We bought our boat with the intention to sail around the world after five years of preparation. This means we will be living aboard through five winters until we will be setting of for the warmer climates. To prepare ourselves and the boat in the best way possible to handle the temperate climate of the Netherlands, with its moderate winters, we made some modifications and learned some tricks. So here are our four tips to make for a pleasant winter aboard a sailboat.
Heating - Keeping it warm and cozy
To stay warm during the winter aboard our boat we need a heat source. There are multiple popular ways to heat a boat but we have chosen for an alternative option. We installed a residential AC with heating function. More on how and why we did this can be read here! With this unit we are able to control the temperature via a remote our even our phones. During the last winter it was on 24/7 and kept our boat nice and warm without breaking the bank. During the coldest months we only used about 6 kWh a day on average to keep our boat warm around the clock. No matter what option you choose. A good and efficient heat source is the most important thing to keep everyone warm and comfortable.
Dehumidification - keeping it dry and mould free
Winter in the Netherlands means rain, and lots of it. This creates a lot of humidity in the air and because the air is cold it is not as inviting to constantly air out the interior of the boat. While a wood stove or diesel heater create a dry heat which dries out the interior of the boat. An electric heater or heat pump doesn't. We thus needed a separate dehumidifier to keep the humidity levels at an acceptable level inside. This is really important for comfort, health, condensation and mould.
After some searching and reading on the internet we multiple sources pointed to the Meaco brand as the best and most efficient. We chose for the Meaco 20l platinum as it is one of the most efficient dehumidifiers you can buy at the moment. We are very happy with this unit and it has worked great throughout the winter and on rainy summer days. They have also just released a new even more efficient unit the Meaco 25l ultra low energy One thing to keep in mind with this unit is that it only works well in heated environments. So if you plan to buy a unit for your unheated boat it is better to go for a desiccant unit like the Meaco DD8L. But keep in mind that these desiccant units use about 3 times as much energy as they also heat the air. (We are not sponsored by Meaco, they just make the best dehumidifiers)
Insulation - overcoming condensation
One of the things you will notice on a boat when the outside temperature starts dropping is condensation. All interior surfaces which are not isolated from the outside cold will form condensation droplets when there is a large enough temperature difference and high enough humidity. This is called the dew point. To overcome this problem you have to limit the temperature difference between the surface and the air temperature. This can be done by insulating the inside of these surfaces. Condensation is most likely to occur on the sides of the boat as this is most often just a full GRP construction. Most topsides and decks are a sandwich construction with a foam or balsa core. This sandwich construction already acts like an insulating layer.
To insulate our boat we have used Armaflex Ace 19mm with an adhesive backing. This insulating foam ticks all the boxes. It is a closed cell construction which limits water vapour diffusion, it has low thermal conductivity, is flexible and available on large rolls for a reasonable price. We have only insulated our V-Berth and our guest berth as these are the places where a lot of moisture is created during the night. The rest of the boat already has layers of wood, cored deck or double walls which are enough to prevent condensation.
To insulate our hatches we built wooden frames with a polycarbonate window which acts as double glazing. This keeps the condensation from the windows and hatch frames.
For the pilot holes we used bubble plastic on the inside to act as an extra insulating layer. This works really well and is very easy to do. Just cut it to size with the flat side towards the window. To attach it just spray some water on the window and press the bubble plastic against it. The surface tension of the water will keep it there all winter until you remove it again in spring.
Water- staying hydrated
The last thing to keep in mind when living aboard a boat during winter is that the water refill points will be closed off once it starts freezing. In our harbour these are closed off somewhere in november. Only one water tap stays open which is at the main harbour office, to get the water from there all the way to our boat we bought about 100 metres of garden hose to refill our water tanks when needed. Communicating with other live aboards when you will be refilling is much appreciated so you can set the hose up together.
So these are our four tips to have a pleasant winter aboard your boat. If you have any questions or want to share your tips to make life aboard more comfortable during the winter. Please comment below!
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