How do you deal with heavy snow if your boat is still wet slipped?

D

Dave S

Well-Known Member
TECHNICAL Contributor
Oct 3, 2006
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Upstate South Carolina
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With all the heavy snow forecasted for the Northeast, it got me thinking ..............what do each of you do if your boat is still in the water? Maybe most of you in the Northeast are on the hard but if your water doesn't freeze maybe you are still wet slipped. Do you camp out on board removing the snow as it comes or what?

About five years ago we suffered a lot of damage here when we had a two foot snowfall. Several boats were sunk in our Marina and covered docks collapsed from the weight of the snowfall as well.

Dave
 
We shrinkwrap in the water.
The tent created by the plastic lets the snow slide off.
If you have the boats canvas up only...you should brace it with 2x3 studs. The summer canvas isn't made to hold any snow weight.
The poles will bend and the canvas may be damaged.
This happened to a friends boat.

Good luck,
Mark.
 
Like this

100_0793.jpg
 
Air O'Nautical said:
We shrinkwrap in the water.
The tent created by the plastic lets the snow slide off.
If you have the boats canvas up only...you should brace it with 2x3 studs. The summer canvas isn't made to hold any snow weight.
The poles will bend and the canvas may be damaged.
This happened to a friends boat.

Good luck,
Mark.
Click to expand...

Ditto--create a steep angle so the snow will slide off. Otherwise, get a shovel, a snow brush, dress warmly and get a 12-pack of beer, some whisky and pop up a tent. Bring the family along to assist in keeping the boat clean but let them know the booze is for you. :thumbsup:
 
Don't forget to loosen the lines a bit as well. Last year our covered marina had tons of snow on the roof causing the entire marina to sink down in the water over a foot. My boat wanted to float like normal, except the marina was trying to pull it down in the water with it. Almost never got the lines loosened up to free the boat.
 
I usually just change the TV channel when I see too much snow!
 
Through an unfortunate series of events, my boat caught got on the hard with the summer cockpit cover (long story involving the terms "moron" and "canvas guy") during a 12-18" snowfall.

I went down a few days later expecting disaster, and found only a minor sag in the cover and a small amount of snow. Around the boat. . .drifts over 2'.

Having said that. . . I would recommend what others on the board have recommended. Put a cover on that really doesn't have the capability to have snow accumulate on it. If not. . visit the boat to brush the snow off. You know. .. the same thing applies to roofs as well. Back in '93 in my area, where we had several successive 2' storms, we had a number of roof collapses due to snow. I don't worry at 1-2'. If I had more than 2' however. . . a ladder and shovel might be in order.
 
I brought my boat back from the marina today. I have been using my leaf blower to blow snow off of it every few hours. Yet another good excuse to play with the boat. L:eaf blowers work GREAT !!!!!
 
2K WINGIN' IT said:
Funny looking Sea Ray...:huh:
Click to expand...

If you notice in his signature he fortells a move back from the dark side! I found it more curious that a New Buffalo MI boat is picuture within a block or so of the old Chicago Post Office.:grin:
 
I can usually get a good bit the snow with the longest handled broom I can find. A lot of it will just slide off if you give it a push. Getting the swim platform clean is more or an issue than ridding the snow from the shrink wrap.

My problem is getting down the ramp and along the dock to the boat. Things get mighty slippery. Whoever says don't go alone it right on target.
 
320Bob said:
If you notice in his signature he fortells a move back from the dark side! I found it more curious that a New Buffalo MI boat is picuture within a block or so of the old Chicago Post Office.:grin:
Click to expand...

I wintered in the Chicago River one year.
 
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