Extended Layup

[s.v. LaVida]

I will be putting LaVida on an extended haulout beginning this spring.

I'd like to open up a discussion on the topic of storing a beloved friend for a long period of time, perhaps years.

Thanks in advance,
Rit

[John Danicic]

That is not a happy subject but with Lake Superior at historic low water levels and a new and dubious owner of our marina, I must confess that I thought of the extended storage option myself at least for one season. A bit of madness that quickly passed.
I can only hope you have a happy reason for such drastic action like a long hiking trip to New Zealand or saving the dock fees to take an ocean cruise on a friends boat.

That said, if I were to do it, here is my thoughts on long term storage.

The best, and most expensive solution is to store it inside. A heated storage building would be the best. It was said that my brothers CD 33 was stored for ten years indoors when the previous to the previous owner, (who must of had more money then God), didn't have the heart to sell it all the while tooling around in his new 50 foot Swan. We both felt it came through the experience pretty darn good though the engine is rustier then it should be.

No matter storing it outside under a cover or in a building, "VENTILATION" would be the most important word to use.

Plenty of ventilation. Use screens to keep out critters. Open the ports and crack open the deck hatches.

If you store outside, shrink wrap it. Use white wrap which will reflect the summer heat and should stand up better to UV then Blue. Make sure the job is done well with no holes or gaps. Lot's of support underneath with a good steep pitch and no saggy spots to collect water. Forget those cheep blue tarps.You would be lucky if they last a season. Shrink wrap or a full, custom made canvass tarp is the way to go for the long term. I have been watching a large, fancy boat in our marina that has been stored out side for three seasons. It is shrink wrapped with the mast up. As of last fall, the shrink wrap appears to be in good shape but that could start to change in the fourth year. Eventually the wrap will deteriorate from sunlight. It will start to become brittle,sag and then split alowing mositure to find its way to the deck and any open hatches or ports. I hope you or someone you trust can keep an eye on it. Four years is a long time. I hope you are not planning for that long a time.

If you can, I would take the mast off and use it as the cover's center ridge. Build substantial saw horse supports, three would be the best for your size. Cover both mast ends that stick out. Birds love to make nests in the hollow base. If you leave the mast up, the halyards should be replaced with cheaper line. Take off your wind vane and while atop the mast, lube up the sheaves.

Below. Clean up all food. Check everywhere for anything that may have been stashed. Food attracts critters. Critters do damage. Vacuum every thing. Every corner. Behind and under the stove. Wipe down all the food lockers with a bleach solution/cleaner. Leave the boat as clean as you can with all the lockers open and the cushions on edge. Hang fabric softener towels, the stuff you put in the clothes dryer, at all the openings. Use the whole box. Critters don't like the smell, much too human for their tastes. I would try to renew them once a year. Make sure the bilge is drained.

The water system and engine should be treated like you do every fall, though I am not sure that it would be a good idea to keep that potable water-safe antifreeze in for such a length of time. Maybe using an air compressor to blow out the lines would be better? No liquid to break down and grow things in. Anyone have an opinion about that? I would do an extra engine lay-up regime that would include changing all the fluids and filters, and spraying down the cylinder walls with WD 40. Also loosen the drive belts and drain the fuel tank. It might also be a good idea to lubricate all the bolts and nuts that are exposed.

The electrical system. I am not sure what you have in the way of batteries but it may be better to take them out completely and store them in your basement off the floor off course. Get a good float charger or better yet, donate them to some one who can use them while they are still useable. Years of idleness will be counted against their useful lives.

I am sure there are many more things that can be done. Oil all metal to metal contacts, remove all electronics, dry cell batteries in the junk drawer and sails and store them at home plus who knows what else? I am sure that the things we forget or fail to do will bite us on the happy day we open her up. By that time, you will be ready for a refit of a sort anyway. Just don't loose interest and let her become a sad derelict. A CD is too proud a boat for that kind of treatment.

Sail on.

John Danicic
CD 36 - Mariah - #124
Lake Superior

[s.v. LaVida]

The layup is caused by the new addition to our boating family, a new 44DS by Hunter. "EOS" is now replacing "LaVida" as our long range cruising boat.

Unfortunately "LaVida"will be stored outside, but I've evolved a good canvas cover, with a sharp pitch.

I removed my mast and made a false mast, deck stepped to about 5.5' above the cabin top. To that I created two tripods (bow and stern) to support two box ridge poles. This creates a span from the stern rail to the mast and from the mast to the bow.

This arrangement gives me standing room under the tarps and plenty of on deck move around space.

The key to this system has been superior quality canvas tarps and the HD, UV resistant bungee cord I bought from Sailrite. This bungee cord is unlike anything you can buy in the store. Its industrial strength, plus. It wears like iron and lets the tarps breathe in heavy winds. In 7 years, I've never had a bungee cord fail.

This past month has brought winds in excess of 68mph and the cover has stood up very well.

LaVida sits on a tri-axle trailer, which is now supported by hard blocks, taking the pressure off the tires. The complete "system" is now in its 7th year and is holding up very well.

Ditto the ventilation. However, I'm not too keen on leaving the hatches and ports open. Bugs galore come through the screens and hatches, not to mention other critters such as squirrels looking for a home nest.

I'd like to evolve some kind of dehumidifier system, but what to do with the water by-product is a problem I haven't solved as yet.

I've been thinking I might just put it through one of the seacocks or down the sink, via a tube drain. Got to keep the critters out though.

I've done the engine stuff, blown out the lines. I do think I should drain the fuel lines and the fuel tank, although I'm not sure which is worse, condensation of an empty tank or leaving stabilized fuel in the tank for a few years?

Ditto the oil in the crankcase.

I will most likely pull the batteries and give them away, as you suggested.

Not sure about the electronics. I'm wondering how best to store them. Perhaps in plastic bags with the little moisture bags inside?

I've drained and blown out all the potable water lines, although this spring I think I'll run a mix of water and bleach through all them again and blow them out once more.

The hull finish is also another concern. The normal shrink wrap chafes the finish and can cause discoloration. I'm not sure how to proceed there. I am hoping to put a good coat of 3M product on the finish before covering it up.

As for the mast, its on horses and I'm thinking of wrapping it in plastic, but then again, moisture will be trapped under the plastic and who knows what will happen. What's the best way to store a mast outside for long duration? I might be leaning towards canvas again.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

sea u,
rit

[Paul D.]

Rit,

I ditto most of what my brother said. We considered storing our 33 long term when we had our first son three years ago. Then again this year with our second. I did the only sane thing a sailor could and took my two year-old across Lake Superior this fall. It was a grand trip though far too short, cut off by my nephew's wedding!

As far as storing the mast, I would be sure to support it quite well with frequent horses. And I have cleaned out more than one bird's nest so stuff the ends and seal them.

When I moved my boat by truck we prepped the mast by removing the spreaders and making fast the shrouds next to the mast with strips of carpet between them every 16 inches. Then we wrapped the whole thing with plastic film on a roll from a packing store. That was a great idea as it was very strong, kept all dirt off and prevented nicks. If you waxed the mast well and then wrapped it I bet it would weather well.

Best of luck,
Paul
Paul

[Steve Laume]

This might not work for your CD-33 mast but I have done it for a Typhoon. My shop building is 40' long with the roof close to the ground on the back side. I put in some large hooks in the wall right up under the overhang nice and level then set the mast on them. The mast stays flat, out of the sun, dry and well ventilated. For outside storage you cannot do much better. It was cheap and out of the way. You would just need a long enough building you could use, Steve.

[s.v. LaVida]

My only concern about wrapping my mast is the condensate created under the film.

Even though its aluminum, I'm worried the ss vs aluminum will still react in a damp environment.

Wonder what the best material to use would be?

I had a bunch of squirrels put hundreds of walnuts on my boat and in my mast one year.......they really make a mess!

Unfortunately I don't have an enclosed building for the mast. Perhaps Santa will bring me a new building , for xmas! Yo, Santa, ya listening

thanks,
Rit

[Steve Laume]

The mast was stored on the outside of the building. Squirrels or mice killed my garden tractor motor this summer to the tune of $2000.00. That could have been a mess of boat goddies. Squirrels bad, Steve.

[Bill - Dulcie]

Some years ago I stored a boat indoors for a couple of years. I had cleaned it well, leaving, I thought, nothing to attract critters.

When I relaunched her, I found that mice had eaten the insulation off of the wiring. Had to rewire the entire boat.

[Oswego John]

... or even over the winter, I find that scattering a box or two of moth balls throughout the hull deters the critters and varmints. They don't like the smell one bit.

The hull will air out in the spring when you're getting it ready for launching.

O J

[neil]

There is a product that I have forgotten the name of but will find out for you that WILL take care of humidity, it comes in something that looks a lot like a can of coffee. You would use several of these and check them about once every two months or so. (you will be amazed at the amount of water they suck out of the air.)
As for mold which is likely, just get a bunch of large cereal bowls and fill them with vinegar, put at least one in every compartment, the fumes will kill any existing mold and seep into the spores killing them as well. When you are ready to put her back in the water, just dump them out and open your boat, the slight pickle smell will be gone within a day or so.
This also may be a good time to check for and perhaps dry out any blistering if you have any, the longer they dry the better.

Good luck!
Neil

[s.v. LaVida]

Thanks John and Neil for your thoughts.

John, would you believe, when squirrels boarded LaVida about 8 years ago and deposited 546(yes I counted them) walnuts aboard, they MOVED the mothballs out of their new living area and proceeded to move in. I was totally amazed at their determination. I found the mothballs in some of the most amazing places, afterwards.

Neil, the moisture absorbing properties of the product your thinking of, really works well. However one needs to empty the water and replace the crystals. I found unsatisfactory performance when I used the product a few years ago.

I left five containers around my boat, while leaving it in a Marina in Cocoa Beach, FL. Upon my return I found the crystals did their job, too well in fact, they oveflowed the containers and left one heck of a mess. In the future I would consider leaving them in buckets to absorb any excessive moisture..

Thanks for your thoughts, now if I could only solve the problem of moisture under mast wrapping.

sea u,
rit

[Sea Hunt]

Neil:

You may be thinking of "Damp Rid". It comes in a plastic container or bucket the size of a coffee can.

After Hurricane Andrew hit on 24 August 1992 at 0402 hours (not that I have that date and time etched in my mind ), my house was destroyed. I put what was left of personal items in a storage warehouse and used 3-4 "buckets" of Damp Rid every week. It was amazing how much moisture they absorbed.

For two years while my house was being rebuilt none of my storage items suffered any mildew, etc.

When reading about controlling moisture and mildew, etc., on boats, I always thought about Damp Rid. Although I am as yet "boatless", I think it would work well on boats, especially those laid up for the winter.

I think their website is:

http://www.damprid.dsiwebbuilder.com/

[s.v. LaVida]

Damp Rid, thanks for remembering!

It was good stuff and worked very well, except one time. it did its job toooooo well. After several months in a FL summer became a cakey overflow mess where it sat.

Placing the container inside a larger bucket, on a pedestal, would work well.

rit

[Steve Laume]

Okay you have me thinking about this mast layup. Dupont makes a house wrap out of Tyvek. Spunbound polyester I believe it is. I know it is very water resistant but allows a house to breathe because you do not want to wrap a house with a vapor barrier on the outside. This is what this product is normally used for and it comes on either 9' or 3&1/2' rolls. You could easily cover your mast and tape off the seam at the bottom. It should not allow water in but will allow water vapor to escape. You should be able to pick up a 3&1/2' roll at any decent lumber yard. I believe there is 90' on a roll so you should have enough material to redo the job in in a couple of years if it needs to last that long. The stuff is very tough. Almost impossible to tear but cuts easily with a razor or sharp scissors. It seems like it would be a very good option for what you have in mind, Steve.

[s.v. LaVida]

That sounds like a very good product to investigate.

I'll head down to the home depot and check it out.

Thanks!

Mike