ICE Surviving hull design(s)(Or manual haulout options)?

[Onlooker]

I've seen various documentaries over the years that showed crew both planned an unplanned wintering through frozen sea-ice on their sailboats.

Can this be more safely 'planned for'? That is, in my case I'm wondering if there are hull properties I can find in an existing boat that might 'undoubtedly' survive being in a lake/harbor where the top 2-3 feet freezes?

There are a number of large steel and otherwise sailboats available in my area, the prices are so good($3-$5k) that I would use one as a floating cottage off some property I own.. The cost to haul out would be prohibitive, but if I knew a well moored boat would stay afloat through the freezing.. VERY tempting..

Ideas/information I can look at for consideration?

I might also be interested in some labor intensive but affordable way to roll up/jack out a larger boat up onto the shore yourself without any vehicle assistance (nothing that can't be carried by 1 man).

[tkeithlu]

In the general case, steel hulls are designed to the same standards as fiberglass hulls. Neither are designed with resisting crushing as a primary goal. Both are designed by marine architect/engineers for stiffness, etc.

In addition, I'm thinking about some aspects of steel that I learned building a steel boat. The stuff is a lot more plastic than I thought. You can dent it pretty easily, my script by my signature not withstanding. Yeah, head-on, I'd bet on my steel boat every time, but compressive crushing? I don't know.

All that said, how thick is the ice in question?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Onlooker.

See ➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...70#post3312370

[S/V Illusion]

This is a silly idea for a myriad reasons. Thruhulls freeze and break, ice moves, ice on uncovered boats exacerbate crevice damage, etc... ask Ernest Shackleton

[Muaddib1116]

Are you looking for a boat to sail into high latitude places? or just a floating home to live on in a place that freezes?

[Smokeys Kitchen]

You need to get a copy of Alvah Simon's book 'North to the Night'. He did this in the very far north of eastern Canada many years ago. The book describes the vessel along with the trials he encountered very well.

[Paul Howard]

if just wanting the boat to survive being frozen in 2-3ft of ice, many strongly built steel boats can survive that. We have friends that on-purpose allowed their boat to be frozen in the ice in Greenland as they wanted to experience a winter there. The ice movement pinching up on the hull lifted part up and forced part down until they feared it would sink and began chopping at the ice to save the boat. Their boat was a centreboard boat with no keel sticking out the bottom to be caught in the ice.
Tristan Jones, Ice!, dragged his steel former lifeboat onto a sheet of ice at about 80degrees north in the Arctic Ocean to spend a winter drifting around. He used his winches and tackles to do so.
Also, belonging to a club with moorings in an area that freezes and can have 2ft thick ice, we sometimes lose a mooring or have them moved as the ice goes out if the wind blows strong enough while the mooring floats and chains are strongly held in the ice.
Many people create a cradle and skidway to hand winch or use a come-along to pull up on a gradually sloping beach for the winter.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Onlooker

I've seen various documentaries over the years that showed crew both planned an unplanned wintering through frozen sea-ice on their sailboats.

Can this be more safely 'planned for'? That is, in my case I'm wondering if there are hull properties I can find in an existing boat that might 'undoubtedly' survive being in a lake/harbor where the top 2-3 feet freezes?

There are a number of large steel and otherwise sailboats available in my area, the prices are so good($3-$5k) that I would use one as a floating cottage off some property I own.. The cost to haul out would be prohibitive, but if I knew a well moored boat would stay afloat through the freezing.. VERY tempting..

Ideas/information I can look at for consideration?

I might also be interested in some labor intensive but affordable way to roll up/jack out a larger boat up onto the shore yourself without any vehicle assistance (nothing that can't be carried by 1 man).

Cradle, matting, wooden rollers and chain falls, if a gradual slope, for hauling depending on what you call a good sized boat.
I forgot a few good friends to pull a lot of chain and some good trees for anchoring points.

[bmz]

Nonmoving ice will not damage sailboat' s hull, steel or fiberglass. Put a tarp over it, close and put antifreeze in the throughhulls, and you are good for the winter.

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by bmz

Nonmoving ice will not damage sailboat' s hull, steel or fiberglass. Put a tarp over it, close and put antifreeze in the throughhulls, and you are good for the winter.

This!

[PirateGuy]

If all you are looking for is extra space in a “cottage” why don’t you go the traditional route and buy and old RV or schoolbus and park it on some cement blocks.
No worries about moving ice, and it will look just as tacky as a $3k dilapidated sailboat sinking off your shore.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Onlooker

I've seen various documentaries over the years that showed crew both planned an unplanned wintering through frozen sea-ice on their sailboats.

Can this be more safely 'planned for'? That is, in my case I'm wondering if there are hull properties I can find in an existing boat that might 'undoubtedly' survive being in a lake/harbor where the top 2-3 feet freezes?

There are a number of large steel and otherwise sailboats available in my area, the prices are so good($3-$5k) that I would use one as a floating cottage off some property I own.. The cost to haul out would be prohibitive, but if I knew a well moored boat would stay afloat through the freezing.. VERY tempting..

Ideas/information I can look at for consideration?

I might also be interested in some labor intensive but affordable way to roll up/jack out a larger boat up onto the shore yourself without any vehicle assistance (nothing that can't be carried by 1 man).

I've heard that some marinas in the Great Lakes area use bubblers for this. As I'm in So Cal, I have no idea how these things work (the only ice we get is the kind we make) but I'd bet they require some source of power. Having spent two winters rather high up in the Rockies, there's no way I'd consider trying to live on a an iced in boat.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by PirateGuy

If all you are looking for is extra space in a “cottage” why don’t you go the traditional route and buy and old RV or schoolbus and park it on some cement blocks.
No worries about moving ice, and it will look just as tacky as a $3k dilapidated sailboat sinking off your shore.

Snark city !

[captlloyd]

More details on the size of the boat in mind but if not very big, yes, a wheeled rig could be fabricated to drag it out depending on lake bottom and grade. Bubblers are an option, just requiring an air pump.

[johnn33]

Perhaps several owners might look at a light weight marine railway
https://www.brownsmarina.com/learn-a...marine-railway
John