wooden boats in the winter

[BATAAN]

My winter layup consists of draining any fresh water lines and tanks and a 100 watt light bulb burning 24/7 in each compartment to keep the condensation down without costing too much in electricity.
Many and large ventilators are a real necessity to prevent mildew. Few boats have enough vent area.
Any deck leaks at all cause rapid decay, so be very diligent in caulking and fixing the deck.

[hoytedow]

The reason wooden boats rot from the top down is that rain comes from above, but salt, which preserves against rot comes from below. Guard against the worms and other little varmints that eat wood in salt water.

[bruceb]

In the south-(and the bay is definitely "southern" in the summer), the sun and rain will do more damage than the ice and winter. My current small tri was kept in the water near Easton Md for 25 years, is built of 1/4" fir ply, epoxied but not glassed, and all of the minor rot /damage was from the decks down, not the bottom up. Keep your deck tight and the boat extra well ventilated summer and winter, and it will be fine. B

[wsvoboda]

I rebuilt the boats decks with 18mm marine ply and glued the teak deck in place. It's the Gougeon Brother's boat consruction idea. I have no leaks but will this work in winter or will the west systems bust up or crack due to freezing? I used west systems epoxy with 404 cylica and mixed in some graphite powder for color. the deck is like a rock and I have no leaks

[wsvoboda]

Oh I forgot to tell you thoses are number 10 3/4 inch screws and fender washers to hold the teak strips in place until the cured. I used 3/8 inch by 2 inch wide teak strips. It took 5 months of weekends to glue that deck in

[wsvoboda]

Here is what he deck looks like after 5 years and I still have no leaks. Now how this construction would work in freezing temps I don't know but on the west coast it seems to be holding up. questions and concerns are always great

[BKay]

wsvoboda - sounds like people smarter than me are chiming in, so I have nothing else of value to add on the wooden boat in Chesapeake discussion. But I'll pass on one thing I learned about having your boat on base (any base with security). It's a real PIA to not be able to have guests come by your boat/home without having an ID card, it's tough to have to sign in a girl you are bringing home late at night (if you are so inclined), and it can be a career ender to come home after a beer or two and have security stop you for having alcohol on your breath (I know you are in a security job, so you can appreciate the gate guards not having a lot of leeway here). Just a thought, but after having my previous boat on base in Tampa, FL - I decided I'd never keep a boat somewhere that I had to have an ID to get to. Good luck.