Keep your boat dry this winter

Ashore or afloat, winter cold and damp can have a detrimental effect. Jake Kavanagh looks at options for keeping condensation and moisture at bay

- Jake Kavanagh

With advances in heating, clothing and insulation, winter sailing is now more popular than ever, but most boat owners still prefer to haul the boat out for the winter months. Some also winterise afloat, sometimes out of necessity, or because they still hope to grab an occasional day of bright, midwinter sailing. A Boxing Day trip, for example, remains on many boaters’ wish lists.

For anyone owning a boat, the key factor in winterisation is to keep it dry inside, especially as moisture can do more damage than just assist the growth of mould. For boats that have a lot of external natural wood, keeping the exterior dry too, especially during a spate of biting frosts, will help extend the life of the finish.

As soon as autumn arrives there will be four main considerations for winterisation. Will the boat be brought ashore, or kept afloat, and do you have access to mains power, or are you off-grid? Each will have an impact on your damp-busting strategy.

The two key weapons in keeping the internals dry are ventilation and a lack of condensation. As black mould loves standing water or a permanent film of moisture, air movement-however gentle -will make a huge difference. While ventilation can be achieved with natural air flow, or battery/solar-powered fans, dehumidifiers still require access to mains power for reliable operation. Some can also be quite heavy to manhandle, a consideration if your boat is ashore and accessible only by ladder.

Here are some ideas, gleaned from boat owners around the world who often face extremes of cold and damp during the winter, or high humidity if wintering in the tropics.

Wintering ashore