I wouild have guessed with the number of southern and west coast boats the number leaving it in would have been bigger. Maybe they are too busy sailing to respond to the poll.
I Don't have too 21 (41.2%)
October 20 (39.2%)
November 8 (15.7%)
December 2 (3.9%)
January 0 (0%)
Total Votes: 51
ken, boat was just hauled on tues. fri. am going to clean hull,waterline. sat., winterize eng. and water. sun., attempt to remove fixed ports...jeff
Being a new owner of a C-34, and being that this is my first winter in the Puget Sound, I am wresteling with just how much winterizing I really need to do. I am told that we did get a little ice in the harbor at the moorage last year ( stream water entering harbor) Freezing temps isnt real common. Water temps avg 55. I understand that some people use space heaters and fans to circulate warm air. We're also predicted a mild winter. Perhaps a lightbulb in engine area. I am hoping to talk to a few more local people to see what they do. WMP has a 110v heater with a freeze setting - ie comes on when temp hits 38 - I think this may be the ticket here. I am close enuf to the boat to visit frequently.
Yes, I have alot to learn.........any thoughts/comments from the experts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Dale : You are flirting with disaster!! NEVER let heaters, light bulbs or any other such devices on inside an unattended boat!!
I'd strongly recommend that you winterize the parts of the boat that you won't use, carry bottled water and put a "Y" in the raw water intake so you can re winterize the engine when you come back from sailing.
One of our C34 owners got a call on Christmas Day ( a few years back) from the marina and was told his boat was gutted by a fire. I don't recall the exact culprit but the boat was plugged in to AC power and there was an electrical fire!!
Consider it - freeze damage is easy to repair compared to an unattended FIRE !! :cry4`
Dale
I have to agree with Ron. Don't put any unattended heaters on your boat. The C34 is easy to winterize. I did mine this year in a little over an hour including changing the oil. There are a couple of good write ups in the FAQs.
BTW: The first time took significantly longer.
Quote from: saildog2 on October 19, 2006, 12:54:34 PM
Being a new owner of a C-34, and being that this is my first winter in the Puget Sound, I am wresteling with just how much winterizing I really need to do. I am told that we did get a little ice in the harbor at the moorage last year ( stream water entering harbor) Freezing temps isnt real common. Water temps avg 55. I understand that some people use space heaters and fans to circulate warm air. We're also predicted a mild winter. Perhaps a lightbulb in engine area. I am hoping to talk to a few more local people to see what they do. WMP has a 110v heater with a freeze setting - ie comes on when temp hits 38 - I think this may be the ticket here. I am close enuf to the boat to visit frequently.
Yes, I have alot to learn.........any thoughts/comments from the experts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Many marinas around here do not allow heaters to be run unattended. As an alternative, many people use 100w light bulbs which generate enough heat to keep the cabin temperature above freezing. I don't feel terribly comfortable with either approach though I am interested in West Marine's solution: a 90 watt fan that circulates warm (not hot) air: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/10001/-1/10001/245832/10001/8200/0/0. This wouldn't do any good for those that experience, but we rarely see night time temps below 25-30 around here. Does anyone have experience with this item?
Guys : I'll say it again -- IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO LET AN UNATTENDED BOAT PLUGGED IN TO AC SHORE POWER.
My worst nightmare is that some guy parked next to me will have a fire and it'll spread to my boat! A fire can happen from any electrical short - AC or DC, don't stay plugged in. :cry4`
Ron:
Do you disconnect power from your house when you leave or the battery from your car when you get out. Sure, fires can happen, but a properly maintained boat that is wired correctly should not be at a greater risk of fire than your house.
Dale:
I would think that if the water temp is around 55 degrees (F) your boat shouldn't freeze
unless the outside temp drops down pretty low. Around here we can keep the boat without
winterizing right now if we keep it in the water but as soon as it is hauled it needs to be
winterized. I'm not sure what the water temp is right now but I'm guessing around 50 or
55 degrees.
Larry
Steve : FYI, my house has a surge protector at the meter where the main power enters.
You hit the nail on the head when you said "properly maintained boat". I'm sure that your factory wiring and previous owner wiring on your C34 was done by licensed electricians just like your house!?!. :think
Steve
And your house dowsn't move around, shake, rattle and roll like your boat does.
Remember, and consider that most boat electrical problem can be traced to poor connections. And how many connections are there on a boat?
Ron's right, and there are much better ways to deal with issues raised than by keeping an unattended boat plugged into power.
"Conventional wisdom" just isn't smart.
Winterized yesterday in Milwaukee in rain, wind and temps in the high 40s and then pulled it since a crew was at the crane and no one else was hard-headed enough to be out there. Our September and October have been terrible for sailing this year. I could have pulled a few weeks earlier and only missed one day sail.
My dockmaster at the MYC recommends leaving the old oil in all winter. Drain it in spring, along with any condensation. Refill oil with the old filter still in place. Run it up. Drain it again and change the filter. Fill it a second time. The second change is then good to go for the season. That's my plan for May.
All of you in better climates please pray for an early spring.
In response to Mark's post; I have been told to change the oil in the fall and then again in the spring before launch. The reason is that diesel fuel has a fair amount of sulfur in it, and some ends up in the oil. When it sits for long periods it becomes sulfuric acid. Is this fact or legend? What do others do?
dave, i have never heard of diesel fuel mixing with oil and becoming acid. i change the oil in the fall, along with filter and don't worry about it till next fall. never had a problem. i live in the boston area, same climate as you...jeff
Quote from: Jeff Kaplan on October 23, 2006, 07:16:03 AM
dave, i have never heard of diesel fuel mixing with oil and becoming acid. i change the oil in the fall, along with filter and don't worry about it till next fall. never had a problem. i live in the boston area, same climate as you...jeff
I believe it is water in diesel that increases the amount sulfuric acid created, not oil. Some does end up in the oil, though, which is a major reason to change it regularly.
I'm not sure if the new ultra low sulphur fuel will be mandated for marine use, but a significant part of the reason for its existance is to decrease the amount of sulfuric acid is diesel exhaust.
I admit to being guilty with having the electrical power on when not on the boat. Always leave the charger on for a few days after we have been out for a few days to a week to bring the batteries up to a full charge which I thought was a good thing. How do you accomplish that if you turn everything off and leave the boat until you are ready to go out the next time? Also being able to leave the boat in the water here in Anacortes Washington all year and ready to go (yes we do occasionally head out for a few days in the winter if the weather is good) I am guilty of keeping a couple of the WM dehumidifiers running in the boat. It is always nice and dry, no mildew which is great.
I have always thought that the main breaker where the power comes on the boat would shut the AC power down immediately if a short or other kind of fault would occur. Is this not true? I always turn off all the DC power, including the main battery switch and engine power switch. The AC side of the system is the only thing on, sometimes with the charger, but generally only with the electrical outlets on and the dehumidifiers running. Any way to make this operation safe?
Jack
I have always, with 20 years of boat ownership, changed the oil just prior to laying it up for the winter, so that there is clean oil all winter. I'd been told dirty oil can damage your engine if left sitting. We drain the water tanks and then put about 6 gallons of antifreeze (RV type) in the fresh water side of things, as well as a little in the toilet bowl. Never have had a problem in Anacortes in the winter, where it does occasionally snow.
as stated, i have always changed the oil and all filters as part of winterization. as i have spent most of my working career in the trucking business, parts and supplies, many of my friends are diesel mechanics. having read many of past posts where everyone has a different approach to this subject, i asked one of my closest diesel mech. friends what he thinks, remember a diesel engine is a diesel engine, and his take is to change the oil and filter at layup. that way, clean oil is on the pistons and in the sump. in the spring, you are ready to launch. as far as diesel fuel mixing with the engine, a little is possible, but that only thins out the oil a little, nothing to worry about. he did tell me though, the new low sulfur fuel might deteriorate the o-rings in the inj. pump of older engines. what to do is add fuel cond. that increases the lubricity of the fuel. that will help. if the o-rings do weaken, an external leak will be noticeable, then you must take the pump in to be rebuilt. so as stated, change you oil in the fall and in the spring you're ready to go...jeff
Jeff,
I have been using the same procedure as you at lay up. Thanks for the sanity check.
Jack : I don't know what to tell you, except not to stay plugged in while you're not on the boat.
Why don't you call BoatUS Insurance and ask them how many claims they have from electrically caused fires on unattended boats - think you'll be surprised!! :!: