[Rhodes22-list] Winter Storage

[Mary Lou Troy]

Jim,
We store the mast in the garage (having the room and not wanting to leave 
it outside with all of  the sails attached). We put a tarp over the boat 
supported by a wooden frame. The frame is notched to go over the stern rail 
and bow pulpit. We put weights (soda bottles filled with sand) hung from 
the grommets to hold down the tarp. The tarp is tied at the bow and stern. 
This works pretty well for us but we don't get as high a snow load as you 
do. We keep the boat at the house and can keep an eye on it. I wouldn't 
want to leave everything up on the mast crutch. It's sturdy but it would 
create a lot of tarping difficulties. If we were going to use the mast as a 
support, we'd lower it to the stern rail and support it at the 
tabernacle.  Attached is a pic of our wooden frame.

Mary Lou


At 12:30 PM 9/25/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>I am facing up to the likelihood that after pulling the boat out of the water
>prior to my vacation, I may not get her back in this year.  Too much other
>stuff to do.
>
>In previous sailboats, I have stored on the trailer using the mast as a
>tarpaulin support pole, and supported the (horizontal) mast at the bow, 
>stern,
>tabernacle, and sometimes also a fourth support in the cockpit area.
>
>Aside from the fact that the mast would need additional support between 
>the bow
>rail and stern rail, I have the GB mast-raising system with the tall aft mast
>crutch, so the mast isn't horizontal.
>
>How do people arrange their boats for winter storage?  Anybody just add more
>support and wrap her up with the mast on the GB support, or is that a bad
>idea?  Is the GB crutch strong enough to take this sort of load?  2' of 
>snow on
>my old R-19 tarp partially collapsed the aft mast crutch on me once.  No 
>damage
>to the boat or mast as a result, but I would prefer to avoid similar 
>situations
>in the future.
>
>BTW, the long-term weather forecast and the "Old Farmer's Almanac" apparently
>agree that this coming winter will be similar to the last, with snow from
>November to April, (FWIW).  We had near-record snow totals here in MA.
>
>
>Jim Connolly
>s/v Inisheer
>1985
>__________________________________________________
>Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
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