We’re well into a Portland Maine winter and, well, it’s cold.

The temperatures often drop to zero and we’ve had to do a few things to stay warm.

The first thing we did was to purchase some insulation. We placed it along the hull in both bunks. It’s proven to be quite helpful and I even put some under my mattress.

We purchased some athletic matting for the cabin sole and it’s been helpful as well. SO much so that we can go bare footed on the boat without cold feet.

And then of course is the wrap.

A clear plastic wrap that acts as a greenhouse to heat the boat as well as keeping snow from piling up. We were advised to get a “real door” and I’m glad we paid the extra for it. The wrap allows the deck and cockpit to get a full 10-20 degrees warmer than the outside air when the sun is up and really helps the heater keep us warm down below.

For heat we have an electric heater that we keep at 67F after a few electrical fires from overloading our on board electrical system over the years I decided to get a splitter for the shore power cord, and adaptor, and a high wattage extension for the heater so we could bypass the boat’s systems completely.

We have a second electrical heater as a backup and our Mr Buddy propane heater to use if the electricity in general were to go out.

We did wake up one morning to our pipes frozen and our cockpit shower froze and broke. I had to cut the fresh water pipes and cap them. We’ve since propped open the door the bilge area in the head and put a fan to blow warm air down there constantly. It seems to be working since we’ve gotten super cold and not frozen again.

Overall I’m glad that we decided to do this. It was certainly an experience I won’t forget. I’m tempted to try this again someday in Boston where apparently they tent the heated pool and have pool parties over the winter. But short of that I’m not sure I’d do this again.

I’m more of a palm tree winter guy after having done that the past few years.