Snowpocalypse! Protect Your Cat From Snow and Ice!

Back in the late 1970's through 2004 when I had a series of cats and lived in the snowbelt of Ohio, I merely had a very large tarp (20'x30') over the cat and it's mast, but had 1.5" pvc pipes situated as arches over the cat, supporting the tarp so that snow would be more likely to slide off.

Now I have a farm in the foothills of the Appalachians, NC where we usually do not receive much snow, but when we do it's at least a foot deep (still not close to Ohio's snow count). We have a good sized metal building/shop on the farm where I now keep the F18 in it's disassembled state while undergoing needed repairs. No worries about the boat, now. The galvanized steel trailer with mast will be fine outside.

Looks like the forecast for the local area is calling for some snow Saturday evening, turning to sleet early Sunday morning. Being very rural, hopefully we don't loose power. 

While owning a few cats up in Ohio, the only cat I completely disassembled  was my first cat, the ol' Super-Sizzler. Her hulls needed drying-out, re-finishing and waterproofing, so she spent the winter in the garage. 

I never even thought about taking the next series of cats apart for the winter seasons. They were all sailed in fresh water (lake Erie, L. Michigan, L. Superior, and smaller inland lakes)  so aluminum galvanic corrosion was of no concern. Plus, there were times when I went sailing in relatively moderate winter conditions, even if there was some very light snow flurries. 

I think that If I had my F18 intact, I would likely slide it off the trailer onto some foam exercise mats, on the grass, with enough 'elastic' support along the bottom of the hulls, with of course a good tarp over the whole boat. Possibly elevate the bows so that any interior water accumulation through condensation or deck leaks will drain to the sterns.

I purchased some decent square exercise mats at Harbor Freight the other week -- they come in a 6-pack and interlock together. They're perfect for hull-padding, and they're inexpensive enough that cutting them up to your preference isn't a heart-breaker.

My trailer has the two articulating rollers on the back end support bar, on each side, supporting the stern of the boat, with cradles under the main beam area of the hulls. The F18 C2 hulls both have indentations where the boat sat on those rollers. These will be corrected along with a list of other hull faux-pas, and those rollers will be jettisoned in favor for my DIY PVC cradles.

So my suggestion is to ensure that your hulls are well-padded and supported from any rollers or other hard-spots, and ensure that no water can enter into the hulls and freeze. Freezing water and moisture that has possibly infiltrated the structural FG tabbing (centerboard/daggerboard cases, bulkheads, etc) will possibly delaminate that tabbing, weakening the structures and possibly delaminating the FG skins from moisture-laden foam cores. Oh the humanity!

The pampered wooden Tornado lives inside the shop. When we found our current house, my called me while I was racing a regatta and asked how much room I needed for "Fast Furniture" to be inside. I responded and she said thanks and hung up. The house she found had a second floor added so the old living room, connected to the garage, made for a 30' x 15' enclosed shop area. "FrankenKitty", the 'slutty girlfriend', lives outside. I will cover the trampoline and have dorades for the hull ports. I have learned to make sure there is no water in the hulls when it does freeze. I know that is obvious for many north of I-10, but we did go cat sailing in shorts and spray to last Monday... 

Snow weight is the enemy.  A large tarp over the mast has the potential to bend or break the mast under load.   Even the area of the trampoline can add enough weight to crush hulls on rollers.  

Boats with symmetrical hulls, make sure the hulls are supported by cradles.  Even a 12-inch long piece of 2x6 with some carpet placed between the hull and roller will protect the hull in a pinch.  

On my boat, I simply remove the trampoline at the end of the season and prop the trailer frame up on blocks so the tires are off the ground.   If the snow is really deep, I may go out and brush the snow off the hulls, but simply removing the tramp is the best defense against overloading snow weight.  

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It's COLD (18 deg F) here in Surry Co., NC. Received maybe 1" of snow last night, then sleet early this morning. Now freezing rain mixed with sleet. 

I'm thinking about going out to the shop and fairing the daggerboards. Have a few DIY longboards for sanding. Might get a little exercise while being holed-up by this storm.