T&T: Year round boating?

[Robin]

I've not winterized in New Rochelle, NY (LI Sound) since I bought my Hatteras
in 1999. I leave a Webasto diesel heater on a 45 degree temp setting all
winter.
I used to do a lot of winter upgrades and that made it easy to live aboard as
I do not live close to the boat. Uses between 125 and 225 gal of diesel over
the winter for my 48 foot boat, depending on temp.

I leave a digital thermometer in a porthole for a friend live aboard to check
in really freezing weather.

If you live nearby your boat, you could just switch some heat on when
temperatures are below,say 20 degrees. Baseboard heater thermostats, ala Home
Cheapo, can be used and set much lower than portable electric heaters, say 40
degrees, if that's useful for your purposes.

Even if outside water does freeze, it doesn't hurt boats...but can pull piles
out in tidal waters...Skim ice will cut thru paint and hull wood, but nothing
much.

A main danger from ice is if waves are possible and ice can crash against a
boat. I'd be real cautious on the Great Lakes, for example, but not from say
RI south on the east coast.

In the 1950's and later, when I was a kid and salt water ice maybe two even
three feet thick, we had a wood Matthews in the water all winter (it was
winterized)...no problem except shoveling snow off to get aboard...
Rob Brueckner
Hatteras YF