Southern / Mid-Atlantic Winterization

[rmbrown]

The FAQ on winterization is great but I'm wondering how much of that list is necessary for a boat in the water all winter in North Carolina?  I plan to use the boat all winter, albeit strictly for day sailing.  Winterization of the fresh water system including the hot water tank makes perfect sense, but what about the transmission and engine?  I'd rather leave those ready to go sailing a day or two during each month when we get one of those days in the 50's.  What do you folks do?

[DaveBMusik]

Are you at a dock with power? Any way of keeping a heat source near the engine?

[rmbrown]

Yep... at a doc with power.  I suppose losing it in an ice storm is always a possibility, but putting a small heater or light bulb close to engine is definitely possible.  Boat stays plugged into AC.

[Roc]

Mike,
You might want to check with your marina.  Marinas usually don't allow a space heater on a boat that's unattended.  If something does happen, then you could be liable.

[mark_53]

Are you in fresh water or salt?  I don't see any issue with engine oil or tranny fluid.  NC can get pretty cold so your heat exchanger including the whole raw water system may be an issue.  Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees and salt water at 28.4.  You may want to protect that with antifreeze or make sure to keep it above freezing.
I use to keep my boat in the water all year without doing anything other than keep a heater set at about 40 degrees without problem but we have a milder climate in the PNW.   Now I pulll the boat in the winter because it's less expensive to keep on the hard and I'm not wearing out bottom paint for the little use I get in the winter. I did have a portable gas heater I would keep in case the power went out. 

[rmbrown]

I'm right on the boundary... literally... about 1000 yards from the imaginary line... between salt and fresh.

For the purpose of this conversation though, conservative would be to call it fresh.  It definitely gets below 32 here on occasion.  I guess it's no huge deal to break the raw water intake and run antifreeze through on those rare days I can use it.  Neither is keeping a heater on low.  It's the two days a year when we have an ice storm, the power goes out, and I'm 2 hours away that I worry about!

The raw water circuit is the only questionable system I see as well... I'll have to make up my mind soon... It's mid 40's today.

[Phil Spicer]

   Found our boat on Lake Norman, N.C. We asked if the boat was always winterized. Answer was yes and it weathered an ice storm and hard freeze the past year when a lot of boats had major damage like cracked blocks, ac units, water heaters,etc. You may want to think about a "T" fitting after the intake strainer. Add a shutoff valve to the "T" and a hose so you can quickly get antifreeze into the block each time you sail in the winter. Shut off the intake, put the hose in a jug of 50/50 antifreeze, open valve past the "T", run the engine, go home and don't worry.
   Just a thought

[rmbrown]

I like it!  Although, I'm thinking maybe before the strainer... don't want that to crack and mine is separate from the thru-hull.

[Phil Spicer]

   Good call

[patrice]

Hi,

If you winterize all the water system + Wh as it should be, you wll be fine for this part.

For the engine, you should have a heat exchanger, so no issue of a crack engine block.

But the T fitting between the thru hull and strainer is great.  Every fall I keep telling my self "I have to do this"
I take off the hose from the thru hull and put it in the antifreeze bottle.  Take 2 min to winterize HX.

[KWKloeber]

Lake Norman, N.C. ...........a lot of boats had major damage like cracked blocks, ac units, water heaters,etc.

"T" fitting

A couple thoughts....  A boat in the water won't freeze a hose at the thru hull (unless drastically subzero over an extended period,)  There's a huge source of (relatively) "warm" water underneath.  in Buffalo, I had issues on the hard, not when wintered in the water on the Niagara River (surrounded by ice.)  Bad you say?  there was plenty of water movement and rocking to keep the area around the hull ice free -- but it was an uncanny experience to stand next to the dock on the ice and the toe rail be waist high.  Strange.

Now on Lake Norman, anyone here with a cracked block is just plain stupid (or lazy) and shouldn't have a boat (not running 50/50 antifreeze all year long.)

Your concern is the intake, Hx, and muffler.  I can easily drain the muffler after a sail, and with my M-25, I can pop the inlet hose off the HX (or open the seawater pump cover) and it completely drains the sea water side.  No issues.  if your access on the 34 is not that difficult, just drain the muffler, close the thru hull, and drain the sea water pump.  Pop the hose off and lay it down to drain.  It won't freeze above the thru hull (he says.)

If you are sailing regularly, then go there and "winterize" only when the weather gurus call for an EXTENDED extremely COLD snap, which is about a week long, once a winter season.

These are what I find to be reasonable -- but of course, YBYC!!

BUT  If you install any "drain tees" they must be marine rated  (i.e., NOT Home Depot PVC tees and valves !!!)

I wouldn't ever leave a heater running, maybe a couple 100w light bulbs in the engine space (NOT LED LOL.)

ken

[rmbrown]

Why no electric heater with a thermostat for the super lows?  I've read about the reasons for not plugging in all the time but, given that I am, what an I missing about the heater?

[KWKloeber]

Why no electric heater with a thermostat for the super lows?  I've read about the reasons for not plugging in all the time but, given that I am, what an I missing about the heater?

Mike,

Boating Safety 101, Chapter 1, Paragraph 2. Never leave an electric heater running unattended.

I'll admit that I "might" have left a heater on overnight to knock off the chill while doing a project (say, epoxy) when i was returning in the AM.  But never for days or weeks unattended -- the boat you save may be your neighbors'.  Electrical gadgets fail, and will fail when least expected, in the worst way possible, causing the most damage, and with no one around to catch it.  If you do that, at least let your dock neighbor know so s/he can move the boat to 'nother, safer location!!

A couple yrs ago I was working an out of town job out of a motel... was charging a little, sealed gel battery (like a backup in an EXIT sign, if you have ever seen one of those.)  I had used the charger (designed/sold specifically for the application) hundreds of times, no problem-0.  Went to dinner, came back to a room filled with acrid smoke, the battery top partially melted, leaking gel electrolyte, and the charger hot as a street pistol in Chi Town.  Luckily (I think) I had the foresight to set the shebang inside a container (a cooler) instead of sitting it on the carpeted floor next to the outlet. Even luckier (?) it didn't set off the alarm/sprinkler heads and take out my laptop, work papers, etc.   120v AC deserves a LOT of respect.  If a light bulb burns out, there's not much going to happen. if a blower goes locked rotor, or a resistance heater shorts out, you can have a real issue (that can ruin your day.)

k

[rmbrown]

That sure would!