To wrap, or not

[tkaustin]

I'm tired of hauling our 25 ft ranger tug from Minnesota to the San Juan Islands and I'm seriously considering storing it here in the San juans over winter. What are the pros and cons of having alit plastic wrapped if it's going to be stored outside?

 

[scross]

I am not a fan of shrink wrap. Had a 24 ft SeaRay wrapped in Colorado. Used several 5 gallon buckets of desiccant to keep it dry. Still got some black mold.
We are now in Southern Oregon which has colder winters than the Puget Sound area. If you can get storage with electric available that’s ideal. We store ours connected to shore power and run a bilge heater, two inside cabin dehumidifier & one heater. The heaters are triggered only when the outside temp goes to near freezing.
Plus all the plumbing and engine fluid lines are winterized. We haven’t had any issues doing this for over a decade now.

 

[zzr7ky]

Not nearby.
I am in Michigan. I built a frame and covered up the R-25 with a heavy duty plastic tarp. It sheds most snow, rain. It seems to breath OK.
I am planning to get an RV carport sheds in the future.

 

[Bucky]

I agree with the reply from scross
Our setup for a R23 :
1) Shore power hook up for batteries and for AC outlet power 2 )Small heater on low temp in main cabin ( open all the cabinet drawers and head door to help circulate the heat ) 3) Large, heavy duty tarp - if the trap is white or light beige the solar panel will still function and make sure to cover the Garmin radar canopy, mast head even in the transport cradle mode and a cover for the outboard engine cowling. A small moving type blanket works well for this ... helps reduce any tarp rubbing and also will keep trap from tearing. 4) Secure the trap by use of multiple cinderblocks w/ 6ft. hold down straps where the trap grommets are located - and make sure they are away from the hull 5) We also remove the cockpit cushions / seats and rain canopy top and store them inside the house / garage to eliminate any mildew or rodent issues..and possibly cats. Snow load : We would remove any significant snow accumulation by use of a large broom - we also have a PVC pipe that mounts from the front pulpit rail to the horn / mast upright area - just in case we really get a bunch of snow , as for heavy rain , it's not needed and doesn't pool up anywhere on the top .

Cost : The cider blocks are cheap and so are Harbor Freight's tiedowns and small moving blanks . The tarp is a 20 ft x 40 ft...I would probably would buy Harbor Frights Extreme/ HD trap in the future .. it is black / silver ..so the solar panel would be able to charge ..but , it's very affordable and strong ( we use them all over our farm for covers )

Warning : Do not buy from any boat tarps from National Covers - deceptive advertising - their traps are horribly expensive ( $400 vs $100 Harbor Fright - same size ) their tarps come from Vietnam and are cheaply made , flammable and the eyelets pullout on the first tension . National Covers customer service is awful / non-existent - trust me - I learned my lesson !

So far in the last couple of months ( Nov to Dec 20125 ) with all crazy rains and heavy winds - this cover setup has worked perfect + you can get into the boat quickly to check how thing a going inside the cabin and outside of the boat.

 

[zzr7ky]

20'x40' is plenty for my R-25. Also.

 

[rheimb1]

I’m in eastern Washington, which is much drier, so take this in that context. Years ago, I had a sailboat that I stored outside with no cover at all and never had a mold issue. The boat had ventilation, didn’t leak, and wasn’t trapping moisture, so it was fine.

With my tug now, it’s always stored in a building, and I think that makes a big difference. It never has snow sitting on it and never gets rained on, so moisture simply isn’t being introduced in the first place. In my experience, keeping water off the boat matters most, and if you do wrap it, it needs vents high and low.

Hagadone’s in Coeur d’Alene likely has indoor storage, but that’s something you’d need to arrange earlier in the year. Even so, towing the boat about 300 miles there would be a much better option than a 1,500-mile haul elsewhere.

 

[Brian John]

Not a fan of the plastic wrap for a variety of reasons, one it just adds to the waste plastic. And friends who did their boats on the Chesapeake Bay mentioned mold issues, though this can be overcome with a few dehumidifiers.