My friend Bob Bitchin (former publisher of Latitudes & Attitudes and my partner in the TV show) just asked me to write an article for his website about living aboard in the Pacific NW in winter. In case you're interested in what we have done to stay warm, dry, and comfortable, here's the copy:
LIVING ABOARD PACIFIC NW WINTERS
By Darren O'Brien
I don’t think he happens to be a boater, but Mike Tyson once famously said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. Up here in the Pacific NW, we like to say, “everyone wants to live aboard until they get punched by winter”. We’re not insinuating we have heavyweight champion winters, but they can be pretty challenging for living on the water. While Jack Frost this year doesn’t even officially start until December 21, us year ‘round live aboards in the upper left contiguous corner are already into cold season mode.
This will be our 12th winter living aboard, and it doesn’t necessarily get any easier. We are smarter, though, than we were in the beginning. It only took us a couple years to develop a solid regimen making life aboard as comfortable as possible during the darker months.
We live on Traveler, a 1979 Cheoy Lee 46 Long Range Cruiser in Port Ludlow, WA. This particular model was marketed by Cheoy Lee in the mid to late ‘70s as “the largest production boat under 50-feet”. They weren’t wrong! Three large staterooms belowdecks; a main level with spacious saloon, large galley, and pilothouse; plus, a full beam, stand-up engine room with 6-foot three-inch headroom. So, there’s a lot of space to heat when it gets cold.
The first/best thing we did was install a Wallas forced air diesel heater for the belowdecks cabins. Game changer! We had previously used AC-powered oil-filled radiator heaters in the staterooms. But that required us to do the “30-amp dance”, turning off one or more of the heaters anytime we used 120-volt appliances such as the microwave or toaster oven, so the main breaker didn’t trip. Most years we start the Wallas in October and run it 24/7 on low until May. Cabins belowdecks stay consistently warm all wintI don’t think he is a boater, er long. It does help that Lisa lined any part of the inner hull she could reach with the thin silver insulation you can find at virtually any hardware store.
Of course, heat rises, so the main level doesn’t get too chilly as a byproduct of the diesel heat downstairs. We’re very appreciative the previous live aboard owners installed a household size propane fireplace in the main cabin. That wonderful, easy to use stove takes temperatures from the low 50s to 70-degrees in just a few minutes each morning. But fiberglass boats are notoriously poor at retaining heat, and we have nine large, single-pane windows in the main saloon. A big difference maker has been the application of heat shrink plastic (also found in most hardware stores). We jokingly refer to it as “hillbilly insulation”, but it really works. Not only does it help retain heat, but we can cook without steaming up all the windows when it’s 30-40 degrees outside.
Speaking of steam, all three of us also shower aboard. We have an engine room blower ducted through a vent in the master head which evacuates most of the steam to the outside. Additionally, we have two AC dehumidifiers (30 and 48-quart) that run periodically each day to keep moisture levels down. Keeping down the humidity is something of which we’re very cognizant.
Because it’s moisture that wreaks the most havoc in an otherwise closed-up boat during the winter. Which is how mold and mildew gain a foot hold. To combat those nasty germ growing elements, we use two other essential products: H2Out Space Dryers and Kanberra Gel.
To help keep the boat “dry”, we have 16 H2Out Space Dryers of various sizes placed in lockers, drawers, and cabinets throughout the boat. Space Dryers do exactly that: they dry the space utilizing desiccant. Unlike other products that condense moisture into a caustic liquid that needs to be dealt with, these are infinitely and easily rechargeable. Every few months Lisa digs them out and heats them in the toaster oven at 300-degreess for a couple of hours. Voilà! They’re ready to adsorb moisture again. And that’s not a typo. They aDsorb water, not aBsorb. After working with Nigel Calder who endorses H2Out, and because we sell them in our Boater TESTED online store, I learned the two are very different chemistries. Thus the ability for H2Out products to recharge endlessly.
To address the potential for mold and mildew, we use a similar number of containers with Kanberra Gel all around the boat. Kanberra Gel is Australian tea tree oil that evaporates into the air and literally eliminates mold and mildew. Some studies have shown tea tree oil effectively kills viruses, too. The three of us have never had Covid, so maybe there’s something to that! Plus, our boat actually smells nice. Even landlubbers who visit remark how we don’t have that “boat smell”. We also haven’t had any mold or mildew problems in a dozen years. You can find Kanberra Gel, as well as their other tea tree oil products Kanberra Spray, Kanberra Soap, and Kanberra Hand Sanitizer in our Boater TESTED store.
Lisa was always fond of saying in addition to dehumidifiers, there are three things she must have in order to comfortably live aboard during our Pacific NW winters: warm, dry heat; H2Out Space Dryers; and Kanberra Gel. Check, check, and check. Now that we’ve added a fourth with the heat shrink plastic in the main cabin, it’s even better. And we use less propane for the fireplace than we used to, so it has saved us money.
However, I’d have to say the Wallas heater is my favorite winter mitigation champ. Not only does it wonderfully elevate our comfort living aboard, anytime I need to work in the engine room during the cold, dark days of winter I don’t freeze my nuts and bolts off!
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