Prep for in-the-water storage?

[Cap Bill Des]

Our winter trip from Rhode Island to the Bahamas has ended in Norfolk, VA, with a family medical crisis at home. So now we're going to store our Catalina 42 in Virginia until the Spring.

As I make calls, it appears to me that "haul and land storage on jackstands", which is what I've done for 20 years, is not the norm here. Almost all boats seem to be left in the water.

So how do I prepare the boat to sit in a slip for six months? (I assume we will visit once or twice over six months to check the boat, but no more)(The mast will stay up)

We have no boat cover that can be used with the boat in the water. (Our "full-boat cover is at home- with frame, but it wraps below the waterline and I would not attempt that in the water)

The sails will definitely come off.

How about the 6x100watt solar panels? Up North we take them off for snow load, and in the Caribbean we take them off in case of big wind. Virginia winter?

Antifreeze the engine and plumbing?

Close all the through- hulls? Then I wonder how much "mast water" (keel stepped) will accumulated.

Floating dock or fixed dock- in hurricane season I surely prefer floating docks, but they're harder to find - and the hurricane season should be winding down. How important is this for an unattended boat with two-foot tides?

Plug in or not? If I leave up any or all of the solar I can't see any need to be plugged in to the dock. (I'm assuming the AGM's can "float" each day without damage)

Please help with tips and best practices! In-the-water storage just seems so less secure to me!

And any recommendations of marinas in the Norfolk/Portsmouth/Hampton area would be welcome!

Thank you!

[Cap Bill Des]

I don't know the marinas in the Norfolk/Hampton area, so any recommendations for storage would be welcome.

Still trying to decide how hard to try for a floating dock...

[marcjsmith]

Bill

last winter I overwintered in the water just south of annapolis.

no solar so i stayed plugged in just to keep the batteries fresh and topped off and to keep a fan on to keep air moving.

did winterize engine, gen, hvac, heads, water tanks, HW tank, holding tanks. Going on the hard this year same area since I have to some out of water work.

I could be mistaken, but I'm not sure norfolk sees any long term freezing temps... Yeah there will be times when temps get below freezing, but pretty rare for it to be below freezing for days on end.

But since you'll be some distance from the boat, Id plan on doing a full winterize just to be on the safe side. the cost of half a dozen gallons of antifreeze would be great piece of mind when you are sitting hundreds of miles away.

take down bimini and dodger canvas and stow you could always rig up a boom tent using a tarp. and do the same thing with a spin pole going forward. to help keep away typical bird stuff/leaves. but i think typical snow for norfolk is 3-4 inches per year.

another concern would be if you marina has a lot of trees. could the scuppers get overwhelmed by an errant leaf?

[fstbttms]

I'm sure you can find a local service that will check on the boat regularly, making sure there are no issues occurring, keep the batteries topped up etc. You will also want to engage a diver to keep the hull clean and anodes replaced if necessary.

[Shrew]

I'd do an oil change on the main and genny, then winterize all systems like you normally would, then close all the seacocks. Remove all the sails, then walk away.

[Off Trail]

York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester Point. A 2 hour run up the York River. Sheltered, floating docks, has yard for haulout if you want. Or Stingray or Regatta Point in Deltaville but a bit further.

Winter is pretty mild; especially in-water you shouldn't have any freezing issues. Strip sails & canvas, close seacocks, change oil. If in Marina I would stay plugged in just so the bilge pump is powered, but you could argue either way.