T&T: Ice bubblers

[lrzeitlin at aol.com]

Joe asks:


I am thinking of leaving the  boat in the water next year, upstate New York.  
Any data for winter storage  in low, still, tidal, fresh water with those ice 
bubblers.  Were might I  look to determine the minimum depth of water.  Cost 
of hauling, wrapping  & frame vs. Bubbler, genset fuel etc.



It depends how far upstate you want to anchor. New York stretches from the comparatively balmy climes of L. I. Sound to the Canadian border 300 miles north. It is reasonable to use a bubbler in the Hudson in most areas south of Poughkeepsie. Provided, that is, if you have an assured electrical supply. North of Poughkeepsie it is more of a gamble. The Hudson used to freeze quite solid in the old days and still does in a cold winter. The Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain can get a foot or more of ice in a particularly cold winter. The major problem with in water storage is not keeping the area around the hull ice free but providing protection from tide and wind drifting ice floes. Old timers used to float a barrier of timbers around a boat, even if they used a bubbler. You best bet is to identify the region then ask local boaters for advice on winter conditions. Incidentally the coming winter is predicted to be particularly cold.



Larry Z