Another sad day...

[Abbeysdad]

Following Benders lead from a year or two ago, I put together PVC masts...


And just as snow began to fall...


Woe is me!

[joedog]

Weather just won't give you folks a break!

Glad to see your foresight's success....well the snow is hardly a success I guess.

[lilmule]

Nice job the guy wires(rope) for and aft ,port and starboard also help support the tarp(looks like blue plastic wal mart,Ive used it) with snow on it,dont let it build up to high and make sure you drained the livewells and kept the plug out.

[keithdog]

It's a very sad day indeed. But at least she is stored very nicely! Looks like a nice setup for storage.

[Abbeysdad]

The first season I had her shrink wrapped but it cost nearly $200. I unwrapped her carefully and used the same shrink wrap the next fall. They had used 6' 2x4's for the masts and nylon strapping. I used the same 2x4's the second winter and rope for the guy lines. This worked well but I always worried that the 2x4's could slip and the whole thing could fall down.

The PVC fits over the seat pedestals and is further secured by the guy ropes that also create an infrastructure for the tarp. The tarp is an inexpensive blue tarp often used by painters and roofers. I stuck with the high mast as snow seems to readily fall off....although here and there I've found myself out there with a broom knocking it off.

This was just a 'warning snow'...just enough to get me pretty cold and wet during the cover tie down. You know, you start this and it's cold and over cast...part way through it starts to sprinkle...but you can't stop. Then the sprinkle turns into a sleet like snow. I'm pretty sure it stopped shortly after I was finished - mother nature can be a real bit@# at times, just ask the folks in Jersey and parts of NYC!!! Speaking of which, we sure were lucky here with Sandy with just some heavy winds that caused no real trouble.

[Rebbasser]

that looks like a great way to winterize the boat. Fortunately for me 1) I am able to keep the boat in the garage and 2) with literally the exception of 2 or 3 days I can use the boat year round. We get maybe 2-3 days of winter weather here-as in freezing precipitation, usually freezing rain-so it may be cold but I can still fish. Before Flyrod passed away we had several pretty productive days where air temps were in the 40s-50s and water temps in the same range, which is about normal for conditions in south Texas in the winter.

[Abbeysdad]

You just gotta laugh. About an hour after I finished buttoning her up, it hit me...I forgot to remove the fire extinguisher and the flares from the glove box! Crap.
Today I unwrapped just enough of the back end to get in there and get them. It really stunk in there for the containers of moth balls I set out to discourage critters. I held my breath and didn't stay very long. So she's all wrapped back up as good or better than before for a long winters nap.

[Rebbasser]

I did have to laugh-with you, not at you. I reckon all of us have done something similar at one time or another.

I once left a pair of needlenose pliers on a top of a bookshelf. Hunted high and low, no luck. 2 years later...

[Abbeysdad]

Originally Posted by Rebbasser

I once left a pair of needlenose pliers on a top of a bookshelf. Hunted high and low, no luck. 2 years later...

What's even worse is going into the basement, garage or shed to get something. Then getting side tracked with one thing , then another and finally having to stop and think....what did I come here for???
Fortunately I have yet to find myself at the halfway point on the stairs wondering if I was going up or down!!! <hahaha>

[bamabassman]

i am so glad i am not alone, hahaha. i seem to do those EXACT same things alot myself lately. actually i htink it is caused by lisa in my case. she sees me going to do somehting, stops me...tells me to do someting else ("it'll only take 5 mins.") 2 hours later...i am wondering what i was doing to begin with. then she says,"wel, since oyu forgot..i need so and so done too." so my day is ruined. lol!

[Bender]

Last year I did mine at the beginning of November and then it was warm all the way through December. This year the last time I was home (until now) was November 2 so I didn't do it. Now I'm home and it is snowing!

Abbeysdad, it is nice that you can get back in there if you need too. We never had enough snow to really test it last year here. I might do the shrink wrap this year just so that I can tow it after it's done. I left mine in the driveway last year and it really takes up a lot of space so I might try to find another spot at my friend's farm or someplace.

[Abbeysdad]

Hey Bender - there you are! I really like the pvc masts that fit over the seat pedestals on my boat, making them really solid, and even more so with the tie downs. Shrink wrap is 'nice' just a bit pricey to do every winter...about $12/ft. I think I can get 4 or more years out of a 30', $36 tarp (we'll see).
My boat is out in the 'yard' where it sits all year when she's not in the water.

[bamabassman]

i have a question for my brethern in the northern territory....do any of oyu WRAP a blacket of some sorts around oyur motor? i have a heavy cloth type of thing and wrapped mine this year. i have made sure the water was out of the motor though. i was just wondering if any of oyu have done so.

in other words i made a snuggy for my motor, lol.

[Abbeysdad]

Bama - nope, I pull the plugs and get liberal with the fogging oil spray, re-install the plugs and then the motor is covered just like the rest of the boat. Even during the season, my canvas mooring cover goes right over the top of the OB motor (so I don't have any separate motor cover like I've seen for sale and some others likely use).
A 'snuggy' is a sweet gesture, pumpkin, but it ain't gonna keep her warm in the dead of winter!

[Bender]

Bama, I don't put anything over it either. Last year I did wrap some shrink wrap (like for shipping, think giant Saran Wrap) around the top. Then I pulled the prop and put a ziplock bag around the prop shaft and taped it to the lower unit with blue painter's tape. I also put that tape over the water pick-ups and the hole in the nose cone for the speedo and over the pee hole. I mainly did that to keep any bugs out.

My tarp does cover the entire motor and if it didn't I would probably buy a cheap little tarp to cover it and put some soft of a blanket under it so the cowl doesn't get scratched.

[bamabassman]

thanks guys! guess i am jsut being overly careful now, hahaha! i had the little tarp/canvas and just thought it would be nice to put a coat on the ol motor, hahaha!


i know it is probably overkill, but hey...it WAS jsut sitting there taking up space, had abrain fart of sorts. gonna leave it on anyway.

[Abbeysdad]

Yea, if my tarp didn't also cover the motor (see pic) I would also cover the motor - even if just with a large trash bag to keep the moisture off/out.

It seems strange looking over there and seeing her all wrapped up like that.