Snow Inside Of My Boat.?

I have a 17 Foot Carolina Skiff All Open Center Console and I did not have a chance to cover it before it snowed. So now their is about an inch or 3 of snow inside my boat. Is this going to cause any damage sitting on the floor? (the boat is fiberglass)Snow Inside Of My Boat.?
No. It's just like being out in the ocean, but without the salt. The deck surface has Gel coating and will be fine. You should remove it though and cover the boat.
No the snow will not do any thing to the boat that water itself wouldn't do, however if the boat will be sitting out in the cold and moist weather, you should try to remove as much of the snow as possible, and try too get it dried out the best you can before you cover it up for the winter, as you may get some mold %26amp; mildew forming in areas where the moisture cant evaporate and dry quicklySnow Inside Of My Boat.?
As long as you winterized the engine and any systems you should be fine. Make sure the bow is higher then the stern and pull all drain plugs. When the snow melts it can run out. Take any cushions or other items that you do not want to get wet out and store them inside. Take out the battery and store that inside on a piece of wood and charge it once or twice a month making sure it has distilled water in it. At work we stored about 10 17foot Boston Whalers without covers and never had a problem with ice damage.
As long as there are no hole to enter the hull or live wells fish boxs as it can melt then freeze and crack the fiberglass. Best to remove the snow and cover it.Snow Inside Of My Boat.?
no it wont hurt it long as its not ice.. water expands when it freezes may crack if there is ice in the bottom of your boat. COVER IT UP ASAP you will be ok.....
1st off, did you winterize the boat?

if you didnt, dont bother worry about the snow. instead consider the water that has turned to ice and expanded inside your motor...... even if oyu bought it just last week and its warrantied, they dont cover things caused by poor maintence.



i'd definetly want to get the snow out and the interior as dry as possible and then covered as soon as possilbe. sun will ruin your boats interior, mold and mildew will ruin its interior, but just getting wet, or a light blanket of snow, is what boats are made for.



what you need to immediately, is make sure the drain plug has been removed, the drive or outboard is lowered (water can collect in the prop shaft / exhuast passage, freeze and expand and ruin the drive) and the bow is has raised up as you can get it. if possible, you might even dig a hole for the drive outboard to sit in so oteh bow can be raised even higher, possilby by placing a good big block of wood under the jack.



that snow will melt, and your boat will turn into a bath tub full of water if the drain plug isnt out and the bow higher then the drain port is. your electronics will get soaked, like your starter and trim system, and thats also not covered under warranty as its your fault if it happens.



i live and work in cali, where it doesnt snow and doesnt often freeze at all. i remember one boat and owner, purchased it late fall just in time for that last big warm holiday weekend, went up to tahoe, enjoyed his weekend and then left his boat at tahoe, where it does snow, a lot, uncovered and with the drain plug in.

come spring he's brought it back to where he bought cause NOTHING works. there is a waterline halfway up the inside of the boat on EVERYTHING. seats, side panels, all soaked and all stained by pine needle filled water. water line was not quite up high enough to enter the intake, but the block was cracked so that didnt matter. his starter and the majority of his electronics were drowned, even most the wiring itself was bad as water had so fully penetrated it and begun corroding it.



his boat was quite literally totalled. motor, drive, interior and all the electronics were shot. all he had left was a good hull and trailer. not 20 hours, not 6 months old, not covered by warranty or insurance.







"i didnt have a chance to cover"

i didnt have a chance to feed my dog, so he starved and died.

your boat wont strave and die, but it wont last long either with out proper care.



proper maintence is everything to a boat. you wont get it to last even 5 years without maintaining precisely as recommended by the manafacture.



15 minutes to cover, tops. try and have it as dry as possible 1st.

cover EVERY SINGLE TIME, rain, shine or snow. and you set up something to keep the cover in a tight tented shape for when rain or snow does occur.



my boats an outboard powered center console too. one cheap stamped metal saw horse leg sets in the water catch bin in front of the outboard. it has a 2x4 shimmed up so its higher then the outboard when fully lowered, and over hangs it too. other end of that board goes into a 4x6 block that has been cut to fit the fish finder mount and has two nails that go where the fish finder screws lock it to the mount. recessed groove accepts a second 2x4 which runs up and rests on the bow, also sticking hanging out some.

i then use an expensive tarp that is the perfect fit to cover the boat with. tie it all around, cover even the outboard (brand new merc on it, i want it to stay nice and shiny black not sun beaten) and cover past teh bow, with it fully tied down and the boards sticking out, there will be openings air can pass through and carry away moisture that may of been left behind when covered.



i then cover my expensive tarp with 2 cheap ones. the perfect size tarp costs what 5 cheapys do, sun will ruin tarps just as much as it ruins interiors.



i also have a hole dug, put a 5 gallon bucket with a holy bottom in it to keep it dug. outboard gets lowered over that then i crank and crank the bow WAY up with a block under teh wheel. get it drain as fully as possible, no level surfaces where water can sit.