Maintaining a Small Wooden Dinghy in Winter

Why Wood Suffers in the Colder Months

A small wooden dinghy is a simple, forgiving thing for most of the year, which is exactly why winter catches owners out. The damage is rarely dramatic. It happens slowly, in the grain and along the seams, and you often don't spot it until the first warm day in April when the varnish lifts in sheets or a plank feels soft under your thumb.

Two things do the harm: damp and frost. Wood takes on moisture from rain, spray and condensation, and when the temperature drops below freezing, that trapped water expands. Seams open, paint blisters, and hairline cracks in the varnish let in more water next time. A cover that keeps the rain out but seals the damp in can leave a dinghy wetter than if you had simply left her open to the sky.

So winter care comes down to managing moisture. Keep the rain off, let the air through, keep the wood sealed, and make sure the lines holding her are sound. None of it takes long, but it is best done before the first hard frost rather than after it.

Covering Her Properly

The best winter cover is a tent, not a lid. Build a simple ridge along the centreline, 150–200 mm above the gunwales, with a slope at each end so water runs off rather than pooling in the middle. Bamboo canes, plastic pipe or a couple of battens cut to length will do; the frame only has to last until spring.

Breathable canvas is worth the money. If you are using a plastic tarpaulin, leave generous gaps at bow and stern and lift the cover clear of the hull where you can, so condensation can escape. Never let a cover lie directly on varnished gunwales or thwarts — a flapping edge will rub through a fresh coat in a fortnight.

• Tie down firmly but not so tightly that the cover presses against the planking.
• Pull the bungs and leave lockers and buoyancy tanks open to the air.
• Sit her slightly bow-up so any water that does get in drains aft.
• Knock snow off after a fall — a wet cover is heavy, and the weight strains the frame and the hull.

Varnishing and Oiling Before the Frost

Varnish needs dry wood and a temperature above about 10°C, ideally with low humidity. If autumn slipped past you, watch the forecast and take a still, dry day in winter when you can get one; a mild, bright afternoon in January is perfectly workable.

Sand back to sound wood with 120 then 180 grit, dust off, and wipe down with a tack rag or a rag dampened with white spirit. On bare timber, thin the first coat by about half so it soaks in, then build up six to eight coats, lightly flatting between each. For maintenance, two or three fresh coats over sound varnish will see her through. Pay extra attention to end grain, the top edge of the transom and around screw holes — these drink water faster than flat surfaces.

Inside the hull, floorboards and oars, an oil finish is often more practical than varnish. A mix of boiled linseed and tung oil is easy to top up and lets the wood breathe. Whatever you use, never seal over damp timber. You will only trap the moisture you are trying to keep out.

Mooring Lines, Fittings and Chafe

Winter ropes take a beating. Run every warp through your hands and look for chafe, embedded grit, glazing and hard spots. Replace anything doubtful rather than hoping. On a swinging mooring, double up the main lines and allow extra slack, because ropes stiffen and shrink in the cold and ice can weight a line considerably.

• Fit chafe gear or a length of old hose where lines pass through fairleads or over the gunwale.
• Mouse every shackle with wire or a heavy cable tie.
• Check cleats and rowlocks for movement. A loose fitting lets water work into the screw holes, and that means rot in the gunwale or thwart.
• Inspect the fenders and their lanyards — a burst fender is no use in a February blow.

A Short Winter Routine

Little and often beats one heroic visit in March. Try to get down to her every fortnight, or weekly if she is afloat. Bail her out, sponge the bilges dry, and check the cover is still doing its job. On dry, breezy days, pull the cover back for an hour and let the air move through the hull.

Look for the early signs: green mould on varnish, dark patches in the planking, a soft feel around fastenings. If she is ashore on a trailer, support the hull under bulkheads and frames rather than on the planking alone, chock the wheels, and leave space underneath for air to circulate. If she stays afloat, check her mooring after every gale.

Drain and store the outboard indoors, upright, with the fuel run out of the carburettor. Don't hack at ice in the cockpit or around the hull — let it melt. And take care stepping aboard; frost on varnish is slippery. Treat her kindly through the cold months and she will reward you with a dry, tight, eager little boat when the season comes round again.