Ok, I know this is kinda early still, but the thought did cross my mind now.
How to go about storing a boat outdoors for the winter in an area that has
lots of snow (hence heavy weight).... What I'm talking about is sometimes 3
feet of snow.

If you've got a boat on a trailer, then I clearly see the first step is to
tarp it, however something wooden covering the seating area would be
required to keep it elevated and strong... from there????


Does anyone have experience here? I did the covering before with 1 foot of
snow max.. but not with 3+ feet of snow.. I figure it would take much more
to keep it safe...

C.

On Tue, 5 Jul 2005 11:17:17 -0400, "Chris"
wrote:

Ok, I know this is kinda early still, but the thought did cross my mind now.
How to go about storing a boat outdoors for the winter in an area that has
lots of snow (hence heavy weight).... What I'm talking about is sometimes 3
feet of snow.

If you've got a boat on a trailer, then I clearly see the first step is to
tarp it, however something wooden covering the seating area would be
required to keep it elevated and strong... from there????

Does anyone have experience here? I did the covering before with 1 foot of
snow max.. but not with 3+ feet of snow.. I figure it would take much more
to keep it safe...

If it's a relatively open boat, then the way to do it is to make a
center support to place in the middle of the boat, make sure it is
tall so the sides of the tarp are steep for the snow to slide off, pad
the top, secure it upright with heavier rope bow to stern and
side-to-side (kind of like a May Pole), make the lines tight and then
cover with the tarp.

Or have it shrink wrapped.

I run a rope from the bow to the stern, you can usually use the cleats,
and I have a 2x4 that I cut a small notch in to hold the rope and prop
it up as tight as it will go right in the middle of the boat, or as
close to, as you can get. I have a old rode that I use for this. Put
your tarp over it and secure it under the trailer/boat with smaller
rope or bungies.

All this aside the best thing you can do is visit your snow covered
jewel once a month with a push broom and sweep her off. I find that
doing this during a thaw is especially important because the melting
snow is very heavy and will turn into ice when it gets cold again.

A thought about tarps: I have a oversized one and with the folding
tounge I am able to cocoon the entire boat right down to the tires. It
will never make the Victoria Secret Boat cover catalog :-) but it does
keep everything well protected and dry.

Good luck and happy snow shoeing!

Randy

Chris wrote:
Ok, I know this is kinda early still, but the thought did cross my mind now.
How to go about storing a boat outdoors for the winter in an area that has
lots of snow (hence heavy weight).... What I'm talking about is sometimes 3
feet of snow.

If you've got a boat on a trailer, then I clearly see the first step is to
tarp it, however something wooden covering the seating area would be
required to keep it elevated and strong... from there????


Does anyone have experience here? I did the covering before with 1 foot of
snow max.. but not with 3+ feet of snow.. I figure it would take much more
to keep it safe...

C.


Some people make a rounded framework from 1" pvc pipe. (easier with
sailboats if mast stored on top as ridge pole).
Over this framework goes a large tarp. Some look a bit like the old
'covered wagons' of western movie fame.

Ok, so looking ahead now, if someone was to prepare to store a boat outdoors
for winter in conditions where the snow was 3 feet plus during the winter,
and the boat couldn't be examined regularly then could any of the following
ideas work? (runabout storage)

Solution 1: - the tent
- using 2x4's try and build a steep roof-like structure to go over the
boat. Simple framing followed by a tarp that would extend right to the
ground on both ends. The boat could be covered with a mooring cover, and
then covered with the tent frame, followed by the large tarp. Snow
shouldn't be able to stay on the tarp due to the steep angle or at least not
too much snow.
- alternatives here, the tent frame either goes over the whole boat from the
ground up, or the frame is built to sit on the top of the boat where there
isn't already a top cover ( seating areas, etc.) Space between tent joists
maybe every 24 inches for a 16ft boat?


Solution 2: - the rope
- using one, or several ropes, tie from the front and extend to the back
tying them to the centre, and then back corners. Put one support midway
under each rope. Put mooring cover on, and then a large tarp to go the
ground all the way around.


Solution 3: - the hard top.
- using 2x4 construction, build a top that covers the boat from the
windshield back to the start of the top cover in the rear. This ensures the
seating area (open area) is covered where no top cover exists. Put thin
plywood on this 2x4 construction to create the hard top. cover the entire
boat with either the mooring cover if it will still fit, then the tarp, or
just the tarp.


Solution 4: - the mix
- using a 4x4 on each end, create a pole just outside the front of the boat,
and a pole just outside the back of the boat. Run a 2x4 or 2x6 between at
the top, or a heavy tight rope. Secure the 4x4's to the trailer someone so
they are fairly solid. These poles should likely be 10-12 feet high. Cover
boat with mooring cover (fitting inside between the poles), then put a tarp
over the entire thing which should create a steep tent like structure. If
the tarp doesn't rip, then the snow should fall off...


My guess right now is that a rope could break far easier than a wooden
structure. As well, ensuring there isn't snow buildup on the tarp isn't a
guarantee until the tent structure was 20 feet high. Ultimately, the
important thing would be to keep the snow out of the topless portion of the
boat. The bow has a fiberglass top, so 3 feet of snow shouldn't hurt it...

Comments?

C.













"Don White" wrote in message
...
Chris wrote:
Ok, I know this is kinda early still, but the thought did cross my mind
now. How to go about storing a boat outdoors for the winter in an area
that has lots of snow (hence heavy weight).... What I'm talking about is
sometimes 3 feet of snow.

If you've got a boat on a trailer, then I clearly see the first step is
to tarp it, however something wooden covering the seating area would be
required to keep it elevated and strong... from there????


Does anyone have experience here? I did the covering before with 1 foot
of snow max.. but not with 3+ feet of snow.. I figure it would take much
more to keep it safe...

C.


Some people make a rounded framework from 1" pvc pipe. (easier with
sailboats if mast stored on top as ridge pole).
Over this framework goes a large tarp. Some look a bit like the old
'covered wagons' of western movie fame.

I just don't think outside boat storage is a good idea. Surely you can find
someone who will rent you a garage for the winter. Probably cheaper than
buying the lumber and the plastic for the projects you describe.
We get lots of snow here in Muskoka. I tried outside storage a couple of
times.Once it caused the windshield to collapse even though the tarp had
been braced. The top got very dirty. And I ended up with a huge block of ice
inside the boat. The problem is not so much the snow as the moisture when
you get a January thaw and it re-freezes.
Also, shrink wrapping is not good. It seals moisture inside. I had
considerable rot in one boat that had been shrink wrapped a couple of times.

"Chris" wrote in message
.. .
Ok, so looking ahead now, if someone was to prepare to store a boat
outdoors for winter in conditions where the snow was 3 feet plus during
the winter, and the boat couldn't be examined regularly then could any of
the following ideas work? (runabout storage)

Solution 1: - the tent
- using 2x4's try and build a steep roof-like structure to go over the
boat. Simple framing followed by a tarp that would extend right to the
ground on both ends. The boat could be covered with a mooring cover, and
then covered with the tent frame, followed by the large tarp. Snow
shouldn't be able to stay on the tarp due to the steep angle or at least
not too much snow.
- alternatives here, the tent frame either goes over the whole boat from
the ground up, or the frame is built to sit on the top of the boat where
there isn't already a top cover ( seating areas, etc.) Space between tent
joists maybe every 24 inches for a 16ft boat?


Solution 2: - the rope
- using one, or several ropes, tie from the front and extend to the back
tying them to the centre, and then back corners. Put one support midway
under each rope. Put mooring cover on, and then a large tarp to go the
ground all the way around.


Solution 3: - the hard top.
- using 2x4 construction, build a top that covers the boat from the
windshield back to the start of the top cover in the rear. This ensures
the seating area (open area) is covered where no top cover exists. Put
thin plywood on this 2x4 construction to create the hard top. cover the
entire boat with either the mooring cover if it will still fit, then the
tarp, or just the tarp.


Solution 4: - the mix
- using a 4x4 on each end, create a pole just outside the front of the
boat, and a pole just outside the back of the boat. Run a 2x4 or 2x6
between at the top, or a heavy tight rope. Secure the 4x4's to the
trailer someone so they are fairly solid. These poles should likely be
10-12 feet high. Cover boat with mooring cover (fitting inside between
the poles), then put a tarp over the entire thing which should create a
steep tent like structure. If the tarp doesn't rip, then the snow should
fall off...


My guess right now is that a rope could break far easier than a wooden
structure. As well, ensuring there isn't snow buildup on the tarp isn't a
guarantee until the tent structure was 20 feet high. Ultimately, the
important thing would be to keep the snow out of the topless portion of
the boat. The bow has a fiberglass top, so 3 feet of snow shouldn't hurt
it...

Comments?

C.













"Don White" wrote in message
...
Chris wrote:
Ok, I know this is kinda early still, but the thought did cross my mind
now. How to go about storing a boat outdoors for the winter in an area
that has lots of snow (hence heavy weight).... What I'm talking about is
sometimes 3 feet of snow.

If you've got a boat on a trailer, then I clearly see the first step is
to tarp it, however something wooden covering the seating area would be
required to keep it elevated and strong... from there????


Does anyone have experience here? I did the covering before with 1 foot
of snow max.. but not with 3+ feet of snow.. I figure it would take much
more to keep it safe...

C.


Some people make a rounded framework from 1" pvc pipe. (easier with
sailboats if mast stored on top as ridge pole).
Over this framework goes a large tarp. Some look a bit like the old
'covered wagons' of western movie fame.