what keeps you going thru winter?

soggy_feet

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
713
This is my first season with my own boat, and that boat has grown on me.

See, I live on it.

Now Im staying at a friends house for the winter because its a cheap option, which should let me pay down some loans I have rather than paying some steep rent for some crappy apartment.

Im a little concerned though, as the boats only been out of the water for a month now, and Im going crazy already. I STILL HAVE 5 MONTHS BEFORE ITS IN THE WATER AGAIN!

So, my question to other boaters in the northern climate, how do you get by until spring?
 

trendsetter240

Lieutenant
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
1,458
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

So, my question to other boaters in the northern climate, how do you get by until spring

You come to this site and console yourself with the hundreds of other compulsive boaters on here! Beer also helps.

Seriously though, I keep my boat in my garage and I work on it every day trying to fix/upgrade everything I can before spring. I browse craigslist daily for cheap projects and try to keep myself busy with this and that...

Take on a project that will give you an excuse to go to the boat and work on it often! It will help pass the time and you'll have a better (hopefully) boat in the spring.
 

cribber

Lieutenant
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,338
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I'd go with what trendsetter240 said... Pick a boating related project that keeps you out of the worst weather to tied you over to next year's season. Or... float it south to warmer climes until the hard water recedes in the spring.
 

soggy_feet

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
713
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I did what work I could on the boat once it was pulled out of the water, until the marina shut off the water/electricity... and DST screwed any chance of working in sunlight after I get out of work in the evening. Its not like I can pull it into a garage, when I say I lived on it, I meant it. Its a 40' houseboat.

The beer part I certainly have a handle on, but I guess I could always step up my efforts a little more.

Sometime in the future, I hope to get the boat to a point where I can leave it in the water and live on it year round. Heading south would be nice, but it makes for such a long commute to work, so I'll probably just insulate the hell out of it, and install a mobile home gas furnace or something
 

Summer Fun

Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2002
Messages
2,251
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I go to the marina a few times during the winter. To stay over night on my boat. It has shrink wrap on it plus i have a procat propane heater to keep me warm. :). I love sleeping on my tug. :D
 

soggy_feet

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
713
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

nice!

what's your marina's take on that? I was staying on my boat in drydock for a while, but they basically told me that had to end. Not sure what the problem is with that..
 

kenmyfam

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
14,385
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

The thought of spring around here, planning for the next season, beer, whiskey and an occasional good cigar.
Of course this forum helps with any withdrawl symptoms !!!
 

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

sorry to say this, but i use my boat more during the winter, than summer.
 

Summer Fun

Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2002
Messages
2,251
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

what's your marina's take on that?
I'm very good friends with the marina owners Ron & Debbie :). They wouldn't care if i stayed on it all winter. :eek:. This is Ron driving my boat and Debbie is the one in red. :)
Picture_005.sized.jpg
 
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Tacklewasher

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
1,588
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I'm going fishing. Seriously. In about an hour. Just finishing breakfast and need to make a pot of coffee to take.

Our big lake here never freezes over. Just have to pick which ramp to use in the winter (one freezes as the water is 3 feet deep there).
 

pecheux

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jun 9, 2006
Messages
1,200
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I join a tennis club and try to forget about lakes and fishing until spring ... lol and do my crying on Iboat forums ... LOL
 

heyttown

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Messages
537
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

Hockey...and college football championship bowl games..Add in some hunting, and boating season will be up shortly.
 

Bigprairie1

Commander
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
2,568
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I'm with Heyttown on this. Hockey for sure!!;)
Actually boating up here in this part of B.C/Canada year round is completely possible...just a little wet and cool some days. Similar to Tacklewasher, we don't really get much snow and definitely frozen lakes are not something we see around these parts. :cool:
I have enough other house projects to keep me going, seeing as I put them all on hold over the summer for the boat stuff:D;)
BP:cool:
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

Snowmobiling keeps us going. It is to me as fun or funner than boating. We have a trailer and two snowmobiles for the 4 of us. We trailer them up and take vacations just like with the boat. The beauty is we can sled from the garage if we ever have a snowy winter kind of the equivalent to living on a lake. This is a big deal for us because we live in a metropolous so it is a huge benefit that we happen to live on the edge of it. I was really starting to hate our Minnesota winters until we bought our sleds a few years ago. My brain switches over, and hardly think about boating. I start using the snowmobiling forum instead of Iboats.
 

moonfish

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 1, 2003
Messages
128
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

Obviously it isn't home repair.......... . ..
 

DayCruiser

Ensign
Joined
Sep 24, 2004
Messages
953
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

I-boats, football and beer. The worst part is after the Super Bowl is over with. January and February are terrible. March is countdown to Spring month
 

WIMUSKY

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
19,790
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

Ice fishing in the "shack", snowmobiling, working on my GTO, Iboats(this year) and thankfully NASCAR cranks back up in February..... This all, is when I'm not plowing snow to make some money...
 

soggy_feet

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
713
Re: what keeps you going thru winter?

My car is getting a bit more attention now, I didn't mention that before. This will be my first winter with a heated garage I can drive into.. but its the shop where I work... and I might be quitting in January. :/

Right now Im attempting to install a Bosch motorsports fuel pump in my car. I say attempt because I wanted to replace the in-tank pump, but it turns out with the pre-filter and output fitting on the pump, its too tall.

Waay overkill for what I need at the moment, but its always good to build ahead. Someday, I'll need the full capability of a pump capable of supporting 600hp. :)
 
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