Now that I got your attention,
Has anyone shrink wrap a Weekender or Vacationer?
I am just worried about applying heat to my wooden boat. ???
Your views !
Why do you want to heat it, Denis? Are you working on it? Otherwise it might be better to dry it out and let it freeze. I think shrinkwrap would trap moisture against the hull in the springtime. On the other hand if you have somewhere warm and dry to keep it, that would be even better.
I keep my boat in one of those tent-like car shelters from Canadian Tire. They cost about $500 but it keeps the snow off the boat and in the spring, the inside warms up like a greenhouse and allows you to get some work done on the boat before the lake melts. I also hang out in there and drink beer when I'm hiding from Jacqueline. Maybe Min would let you get one, or you could do what I do, and keep your tent in one of your buddies' back yards, that way you don't even have to ask her!
Keith you crack me up ;D
I have the means to wrap it for cheap and I am also doing this in the event I might be moving next summer.
I figure that if it's wrap right it would be much better for trailering.
For the moisture, there is vent you can put on to avoid the moisture build up.
Your thought.
Shrink wrap isn't good for wooden boats. It's okay for a short time, but even with ventilation flaps, you'll have mold, mildew and rot before too long. How long is too long, well it depends on humidity, temperature, air volume flowing through the boat, etc. The only shrink wrap jobs that work on wooden boats are those that have two "Nicro" vents installed, which force air to flow through the enclosure.
Denis:
For transporting over long distances you might want to consider making a cockpit cover. I had one on my MiniCup and it worked great for long journeys and for storage. It kept the snow and rain from building up in the cockpit and provided an out of the weather place for storage.
I built one for my Weekender as well but it doesn't work quite as well since the rain that hits the back of the cabin runs down into the cockpit (I have a drain too). I figure that for transporting not much rain will get in while I'm under way and little when I'm stopped. The main reason I did it though was for in case my winter tarp collapses (it did) it keeps the snow from building up. I just used some scrap 1/4" ply with a 1X3 around the perimeter and a couple of other sticks to stiffen it up. It buts up against the cabin with a couple of notches for the companionway slides and a notch at the back for the wheel to stick out of.
I've had some moisture, and mould issues even with then tarps I use. This season I only put one tarp over my boat, hoping the wind will be able to circulate around things. I should try to get one of the tents like Keith, problem is I've no place to set it up.
Greg
The other problem is that Ginny Rae would need a bigger tent. She wouldn't fit in mine.
I have a lean to attached to my shop. It is 36 feet long, 12 feet wide and slants from 10 to 7 foot in height (inside height) so storing my little boat or even a second one, if I get it built, isn't a problem. If I didn't have that lean to I would buy one of the car tent garages that some have posted about. I can't see spending the time and effort to build a boat and then letting it decay away. Even if your boat is a "slap it together and get sailing type" it will still last a lot longer if protected. That would allow a lot more "getting sailing".