Winterising

With the onset of autumn and some colder weather in the forecast it really seemed the right time to set about winterising Naughty-Cal again. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that we were taking the winter gear away.

As we use the boat all year round we don’t do much to winterise her. We add a large tube heater to the engine bay which keeps the temperature well above freezing even during the coldest spells of weather and add a tube heater to the shower room to stop any plumbing from freezing.

This year in addition to the heaters we are also adding a dehumidifier to keep the levels of moisture at lower levels. Naughty-Cal isn’t a damp boat by any means but the colder weather can bring with it some minor condensation issues which the dehumidifier should hopefully eradicate. Plus as we plan to give the cabin upholstery another good wash with the carpet cleaner it will help to dry the boat out again. It will also help to keep the ambient temperature in the cabin slightly higher due to the waste heat produced by the unit.

Other than making sure that the electricity bollard is well topped up this is pretty much all that we will do to protect Naughty-Cal from the cold weather. It is a routine that has seen her survive the last three winters intact despite some record low temperatures so hopefully it should see her through another winter unscathed.