Cats on the hard for winter?

[soon2sail]

Any thoughts on putting catamarans on the hard for 6-7 months? I've heard perhaps that it might induce undue stress at certain hull locations? Old wives tale? Thinking of putting our Maine Cat 41 up over the winter in Wrangell AK.

[rslifkin]

If the boat is supported properly I don't see why it would be any more of an issue for any other boat.

[Chotu]

There is absolutely no reason to worry about putting your cat on the hard for an infinite amount of time.

You have a Maine Cat? These were well-built boats.

Just make sure you support it directly on the aft structural bulkhead and directly on the forward structural bulkhead. That’s it. There’s nothing else to worry about.

(Except snow and ice issues)

[LeeV]

No reason not to, as mentioned. I’ve never put either of our two cats or two large trimarans on the hard for the winter, but Maryland is not Alaska!

[Sailing Kerygma]

We have ours on the hard until the end of next March in north Chesapeake eastern shore... put it up June 1st of this year... any tips on winterizing?.. first year owning it. Plan on changing oil in engines, genset and outboard... fill fuel tanks, ad antifreeze to genset, engines and outboard... drain and flush out fresh water system with vinegar... top off batteries (fluid and charge)... empty black tanks and flush sanitary hoses with propylene glycol... descale and flush AC systems with antifreeze... empty water heater... watermaker has already been pickled... anything I'm missing?..

[LeeV]

You’ve pretty much nailed it! We run a small dehumidifier over the winter in our cat, but we also stay in the water.

[swanpol]

solution, sail all year¡¡¡¡¡

[Tin Tin]

Originally Posted by Sailing Kerygma

We have ours on the hard until the end of next March in north Chesapeake eastern shore... put it up June 1st of this year... any tips on winterizing?.. first year owning it. Plan on changing oil in engines, genset and outboard... fill fuel tanks, ad antifreeze to genset, engines and outboard... drain and flush out fresh water system with vinegar... top off batteries (fluid and charge)... empty black tanks and flush sanitary hoses with propylene glycol... descale and flush AC systems with antifreeze... empty water heater... watermaker has already been pickled... anything I'm missing?..

Disconnect batteries unless you are going to keep on trickle charge.
Make sure you get the wash down pump and transom shower, often forgotten.


There are also free detailed winterising lists eg:
https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice.../winterization

[team karst]

Note that common pickling chemicals do not protect against freezing.