Dealing with the Seasons

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Dealing with the Seasons

I really love the transition months of the year, those weeks in spring and fall that bracket each equinox. Not too hot, not too cold, usually just right. As a year around liveaboard, though, the extremes of midsummer and midwinter call for some coping techniques to stay comfy. I'd like to share some of the ways that we have dealt with a frigid winter in Maryland, our nippy transit down the ICW last fall, and a sweltering summer in Florida.

I'll start with summer since that's freshest in my mind. And believe me, there were a few stretches I'd like to block out of my mind. It was hot in Florida, really hot, and humid, very humid. Ditto last summer on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. That decidedly uncomfy summer prompted our decision to buy an air conditioner for the boat. We opted for a a Carry-On 7000 BTU unit by TaylorMade (around $900 through West Marine, Boat US or Defender) that fits into the forward hatch. We've been pleased with it so far. It draws a reasonable 7.5 amps, is fairly quiet, and is adequate for our 30-foot boat. Stowage for it is an issue when making a passage, however, and if I had space for one, I would certainly consider an inboard permanently mounted unit.

For comfort away from the marina, airflow is all we have going, and the more the better. If we’re fortunate enough to have a breeze blowing, we open up all the hatches and maximize the flow. Absent a genset, our windscoop takes the place of the A/C unit over the forward hatch. And we keep the cabin covered with a partial boat cover that helps with keeping the living space (relatively) cool.

When the air is still, or when rain threatens, we gotta close 'em up, and turn on those fans. Our philosophy is that, along with bungee cord and Ziploc bags (but that’s another story), you can never have too many fans on a cruising boat. We have six on Nehalennia, two in the V-berth, two in the salon, and two on moveable pedestals with 8-foot cords and cigarette lighter adaptor plugs. We like the Hella turbo fans; they are quiet, efficient amp-wise, seem to last forever, and have two speeds (by the way, spring for the $60 turbo model, not the $30 cheapo, which doesn’t perform well). We also have a Nicro solar vent with an integral exhaust fan (around $120) that helps expel warmer air from the cabin roof.

Here are a few more summer tips.

Plan on cooking outdoors as much as possible. We have a Magna propane grill that gets a lot of use in the summer. In the slip we use our microwave a lot, and occasionally at anchor we run it off the inverter for short chores like baking a potato.
To reduce energy consumption for the refrigerator, try wrapping a cheap "space blanket" (sold as a first aid kit component) around a collision mat and hang it over the side adjacent to the refrigerator box (only helps if your box is next to or near the hull).
Use a spray bottle to get some evaporative cooling going. We each have our own sprayer, and Trish has even been known to wet down an entire T-shirt in the sink before putting it on (OVER her bathing suit!).

Last, a word about flying pests (no-seeums, mosquitos, flies, bees, wasps, ad nauseum). With all those hatches wide open, at sundown those winged torturers will come and get you. So cover all potential entries with netting, preferably no-seeum fine mesh netting. It cuts down on the airflow, but you'll be glad it's there, trust me.

Let's move on to winter. As with summer, your coping techniques will depend on whether you're in a slip or on the hook. In a slip, it's a no-brainer: Get a space heater or two. We have a West Marine model (around $45) that has served us well for three seasons. It's quiet, has multiple fan speeds and heat settings, and does well on our small boat. If it's really cold, we bundle up and use our electric blanket. It has dual controls, so Trish can make her side as hot as she wants without turning my side into a sweatbox!

On the hook, it's more challenging to stay comfy. We have a diesel cabin heater (Dickinson Newport, around $700) that works well. It virtually sips fuel, about a tablespoon an hour, and we rarely move the metering needle off low. It was a real lifesaver coming down the ICW last fall; Trish said that it qualified as another crew member! In lieu of the electric blanket, we use a down comforter on the bunk plus a thick thermal blanket when away from the good old 110v.

We don't use the diesel heater underway, so our main defense against the cold while on the move is layered clothing. Clothing strategies for thermoregulation could make up a whole article, but I’ll save that for another time. Here I'll just say that we favor synthetics like thermax and polartec. They wick moisture away and you can dial in how much insulation you need by layering. We both have down gloves, down booties, and Trish has a down hood. In addition to the synthetic stuff, we have our venerable Aran island wool fisherman's sweaters; plush, very warm and beautiful to look at.

A few comments on safety are in order. We have a carbon monoxide alarm that we use when we run the diesel heater. Some boats out there have propane cabin heaters. The CO risk for these is significantly higher than the diesel units. I have a friend who has a nearly new propane heater that he doesn't use because, even with a CO alarm, he's had incidents when he's felt woozy (he feels) due to CO toxicity. With our diesel heater, we usually shut it down at bedtime because of fire hazard concerns. Of course it's my morning duty to climb out of the bunk ahead of Trish and get that sucker fired up before she'll venture out from under the comforter.