The Changing Seasons

The nights are starting to draw in, the leaves are starting to turn and the weather is starting to get decidedly more chilly and autumnal. All sure signs that Summer is drawing to a close and Autumn is quickly approaching.

Over the coming weeks our thoughts will be focused on getting Naughty-Cal ready for another Autumn and Winter afloat. Winterising any boat is important if the boat is to stand any chance of surviving the coming months intact and hopefully still afloat. The method in which you winterise your boat wholly depends on how your boat will be used, or not, during the coming months.

Naughty-Cal will be used all year, as is usual for us, even in the deepest depths of winter. This has the added benefit that we can check on her every week and make any changes necessary to the winterisation process to keep her safe and secure.

Our first process, silly as it may sound, will be to refit the cockpit carpets. We take these out during the warmer and drier summer months as we prefer the white GRP floor which is easier to mop out and keep clean. During the winter, when the towpath and moorings tend to get wetter and thus muddier, we refit the carpets to trap the mud which is then easily cleaned from the carpets. The carpets also have the added benefit of making the cockpit feel warmer as well as aiding the insulation to the engine bay below.

The next process is to reinstall the engine bay and cabin heaters. These are little more than greenhouse tube heaters which are plugged into thermostatic switches. These turn the heaters on at a pre programmed temperature and do little more than keep the ambient temperature above that all important freezing point. This is especially important with raw water cooled engines as the river/canal water used to cool the engine has no antifreeze to protect it from the cold conditions. The cabin heater helps to protect the plumbing from freezing within the galley and the bathroom.

Next, we try to ensure that the diesel tank is kept as full as possible. This, in theory, helps to combat moisture from condensation in the fuel tank. We also check the primary fuel filter water trap on a more regular basis to remove any moisture that has formed.

The Webasto warm air heating unit will have its annual check and clean. This involves little more than removing the unit from the engine bay, opening it, performing a visual inspection to ensure that all fans and blowers are free moving, then a quick vac out to remove any soot and dust. Then all accessible pipe runs are checked to ensure they are free from dirt and dust before reassembling the unit, refitting and testing. The Webasto proved itself to be invaluable last winter when we had temperatures down to -15 degrees whilst we were aboard yet we were always warm and toasty aboard.

Finally we add moisture traps in various places around the boat. Naughty-Cal is not a damp boat, however during the colder months condensation is more common. Good ventilation is the key to reducing condensation but with the best will in the world there will always be some. The moisture traps help to cut down the amount of moisture in the air.

These are the main items that we carry out to help ensure that Naughty-Cal is as best prepared as we can make her to withstand the elements each winter. There are of course other precautions that should be taken if the boat will be left unattended for longer periods. Everybody has their own winterising regime which will differ depending on the usage of the boat.

However you do yours, enjoy your winter boating but remember to stay safe.