Winter Shrink Wrap ? Why?

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by nortonscove

Nope. Never covered my boats either. Found it to be silly and wasteful. I'm in Newfoundland and the winter winds make short work of even the best tarps. All types of wraps are simply extra windage and put more stress on the stands and cribbage. This is not to mention the damage I've seen from the cordage used to keep some of the wrappings in place. Once they start to shred in the aforementioned wind grommets and such simply scar the hull.

Poor design and installation don’t make good excuses to not cover a boat. A properly built and properly installed cover won’t suffer the drama you described nor would shrink wrap but all boats incur damage exposed to weather.

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Poor design and installation don’t make good excuses to not cover a boat. A properly built and properly installed cover won’t suffer the drama you described nor would shrink wrap but all boats incur damage exposed to weather.

Don't cover it while I'm sailing on a nasty salty ocean either. I also deplore the excess and waste associated with it. Also where are you located?

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by nortonscove

Don't cover it while I'm sailing on a nasty salty ocean either. I also deplore the excess and waste associated with it. Also where are you located?

Given some comments here, it’s difficult to assess the intellect of the poster. Now we can be assured you are smart enough to not sail with a cover over the boat.

A well made winter cover produces no waste unlike poorly made and cheap tarps which is why everyone agrees poor quality covers aren’t an excuse for protecting a boat.

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by fireman182

Hey Guys,

I've been checking on my boat all winter and looking around at the boat yard and noticed not all boats shrink wrap. Mine included.

Looking for some opinions.

I have never wrapped my boat in anything. I haven't found any issues with it being exposed.

At $400 to $500 per season in plastic, plus the environmental impact of these huge single use plastic sheets (or $5000 in custom canvas) what are the benefits of covering your boat?

I shrink wrap to keep the snow off the decks for the reasons given. I do my own shrink wrap. At a new marina now. Will see if they take the plastic away

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Given some comments here, it’s difficult to assess the intellect of the poster. Now we can be assured you are smart enough to not sail with a cover over the boat.

A well made winter cover produces no waste unlike poorly made and cheap tarps which is why everyone agrees poor quality covers aren’t an excuse for protecting a boat.

I'm speaking from the experience of running a small boatyard in my location for twenty years. When you've found yourself lying on top of a $6000 custom cover in 180 kilometers of wind cutting it off because the aluminum tubing has been twisted into odd shapes while informing the owner of your intentions you come to realize that the cover is a greater threat than the other elements. So no I'm not where you are and understand that you may be right right there but don't preach to those who don't sit in your church.

[chris95040]

I cover with a Fairclough fabric cover (although, don’t take this as an endorsement, they are weird to talk to and make an awful lot of mistakes in my experience.)

I cover because why suffer 6 months of unnecessary UV damage. In my case it’s particularly important because of brightwork but UV takes its toll on everything, gelcoat etc...

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by nortonscove

I'm speaking from the experience of running a small boatyard in my location for twenty years. When you've found yourself lying on top of a $6000 custom cover in 180 kilometers of wind cutting it off because the aluminum tubing has been twisted into odd shapes while informing the owner of your intentions you come to realize that the cover is a greater threat than the other elements. So no I'm not where you are and understand that you may be right right there but don't preach to those who don't sit in your church.

I lived up north for decades. To state the obvious, people can actually move.
Your experience is no different from mine and don’t presume simply because we now live in Florida that you somehow have more experience and can “preach” to anyone else. Your not qualified...

As to your example, it’s a sure sign of a losing argument when you resort to rare, extreme examples to support your opinion. Freeze/thaw of ice does far greater damage than an occasional windy storm.

[GregD]

Originally Posted by Boatwright

2 big problems I've seen with shrink-wrap:

1) The build-up of moisture inside. I know about the vents available -- they don't work. If you want a mildewed cabin come spring there is no better plan than shrink-wrap.

2) Several boats I know about, including one I used to own have had blistered, or burned hull finishes from careless use of the flame gun. Good luck placing a claim against "Dock Rat We Do Shrinkwrap" - no insurance, no business license, etc..

We have a cold, snowy winter here, so covering is needed. Most around here are no longer using the wrap, but tent the boat with a tarp open at the ends.

Back a number of years ago I shrink wrapped a 21' trailerable sailboat I owned. It sat unused in my yard for 3 years and over 2 winters. Before closing it up I wiped everything down with a bleach cleaner. When it came time to open the boat back up after such a long time I expected to have a mouldy mess on my hands. To my surprise the inside cabin looked like the day I had it covered. No musty odor, the fabric cushions, curtains, and everything else were perfect. I didn't spend 5 minutes making it clean enough to show the new buyer.

[carmarche]

Shrink wrap... not a chance ! Had a canvas (only to the toerail) cover on our previous boat and when I bought our current one, had planned to shrink wrap it the first season and have a cover made over the summer for the following season. Shortly after purchase we went to the Annapolis boat show and approached someone who made them... got a price but thought it was a bit high (As finances were tight since we just bought the boat) so called the shrinkwrap guy at our marina for a rough quote. When he told me it would be over $2000 immediately turned around and gave the man at the booth my deposit. (Couldn’t say NO to a $2k + discount ! Best thing we ever did ! Was also able to customize it making it easier/more pleasant to liveaboard eventually.
As to WHY... we have teak decks now but even without that... do not want ice forming on deck and just laying there For any length of time. We’ve had several mild winters lately but the first few were quite bad with multiple feet of snow.

[capn_billl]

"We just don't like the idea of our boat weathering in a yard when we are not using her" David B

This.

Take two boats, cover one, and leave the other in the weather for 10 years.

The covered one will look new, the other...like it was left out.

I've seen this in patio furniture.

The ones I took into the garage still looked new, and lasted for decades.

The ones left out over winter?

Looked like I dug them up from an archaeological ruins the next spring.

[GregD]

Originally Posted by fireman182

Hey Guys,

I've been checking on my boat all winter and looking around at the boat yard and noticed not all boats shrink wrap. Mine included.

Looking for some opinions.

I have never wrapped my boat in anything. I haven't found any issues with it being exposed.

At $400 to $500 per season in plastic, plus the environmental impact of these huge single use plastic sheets (or $5000 in custom canvas) what are the benefits of covering your boat?

My 2 cents worth on shrink wrapping (which I do every year)

Some winters are mild enough to not have a problem. I'm more concerned with the ones where it snows a lot or has many freeze/thaw cycles. You can't predict the weather and if that happens it's too late to change your mind.

Unless you are 100% sure there are no small leaks or seepage on every deck fitting then you can never be sure that you won't get some water into the deck core during freeze/thaw cycles.

After having the boat shrink wrapped I go inside and open all the hatches and ports to allow the cabin to breathe. My 30 year old boat has virtually no cabin odor common on many older fiberglass production boats. People actually comment on how there is no smell down below. I think the fact that it is wide open for 6 months is the primary reason.

On a sunny day the shrink wrap acts as a greenhouse and I can comfortably work on deck or down below. Anything over about 40F will give me a temperature in the 60's under the wrap. Good for those of us who live in an area where we have to take 6 months off of the sailing season.

[Mike OReilly]

Well, here's my boat in Newfoundland. It is in Lewisporte, NL. It has survived the last winter, and is 1/2 way through it's second. So far so good.

I will note that a lot fewer boats use covers in Lewisporte. A lot are, but many are not. At my previous marina in Corner Brook, most boats were covered. Could be a difference in snow loads. The west coast tends to get more snow (so I'm told) than the east coast. Although the east definitely gets a lot.

A cover is important to my boat since it has screwed in teak decks which definitely do get damaged from snow and ice. Other boats are not a susceptible, but even without the risk of freeze cycling, I'd be very concerned about snow loads up in the areas of NL I've been.

It's certainly possible to build covers that can stand up to the elements most of the time. But if they come apart in a storm, they could quickly become a serious problem for everyone around.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by fireman182

Hey Guys,

I've been checking on my boat all winter and looking around at the boat yard and noticed not all boats shrink wrap. Mine included.

Looking for some opinions.

I have never wrapped my boat in anything. I haven't found any issues with it being exposed.

At $400 to $500 per season in plastic, plus the environmental impact of these huge single use plastic sheets (or $5000 in custom canvas) what are the benefits of covering your boat?

Think potholes in a wintery area.. I bought a quality canvas cover 10 yrs ago, yes pricey, still going strong today. It was worth the investment. Boat shows are a great place to get good pricing.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by carmarche

Shrink wrap... not a chance ! Had a canvas (only to the toerail) cover on our previous boat and when I bought our current one, had planned to shrink wrap it the first season and have a cover made over the summer for the following season. Shortly after purchase we went to the Annapolis boat show and approached someone who made them... got a price but thought it was a bit high (As finances were tight since we just bought the boat) so called the shrinkwrap guy at our marina for a rough quote. When he told me it would be over $2000 immediately turned around and gave the man at the booth my deposit. (Couldn’t say NO to a $2k + discount ! Best thing we ever did ! Was also able to customize it making it easier/more pleasant to liveaboard eventually.
As to WHY... we have teak decks now but even without that... do not want ice forming on deck and just laying there For any length of time. We’ve had several mild winters lately but the first few were quite bad with multiple feet of snow.

Also got mine at that boat show.. 10 yrs ago and it still strong with no issues with the canvas.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by nortonscove

Don't cover it while I'm sailing on a nasty salty ocean either. I also deplore the excess and waste associated with it. Also where are you located?

Although I have a canvas cover, here in NJ, shrink wrap is recyclable and my yard has a huge bin where you can drop it off.. for free.