.

[sailingdog]

More importantly, it prevents moisture from being trapped against the paint job and causing the blistering I mentioned previously.

Originally Posted by Valiente

The blanket is anti-chafe, or the fabric equivalent of a sacrificial anode.

[KismetP362]

This will be my 4th winter in Maine with a sizable boat and every year I've shrunk wrap the boat myself.

This is not rocket science people! buy the $100 torch gun, every year I buy one '120 roll on-line with shipping it costs $140. I get two "new coverings" out of that one roll.

The ice and Snow, (we get a lot of both here in Maine) slide right off the slick surface.

I made mini A-frames to stand OUTSIDE my stanchions to keep the stress independent of the deck.

And it's fun to burn all the hair off your arm between the end of the jacket and the beginning of the gloves you wear.

[labatt]

Rick - I only wish. We kept our 23' boat in indoor storage before we sold it. I don't know of any indoor storage facility on Lake Champlain that could take a boat of our size. There is one on the Hudson that we considered bringing Pelican to but they didn't heat the storage facility and it was only open M-F 9:30am-4pm. From what I understand, it gets in the 40's in there, so most of the work that we'd want to do couldn't be done anyway. Also, there would be close to a $500 difference to store my boat inside vs. your boat. Add to that a several hundred dollar difference to unstep/step the mast, etc., and I just can't justify the price.

By the way - we will be shrinkwrapping the boat, and we'll be doing it ourselves. I'm going to buy 6 or 7 of those solar vents to put on the shrinkwrap to keep the air moving around on the inside. I was considering leaving an opening on the bow and perhaps the stern, but they are predicting a nasty winter and I don't want snow building up on our teak decks through an opening.

[AjariBonten]

Originally Posted by labatt

I'm going to buy 6 or 7 of those solar vents to put on the shrinkwrap to keep the air moving around on the inside.

How well would those work in the winter?
Can you place them so they don't get covered with snow? (I suppose you could build a plywood panel to mount them in, adn shrinkwrap around that.)
I like that idea, if it will work. I was just wondering if anyone here has used them in that application?

[labatt]

The frame we built will keep the wrap at a fairly steep slope, hopefully making the snow slide off fairly quickly. We'll put the solar vents on the angles, so they should remain uncovered most of the time. I'd be interested to hear anyone else's experience with them too. Also, we plan on getting a "door" for the shrink wrap too.

[merttan]

It's not really related to how you cover your boat. However, make sure the drains do not freeze and block water during winter. There are so many examples of boats flooding in winter with rain water. Cockpit floods, then the cabin... And causes extreme damages to interior... Just a warning...