winter boat heating

[Brewmaster]

Howdy;
This is my first posting so bear with me. I bought my Telstar 28 (Hull #380) this spring and am very new to multihull ownership. I would like to know if anyone has kept their Telstar 28 somewhat heated by safely hanging a 100 Watt light bulb below in the center of the boat throughout the winter. I'm storing the boat here in Michigan for the first time under a professionally installed shrink wrap cover on the trailer. The amount of heat generated by a 100 Watt bulb is considerable in a closed area, particularly with the cover over the boat. I'm not sure whether there would be a condensation problem or not with this idea and I wondered if anyone has any experience and or cautions related to heating the boat in this manner.
Brewmaster
Hull #380 -- Still Kicking II

[Ron]

I've been using an oil filled radiator style heater for years on several boats. Only modification was to remove the casters and bolt on a few 2x2's with rubber foot pads to steady it when the boats were wet stored during the winter. NYC Harbor can get fairly rough during a northeaster and I didn't want the thing to topple over. I usually hauled the boats every other year.

I set the device on "low" with the non-digital thermostat set fairly low also. This is the safest electric heater one can buy - the enclosed coil heats the fluid which is then pumped around the radiator. No exposed heat elements at all. Now that I have a trailerable boat which gets moved to Florida, I'm using the same radiator to keep the contents of an enclosed car hauler from freezing. It must be over 12 years old now. They also make electric heaters specifically for this application, but I wouldn't use anything with an exposed element.

The 100 watt bulb will help, but I'm not sure if it will keep the inside from freezing in Michigan and points north. Gets kind of cold there. Put a multi-stage battery tender on the two agm batteries if you leave them in the boat and expect to use them next year.

The shrink wrap tends to hold moisture in and I suppose condensation could become a problem. I've never used shrink wrap mostly for that reason. Get or make a good reusable canvas cover next time.

[Brewmaster]

Thanks Ron;
I definately think your suggestion regarding that safer alternative of oil based radiator is a good one. I'll research one and purchase it. I've taken the batteries off of the boat and have them on automatic float maintenance chargers down cellar. I don't really have a good place to store the cushions and the sails so I wanted to keep them in the boat. The shrink wrap cover has vents on it and, of coarse, air can quite easily move up through the bottom via the air spaces created in the folded amas. My captain on the racing boat has stored his boat under shrink wrap for 26 years. When we take the cover off in the spring, it is exactly as we left it the previous fall.

Brewmaster
Hull #380 Still Kicking II

[Ron]

Powerboats are usually the ones that get shrink wrapped. They tend to really seal these things off, and maybe add a vent or two as an after thought. Forgot about the folded ama's - yours will be able to breathe. One thing you should figure out is the cost to shrink wrap the boat every year (and throw it out) as opposed to having a good canvas (or similar) cover made up that should last 10 years. With the folded mast acting as the ridge beam, it's a fairly easy job. I was thinking about leaving the Telstar down here in Florida over the summer (on my lift or trailer?) and covering it. Got a price from a local canvas shop for about $2,200 to do the whole job, with zippered end panels, and using Sunbrella fabric. What did it cost to shrink wrap the boat?

If you check out the oil filled radiators, get a cheap one with a knob type of thermostat (non-digital). The fancy digital versions tend to shut down after a power failure.

[rorr1203]

I don't know that it will heat your boat in the cold northern winters, but a friend of mine here on the Chesapeake that has a 40' TRT catamaran uses an air dryer dehumidifier from West Marine in each hull. His objective is the keep the damp in check. URL to the unit below.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... ogId=10001

[Dan]

I'd advise against the 100 watt bulb. The oil-filler radiator or goldenrod type heaters are probably the best bet. One major advantage of the goldenrod or oil-filled radiator type heaters is that they have NO MOVING PARTS... and are less likely to fail because of that.

I'd also recommend that the boat be ventilated, whether by solar powered fans or leaving the hatches cracked under the shrink wrap, so that the warm moisture laden air can escape or you may have condensation problems.

I'd also recommend against any dehumidfiers that require emptying, unless you'll be at your boat on a regular basis.

[Brewmaster]

Ron:
The cost to shrink wrap the boat this year is $230.00 complete with a zippered door. That's a great price so I've heard. I'm sure the price will go up over time but it still would take at least 8 years to amortize a $2200.00 Sunbrella canvas cover. I may invest in one of those if I start to trailer the boat to new venues in the winter.
Brewmaster
Hull #380 Still Kicking II

[Ron]

That a very good price for the shrink wrapping. I was expecting you to say something like $500 and then the economics would work out. Down here in Florida and storing the boat for the summer, it's mainly a hide-it-from-the-UV problem. Sunbrella would do a much better job of that, expecially in certain colors which would do a better job of reflecting it.

[Ron]

Dan is right on the ventilating. I forgot to mention that the other boats that I talked about had solar/battery powered vents which did just that, and it worked. I'm very tempted to add one of these to the Telstar, probably by cutting a hole in one of the hatches. Not sure if I really want to go thru the cabin top.

[Jerry]

That Shrink wrapping cost is very low. Mine was $515 with the zipper door and I am in Vermont. They did build a wooden frame over the top of the mast so it is a straight line for and aft (no bump for the D frame). Other funny think was the comment they made comparing mine to trying to shrink wrap the Corsair 28 in the same marina.

I like the idea of a solar vent for the winter and am trying to think of some way to do it but i just wanted to circulate air under the shrink wrap and leave the boat hatches open. I am wondering about why there would be any concern about leaving the hatches open (with screens to keep critters out)? Shrink wrap will keep any water or snow out.

Jerry