Mooring through the winter months (New England)

[IronSpinnaker]

Anybody on here leave their boats moored all winter. I found a mooring that is reasonable and year around, it is on Long Island Sound, not a river. Will I need to haul out every winter or can the boat be left at the mooring? How often should I check on the boat through the winter months?

The boat in question is not purchased yet, I am trying to line up dockage first. The boat would be in the 25-30ft range and a fiberglass keel boat.

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

I wouldn't leave it on a mooring all winter.

[tommays]

A lot of boats lose that bet every winter

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

[CalebD]

Some marinas offer in-water winter storage as an option.
Getting a boat with a trailer would be a much safer and cheaper option.

Sure, you might be able to get away with it but...
winter is when we get some pretty bad storms and your mooring gear will take a pounding and could fail at any point. I'm not even sure you can get insurance that will cover on mooring winter storage so if your boat gets loose then recovery costs would likely be all on you.

[sailingfool]

You do not want to leave a boat on a mooring over the winter in New England. Rent a slip if you feel the need to keep the boat in the water.

[mgiguere]

I left my S&S 37 on a mooring through the winter once on the Danvers River near the bridge between Salem and Beverly MA. It was a cold winter, but worked fine because the current runs stiff and keeps the water unfrozen. It's also quite well protected. Got a number of good sailing days through the winter that year...(late 1980's)...was the only "big boat" sailing among the frost biters in Marblehead harbor..:>)

[klem]

Many boats stay in through the winter in New England but the vast majority of them are commercial vessels. Commercial vessels typically have someone on board at least every few days and are usually closely watched during storms. It is a risk that they take so that they can keep using the vessels year round. There are many harbors that are protected well enough but don't freeze over making them appropriate but there are also plenty of harbors that are not at all appropriate.

For a non-commercial boater, I would not recommend it. The worst storms are usually in the winter and most people won't go out and check on things on a regular enough basis. There is nothing like trying to rig a new line (frozen of course) in the dark when it is 0 degrees out and spray is flying.

[IronSpinnaker]

Thank's for the pics... Points well taken

[omaho5]

I think that you have been given some good advice... Do NOT moore out in Winter up here.