Comments on: Living in a Bubble http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:42:43 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: strathy http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html/comment-page-1#comment-808 strathy Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:49:44 +0000 http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html#comment-808 Hello and thanks for your question! Shrink wrap is available from a number of local guys who will also install it for you. However, this is usually quite expensive. If you end up in the Mississauga area, you will certainly have lots of us here who have been wrapping our own boats for years who can help you with advice and also with pulling the plastic over the frame when the time comes. I can direct you to a local guy who will supply it to you if you would like to do it yourself. If you do it yourself the cost of the plastic is usually somewhere around $3/foot and comes 36' wide if I remember correctly. My boat (40') took 57' of plastic last year so it cost me approx $160.00. I made my own frame and did my own shrinking. In and out? We install a shrink wrapped door with a finger latch.... Simple, but it works. Hello and thanks for your question! Shrink wrap is available from a number of local guys who will also install it for you. However, this is usually quite expensive. If you end up in the Mississauga area, you will certainly have lots of us here who have been wrapping our own boats for years who can help you with advice and also with pulling the plastic over the frame when the time comes. I can direct you to a local guy who will supply it to you if you would like to do it yourself. If you do it yourself the cost of the plastic is usually somewhere around $3/foot and comes 36′ wide if I remember correctly. My boat (40′) took 57′ of plastic last year so it cost me approx $160.00. I made my own frame and did my own shrinking.

In and out? We install a shrink wrapped door with a finger latch…. Simple, but it works.

]]> By: Silvana http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html/comment-page-1#comment-807 Silvana Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:54:07 +0000 http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html#comment-807 Hello, we live in mississauga and are contemplating moving into a boat. Thank goodness for you folks, we have had alot of our questions answered. Like anyone else winter is what we worry about and I have 2 questions ...1) Where can you purchase this shrink wrap and 2) How do you enter and exit the boat when the shrink wrap is in place? Hello, we live in mississauga and are contemplating moving into a boat. Thank goodness for you folks, we have had alot of our questions answered. Like anyone else winter is what we worry about and I have 2 questions …1) Where can you purchase this shrink wrap and 2) How do you enter and exit the boat when the shrink wrap is in place?

]]> By: Boat Slips http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html/comment-page-1#comment-728 Boat Slips Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:42:47 +0000 http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html#comment-728 That's awesome. I never knew live aboards did such things. And to even have Christmas lights! I would love to "live in a bubble" for at least one winter to experience it. That’s awesome. I never knew live aboards did such things. And to even have Christmas lights!
I would love to “live in a bubble” for at least one winter to experience it.

]]> By: strathy http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html/comment-page-1#comment-204 strathy Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:55:56 +0000 http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html#comment-204 I guess I should explain this a bit... For the winter here, most live aboards build a framework of wood or metal, then wrap the boat in plastic. The plastic is special in that it shrinks when heated. So when we are done wrapping the boat in plastic it looks like a big greenhouse. Then we apply heat from a propane torch and the plastic shrinks up to the frame that we've built pulling everything in tight and holding everything in place. This 'bubble' protects us from much of the winter weather and keeps the snow off the deck. It also makes a great storage area for all our junk which is why so many of us leave the plastic up way too long into the summer - it's easier to leave it up than clean up the junk! We do not operate the boat in the winter - the engines have been winterized to withstand the freezing temps. For most of the winter we are locked into the ice anyway and could not go anywhere if we wanted to. I guess I should explain this a bit…

For the winter here, most live aboards build a framework of wood or metal, then wrap the boat in plastic. The plastic is special in that it shrinks when heated. So when we are done wrapping the boat in plastic it looks like a big greenhouse. Then we apply heat from a propane torch and the plastic shrinks up to the frame that we’ve built pulling everything in tight and holding everything in place. This ‘bubble’ protects us from much of the winter weather and keeps the snow off the deck. It also makes a great storage area for all our junk which is why so many of us leave the plastic up way too long into the summer – it’s easier to leave it up than clean up the junk!

We do not operate the boat in the winter – the engines have been winterized to withstand the freezing temps. For most of the winter we are locked into the ice anyway and could not go anywhere if we wanted to.

]]> By: Paul http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html/comment-page-1#comment-203 Paul Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:01:33 +0000 http://www.weliveonaboat.com/2008/01/living-in-a-bubble.html#comment-203 Hello. Exactly how did you create the bubble around your vessel? Interesting. Does your boat work or is it just for winter time to insulate inside? I'm living aboard in hawaii so no winters here. this is my second time living on a boat but this time I'm actually going to fix one up and go some where (i hope funds permitting). cya. Hello. Exactly how did you create the bubble around your vessel? Interesting. Does your boat work or is it just for winter time to insulate inside? I’m living aboard in hawaii so no winters here. this is my second time living on a boat but this time I’m actually going to fix one up and go some where (i hope funds permitting).

cya.

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