Last year most of the sailboats [fiberglass] I personally saw [on the hard]
in eastern Canada were not plastic wrapped, polyethylene I guess, for
Winter, but most I saw in Maine were.

Granted, I didn't see any large number in either area, but what are the
possible perceptions and motives in each case ?

Thank you,

Courtney

In article k.net,
Courtney Thomas wrote:

Last year most of the sailboats [fiberglass] I personally saw [on the hard]
in eastern Canada were not plastic wrapped, polyethylene I guess, for
Winter, but most I saw in Maine were.

Granted, I didn't see any large number in either area, but what are the
possible perceptions and motives in each case ?

Thank you,

Courtney

Courtney, the joys of shrink wrapping a boat are that almost always it
is done by a yard (one less cold weather project), it holds up great,
looks good, and keeps rain, ice, snow, debris and everything else off
one's boat. OTOH, at $20+ a foot it can be expensive and poly is not
good for the environment.

The benefit of the alternative of using poly tarps is that it is cheaper
to buy the plastic once -- at least for as long as they last. The
downsides are that if it deforms or rips (which it will sooner or later)
during the season, you have no protection, it creates a storage issue,
and seams can leak no matter how well overlapped (especially in
conjunction with the first downside) and poly is still bad for the
environment when it is eventually disposed of.

This year, I opted for a frame and canvas cover. The idea being that
storage would be easier (more durable and easier to put away then the
poly that often ripped in my basement) and that over four or five
seasons it would pay for itself. The downsides are the upfront costs,
having to store and build the frame each year oneself (to save on
installation to warrant the initial cost).

If I remember, no sure things these days, eventually I will post a
follow-up as to whether I think the canvas is better not only from an
ecological perspective, but from performance and cost.

harlan

Harlan Lachman wrote:
Courtney, the joys of shrink wrapping a boat are that almost always it
is done by a yard (one less cold weather project), it holds up great,
looks good, and keeps rain, ice, snow, debris and everything else off
one's boat. OTOH, at $20+ a foot it can be expensive and poly is not
good for the environment.

A couple more downsides to shrink wrap: there's no ventilation in a
shrink-wrapped boat..it traps and holds humidity, resulting in moldy
musty interiors next spring. You can't go aboard on any of those
occasional amazing days in the middle of winter to open it up to let it
air out, or check on anything--like finding out whether any critters
have decided to homestead your cabin--or do any of those little projects
you should do this fall, but didn't and COULD do if you could go aboard
for a day.

IMO, you're a lot better off giving your hull and deck a heavy coat of
wax to protect the fiberglass...and then cover it instead of
shrinkwrapping it.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327

In article ,
Peggie Hall wrote:

Harlan Lachman wrote:
Courtney, the joys of shrink wrapping a boat are that almost always it
is done by a yard (one less cold weather project), it holds up great,
looks good, and keeps rain, ice, snow, debris and everything else off
one's boat. OTOH, at $20+ a foot it can be expensive and poly is not
good for the environment.

A couple more downsides to shrink wrap: there's no ventilation in a
shrink-wrapped boat..it traps and holds humidity, resulting in moldy
musty interiors next spring. You can't go aboard on any of those
occasional amazing days in the middle of winter to open it up to let it
air out, or check on anything--like finding out whether any critters
have decided to homestead your cabin--or do any of those little projects
you should do this fall, but didn't and COULD do if you could go aboard
for a day.

IMO, you're a lot better off giving your hull and deck a heavy coat of
wax to protect the fiberglass...and then cover it instead of
shrinkwrapping it.

Actually Peggy, up here in Vermont, they now build in vents for the
boats, usually one at each end or one on the stern and one on either
side by the mast.

Years ago, as one of the people in charge of VT's energy efficiency
programs, I had to learn a lot about ventilation. My guess is most of
the vents in most of the boat covers don't work real well.

Effective ventilation requires low intakes and high exhausts and a lot
more free vent area than anyone is going to put on a boat. Some say
canvas is porous enough to allow moisture to migrate.

My guess it is best to keep boats in climates where covers are
unnecessary.

harlan

Courtney Thomas wrote:
Last year most of the sailboats [fiberglass] I personally saw [on the hard]
in eastern Canada were not plastic wrapped, polyethylene I guess, for
Winter, but most I saw in Maine were.

Granted, I didn't see any large number in either area, but what are the
possible perceptions and motives in each case ?

Thank you,

Courtney

If you go to the Royal NS Yacht Squadron, most boats will be shrink
wrapped. Some covered with tarps.

Up here shrink wrap is a bit expensive for something that you toss in
the spring.

Harlan Lachman wrote:
In article ,
Peggie Hall wrote:


Harlan Lachman wrote:

Courtney, the joys of shrink wrapping a boat are that almost always it
is done by a yard (one less cold weather project), it holds up great,
looks good, and keeps rain, ice, snow, debris and everything else off
one's boat. OTOH, at $20+ a foot it can be expensive and poly is not
good for the environment.

A couple more downsides to shrink wrap: there's no ventilation in a
shrink-wrapped boat..it traps and holds humidity, resulting in moldy
musty interiors next spring. You can't go aboard on any of those
occasional amazing days in the middle of winter to open it up to let it
air out, or check on anything--like finding out whether any critters
have decided to homestead your cabin--or do any of those little projects
you should do this fall, but didn't and COULD do if you could go aboard
for a day.

IMO, you're a lot better off giving your hull and deck a heavy coat of
wax to protect the fiberglass...and then cover it instead of
shrinkwrapping it.


Actually Peggy, up here in Vermont, they now build in vents for the
boats, usually one at each end or one on the stern and one on either
side by the mast.

Years ago, as one of the people in charge of VT's energy efficiency
programs, I had to learn a lot about ventilation. My guess is most of
the vents in most of the boat covers don't work real well.

Effective ventilation requires low intakes and high exhausts and a lot
more free vent area than anyone is going to put on a boat. Some say
canvas is porous enough to allow moisture to migrate.

My guess it is best to keep boats in climates where covers are
unnecessary.

harlan
Apparently, there are many who regard covers as unnecessary, which is
the main idea I'm probing with this query. That is, I see quite a few
boats in the New England area, and north, that do not use a cover at
all. I can certainly see that if you're storing in an area with
significant air pollution that a cover would possibly be wise but if
that's not the case, why cover, other than maybe something like a boom
tent to shed the snow should the snow load become excessive.

When is the snow load excessive ? Is it due to melt/freeze cycle that
results in possible ice damage, or what ?

Thanks again,

Courtney

Peggie Hall wrote:


A couple more downsides to shrink wrap: there's no ventilation in a
shrink-wrapped boat..it traps and holds humidity, resulting in moldy
musty interiors next spring. You can't go aboard on any of those
occasional amazing days in the middle of winter to open it up to let it
air out, or check on anything--like finding out whether any critters
have decided to homestead your cabin--or do any of those little projects
you should do this fall, but didn't and COULD do if you could go aboard
for a day.

IMO, you're a lot better off giving your hull and deck a heavy coat of
wax to protect the fiberglass...and then cover it instead of
shrinkwrapping it.

A couple of winters ago, when the guy I crew with used shrink wrap on
his Mirage 33, he had at least two vents and a zippered access door
taped in. It worked great...but is a bit expensive.

Harlan Lachman wrote:

Actually Peggy, up here in Vermont, they now build in vents for the
boats, usually one at each end or one on the stern and one on either
side by the mast.

Years ago, as one of the people in charge of VT's energy efficiency
programs, I had to learn a lot about ventilation. My guess is most of
the vents in most of the boat covers don't work real well.

Effective ventilation requires low intakes and high exhausts and a lot
more free vent area than anyone is going to put on a boat. Some say
canvas is porous enough to allow moisture to migrate.

My guess it is best to keep boats in climates where covers are
unnecessary.

harlan

I'll have to use my heavy canvas tarp again this winter for my
trailerable mini-cruiser sailboat, but next spring, I'll add an
additional couple of feet to my garage so the boat can be snug and dry
for the five months of Nov-March.

In article k.net,
Courtney Thomas wrote:

Harlan Lachman wrote:
In article ,
Peggie Hall wrote:


Harlan Lachman wrote:

Courtney, the joys of shrink wrapping a boat are that almost always it
is done by a yard (one less cold weather project), it holds up great,
looks good, and keeps rain, ice, snow, debris and everything else off
one's boat. OTOH, at $20+ a foot it can be expensive and poly is not
good for the environment.

A couple more downsides to shrink wrap: there's no ventilation in a
shrink-wrapped boat..it traps and holds humidity, resulting in moldy
musty interiors next spring. You can't go aboard on any of those
occasional amazing days in the middle of winter to open it up to let it
air out, or check on anything--like finding out whether any critters
have decided to homestead your cabin--or do any of those little projects
you should do this fall, but didn't and COULD do if you could go aboard
for a day.

IMO, you're a lot better off giving your hull and deck a heavy coat of
wax to protect the fiberglass...and then cover it instead of
shrinkwrapping it.


Actually Peggy, up here in Vermont, they now build in vents for the
boats, usually one at each end or one on the stern and one on either
side by the mast.

Years ago, as one of the people in charge of VT's energy efficiency
programs, I had to learn a lot about ventilation. My guess is most of
the vents in most of the boat covers don't work real well.

Effective ventilation requires low intakes and high exhausts and a lot
more free vent area than anyone is going to put on a boat. Some say
canvas is porous enough to allow moisture to migrate.

My guess it is best to keep boats in climates where covers are
unnecessary.

harlan
Apparently, there are many who regard covers as unnecessary, which is
the main idea I'm probing with this query. That is, I see quite a few
boats in the New England area, and north, that do not use a cover at
all. I can certainly see that if you're storing in an area with
significant air pollution that a cover would possibly be wise but if
that's not the case, why cover, other than maybe something like a boom
tent to shed the snow should the snow load become excessive.

When is the snow load excessive ? Is it due to melt/freeze cycle that
results in possible ice damage, or what ?

Thanks again,

Courtney

Courtney, no one up here worries about too much snow. The weight is not
going to cause a problem.

It is the ability of water to penetrate and expand through seams and
around hardware that is chilling (sorry about the pun) and the freezing
and thawing action that is so common especially on those cold days when
the sun comes out and then the temp drops way below zero on cool nites.

Some of the new boats at our yard remain uncovered so they can be shown
all year. I doubt this is a good thing, at least some years where the
freezing and thawing cycles are worser. The poor workers get to shovel
them off.

harlan

Harlan Lachman wrote:
In article k.net,
Courtney Thomas wrote:


Harlan Lachman wrote:

In article ,
Peggie Hall wrote:



Harlan Lachman wrote:


Courtney, the joys of shrink wrapping a boat are that almost always it
is done by a yard (one less cold weather project), it holds up great,
looks good, and keeps rain, ice, snow, debris and everything else off
one's boat. OTOH, at $20+ a foot it can be expensive and poly is not
good for the environment.

A couple more downsides to shrink wrap: there's no ventilation in a
shrink-wrapped boat..it traps and holds humidity, resulting in moldy
musty interiors next spring. You can't go aboard on any of those
occasional amazing days in the middle of winter to open it up to let it
air out, or check on anything--like finding out whether any critters
have decided to homestead your cabin--or do any of those little projects
you should do this fall, but didn't and COULD do if you could go aboard
for a day.

IMO, you're a lot better off giving your hull and deck a heavy coat of
wax to protect the fiberglass...and then cover it instead of
shrinkwrapping it.


Actually Peggy, up here in Vermont, they now build in vents for the
boats, usually one at each end or one on the stern and one on either
side by the mast.

Years ago, as one of the people in charge of VT's energy efficiency
programs, I had to learn a lot about ventilation. My guess is most of
the vents in most of the boat covers don't work real well.

Effective ventilation requires low intakes and high exhausts and a lot
more free vent area than anyone is going to put on a boat. Some say
canvas is porous enough to allow moisture to migrate.

My guess it is best to keep boats in climates where covers are
unnecessary.

harlan

Apparently, there are many who regard covers as unnecessary, which is
the main idea I'm probing with this query. That is, I see quite a few
boats in the New England area, and north, that do not use a cover at
all. I can certainly see that if you're storing in an area with
significant air pollution that a cover would possibly be wise but if
that's not the case, why cover, other than maybe something like a boom
tent to shed the snow should the snow load become excessive.

When is the snow load excessive ? Is it due to melt/freeze cycle that
results in possible ice damage, or what ?

Thanks again,

Courtney


Courtney, no one up here worries about too much snow. The weight is not
going to cause a problem.

It is the ability of water to penetrate and expand through seams and
around hardware that is chilling (sorry about the pun) and the freezing
and thawing action that is so common especially on those cold days when
the sun comes out and then the temp drops way below zero on cool nites.

Some of the new boats at our yard remain uncovered so they can be shown
all year. I doubt this is a good thing, at least some years where the
freezing and thawing cycles are worser. The poor workers get to shovel
them off.

harlan

Thanks Harlan.

That's what I was looking for....i.e. the reason that some/most
boatowners decide to cover, i.e. the destructive potential of the
thaw/freeze cycle of the encumbent precipitation.

What'd the old-timers do ?

Cordially,

Courtney