So you want to live aboard a boat all year round. There are some specific winter issues that you need to consider. Living aboard can be wonderful during the summer months with the long warm days, calm waters and wonderful wildlife. But during the winter months things aren't as nice and the cold weather brings its own issues.

Daily maintenance and chores are more difficult during the winter times because there is a shortage of daylight hours. The weekend is the best time for maintenance since you will have light. Make sure you do daily chores like filing the water tanks and changing the gas bottles during the day so you have enough supplies to keep the lights running when you need them.

During the winter you should expect to run your heating system much more so be sure to keep a good supply of fuel on hand at all times. Some effort is required to maintain a fuel supply since fuel isn't as convenient as it is with houses during the winter. If you use gas bottles you will need to change them often and these heavy bottles can be difficult to carry from the boat to the store where you need to change the bottles.

You will also need to keep your water tanks full. During the winter you always want your water to be as full as possible. In very cold weather the water stand pipes can freeze solid and stay that way for days or weeks which means you won't be able to fill your tanks. Should this happen it is always good to have your tanks as full as possible so you can last until the pipes defrost.

Mooring ropes are also very important during the winter due to storms and high winds. These ropes will secure your boat. Check the security of these ropes regularly otherwise they can break lose during a storm while you are asleep or not on the boat. To prevent this from happening make sure you keep your mooring ropes in good condition.

As the winter snow and ice develops be very careful when boarding your boat. Even if you have non slip decks they can still be dangerous when covered in snow and ice. You don't want to slip and end up in the icy water. To stay safe during the winter you want to regularly clear the snow and ice off your decks.

Boats have difficulties with batteries in the winter just like cars. So make sure you keep your batteries well maintained during the winter. Changes all the gaskets on your batteries before the winter and fill them up with distilled water if they require it. Also keep in mind if your lights run off the batteries since you will be using your lights more due to less daylight. Check the condition of your batteries in the winter often and fix any problems before they cause major issues.

Provided you stay organized and prepare properly the winter months on a boat aren't that bad. Just be sure to prevent some boat problems and your winter stay can be just as enjoyable as your summer stay.