On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 18:18:12 GMT, "ed" wrote:
The bilge heater sounds good. Since I will not be there at night, I might
put in a power failure notification device that would call me should the
power go out and give me an opportunity to start the generator. Only
downside is f the phones go out too, which is not as common as power
failures.

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With some shopping around you could probably find an alarm and
monitoring system which connects to a cell phone. I know that ADT and
others offer a system like that for home security.

As someone else mentioned, you need to figure out how you are going to
replenish your fresh water tanks. The normal marina dock water will
surely be turned off for the winter. One possibility is a large hose
reel which you can connect to an indoor source when needed. The hose
will need to be stored in a heated place of course. Alternatively,
you could wheel water down to the dock on a hand truck and transfer it
but that's a pain however.

One other thing worth mentioning: It is important that ALL areas of
the bilge which contain through hull fittings be kept above freezing
temperature. One of the more common winter time issues is water
freezing and cracking a through hull, which then turns into a hole in
the bottom when it thaws out. I know folks who have lost boats this
way.