Skipper Tomas' guide to winterizing

The winterizing process is commonly discussed among the sailors so I would like to put together all important steps I do on our boat. Over the years I own the boats I came to a resolution that all systems on the boats has to be extremely simple, reliable and of course very easy to maintain, because we want to sail more than doing an unnecessary maintenance.

Cover

• I think it is important to keep the boat dry over the winter season so parking it in a garage is the best but putting over some heavier tarp is a minimum. Personally, I have a tarp made from a material used for truck trailers, which is around 500g/m2. Yes, it's heavy, but will last more than 1 year and protects the boat perfectly
• To avoid wear through by various sharp hardware or stanchions always puts over some piece of protective material like carpet leftovers. On the picture below, you can see that I've used plastic plumbing tees on the top of the stanchions.
• I always build some kind of netting from side to side to prevent the build up of water pools on the tarp.
• Support the mast properly in case of heavy snow.



Additional mast support in the cockpit and the rope netting




• To prevent the water condensation I always keep the front hatch open a little to provide some ventilation, but it's necessary to put over some bug screens.

Electronics

• Remove battery from the boat, store in a dry basement and charge it once after two months or so. 
• Take home all portable electronics or remove all batteries from it.

Cabin's junk

• It's always a good idea to clean the boat, because you will always find some nice pieces of forgotten food or any other bio materials which just attracts the mold or ants.
• Remove all chemicals which could be damaged by freezing temperatures.
• Take home all the clothing and sleeping bags. Everything that can absorb moisture can produce stinky odors.
• Take home cushions or store on their sides.

Water systems

• Put a cup of bleach into the water tank and let it sit. 
• Empty the water tank completely, including the water pipes. You can use a non-toxic antifreeze based on propylene glycol, but it you don't have complex plumbing, it's just expensive and won't save you much time.
• Clean the water tank from inside. This is a substantial difference over the flexible water bags!
• Empty and clean the chemical toilet.

Sails

• Sails are the main engine of the boat so they need care so clean them if necessary
• Put them off the furler, fold them properly into the sail bag and bring them home.

Engine

• It's better to take off the outboard from the bracket to avoid unnecessary stress on the stern.
• Change the motor and lower unit gear oil - according to the manufacturer manual.
• Spray some fogging like oil into the cylinders.
• Empty the fuel tanks in the car or pour in some fuel stabilize.
• Desalinate the engine cooling using a mild vinegar solution.

Trailer

• Check for corrosion and touch up if necessary
• Jack it up on some stands to ease the load on the axles and tires.





• You can also check that all the lights are working and the wheels are spinning without any noise or other issues which you can address during the winter time.
• Check the hand-brake if it works properly.

As you can see this is not a rocket science, so having only a simple system on the boat helps you to spare some time to other aspects of life.

Finaly delivered!

Hurray! The boat is here.

Since the initial order it took a little over 3 months to build her, sometimes a little stressful to get everything in order, but this part of our dream has finished.
From the Craft Identification Number (CIN) it seems our hull is number 27.
The only problem was with my trailer. It turned out that the keel rollers are too low and the boat would hit the trailer fenders, so it needed some modification.
One last thing before the boat registration is to decide the boat name. Not final yet, but getting there.
Enjoy some photos of the final state.

mast transport "pillows"

younger daughter with her baby loves this boat :-)

boom with lazy-bag and main sail

genoa sail bag

head wall - spot for paddle and stuff

very nice wood work

Kitchen needs some cooktop, probably Origo A100.

Normally, under this shelve there is a flexible water tank. I think this is a good spot for a gas tank

battery locker

outboard motor bracked in the running possition

setting up my trailer

Boat specification

Here are some technical information and official text from the boatyard website/brochures.

Phobos 21 is our yacht yard’s new product for the 2011 season. Despite its small size, it is quite capacious and comfortable.
In style it is clearly similar to its larger cousin - Phobos 25. The boat is very stable and exceptionally comfortable despite its smaller size. The hull is high and wide at the waterline. The small draught of the yacht makes it possible to shore anywhere.
Designed by a well-known yacht racer Wojciech Spisak, Phobos 21 will surprise you with its smooth sailing, even in difficult conditions. Thanks to its large keel, it can be sailed with precision against the wind and during in-port maneuvering.
The interior is a tall, well-lit and well-aired single large space, without bulkheads.  It features a typical and reliable set-up of 4 berths, with the possibility to set up 6 berths, a galley and a separate closed-off WC cabin.

Technical data

Overall length	6,63 m
Hull length	6,18 m
Beam	2,51 m
Draught	0,28 - 1,23 m
Mast height from waterline	10,0 m (mast itself: 8,55 m)
Bottom ballast weight	260 - 280 kg *
Centerboard weight	80 - 85 kg *
Yacht weight	ca. 1200 - 1300 kg *
Height in salon	1,69 m
Sail area (main & jib)	20 m2
Sail area - main	12,5 m2 (full-batten)
Sail area - jib:	7,5 m2
Sail area - genoa **	9,5 m2 (130%)
Sail area - gennaker **	25 m2
Sail area - spinnaker **	30 m2
Berths:	4 + 2

* Boat weight and ballast depends on the equipment
** Optional

Under deck layout

default layout

additional 2 detachable berths in the main saloon

Boatyard photo

shape of the boat for the negative mold creation

hull #1

 

creating internal modules mold (this is from Phobos 25 or 27)

centerboard (iron plate with zinc coat)

The hull is laminated using Ashland's isophthalic resin Aropol and the blister resistant isophthalic gelcoat Maxguard.
The deck is cored with the Airex C71 - 8mm closed-cell foam so the problems like balsa core rotting is no more an issue.

Journey begins

Welcome to our new blog about our adventures of trailer sailor Dalpol's Phobos 21.

It all begun two years ago we found out that we don't want to get stuck on the Labe river in Czech Republic forever so we decided to sell our pretty heavy keel sailboat Catalina 25 "High Anxiety" (hull #701, 1987) and buy something smaller.

We defined some priorities for a new boat:

• it must be lightweight with retractable keel so we can launch it from the trailer easily
• enough head room for my wife
• enclosed toilet room
• simple preparation before launch and low maintenance
• comfortably sleeps for two adults and two children
• cruiser rather than racer

From all that after long discussion and market research, we found our boat - it's Dalpol Phobos 21.

At the beginning, we thought that we will buy the used one, but I don't want to fix numerous issues anymore like I had to with my previous sailboat and I wanted to sail more than doing a maintenance. So we decided to rather buy a new one. Another fact is that Dalpol started the production of this boat in 2011 so there are no used one yet.


From this decision, it all begins to escalate pretty quickly.  I had to undertake the driver's lessons to upgrade my driver's license to B+E (trailer up to 3500kg), buy a trailer and a car capable of towing such boat with launching capability.

Part 1 - Trailer

I bought used trailer from year 2009 dual-axle trailer with 2600kg total weight. It's pretty overkill for this small boat (1300kg), but its a robust construction and I have an additional space for heavy baggage.

This trailer was already used for a sailboat so I hope it will be ok and there will be no need for massive adjustments.

Part 2 - Towing car

We had Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, but it's capable of towing only 1500kg. It was a great 7 seat car, but we had to sell it. I wanted some car that is suitable for boat launching, but also for a daily use. So we ended up with 4x4 Kia Sorento 2.5CRDi with automatic transmission from 2007, which is capable of towing 3500kg on the hook and pretty popular in the caravan world.
Another advantage of this 4x4 car is that it has a reduction transmission, so the launching from the beach or steep ramps will not be an issue (I hope).


Part 3 - Sailboat

It took us over two years going to boat shows and checking pros and cons, but when we decided for one particular type it was pretty straight forward.
When we wanted to buy the boat directly from the Poland shipyard they forwarded us to the local Czech dealer Lodní servis Linhart. They showed us demo boat several times and we finally signed the deal.

Proposed delivery is the end of December 2013. Great Christmas present, isn't it? ;-)