Boats left in water thru winter?

Havana Shamrock said:
This is my second year in the water, I winterize all systems install the bilge heater turn one of the ER cameras towards a portable thermometer so I can view it remotely, shrinkwrap and visit 2-3 days a week.( I tell the wife I need to check things but it’s just to see the boat)
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I’ve only been out of the water for 11 days and I miss my clubhouse already.
I’m thinking that if I winterize and wrap in the water with a door, leave it plugged in with the fridge going, and bring along a littler oil filled radiator I can hang out every once in a while throughout the winter.
Why the bilge heater though? Do you not winterize the motors?
 
JVM225 said:
I’ve only been out of the water for 11 days and I miss my clubhouse already.
I’m thinking that if I winterize and wrap in the water with a door, leave it plugged in with the fridge going, and bring along a littler oil filled radiator I can hang out every once in a while throughout the winter.
Why the bilge heater though? Do you not winterize the motors?
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Block heaters and you are good
 
JVM225 said:
I’ve only been out of the water for 11 days and I miss my clubhouse already.
I’m thinking that if I winterize and wrap in the water with a door, leave it plugged in with the fridge going, and bring along a littler oil filled radiator I can hang out every once in a while throughout the winter.
Why the bilge heater though? Do you not winterize the motors?
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I keep a little oil filled rad in the engine room on its lowest setting. It's not necessary but I feel it helps keeps things from getting brittle in freezing temps (hoses). I also keep a plug in heater in the galley. When I go play around, I'll plug it in while I'm there. I made the mistake of leaving that on once before I left on a vacation. Came back to a $400 electric bill. Ha
 
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Jvm225 I winterize the motors, the heater is really insurance and keeps the condensation down.
This is how I keep an eye on everything,
 
In the water with engine room and cabin heaters ...plus weekly visits and running all systems at least once a month (generator, engines, reverse cycle heat). I try to take her out once a month at least ...even for just a 30 minute cruise around the harbour. We are going out of town for 2 weeks over Christmas, so I'm planning on running antifreeze through all raw water cooling systems, plumbing, etc ...just for peace of mind in case the marina happens to lose power. To be fair we're in the PNW where temps at sea level (typically) rarely fall below freezing for any significant lengths of time.
 
tonykdr said:
I keep a little oil filled rad in the engine room on its lowest setting. It's not necessary but I feel it helps keeps things from getting brittle in freezing temps (hoses). I also keep a plug in heater in the galley. When I go play around, I'll plug it in while I'm there. I made the mistake of leaving that on once before I left on a vacation. Came back to a $400 electric bill. Ha
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I’ve got a little Caframa heater that works great, I kept it on the counter in my old boat on the hard all winter and ran it whenever I was down at my dock property playing around with the boat. But, it uses a lot of electricity, and that cabin was much smaller than the cabin on my current boat. I’d probably have to supplement it with another small heater.
I’m in a boatyard for the first time in many years this winter and I don’t think the owner, who is a great guy, would appreciate me running his electric bill up. In order to get electric where I’m blocked up I have to run a out of cord to a 15 amp receptacle so the electric would be minimal.
That’s another reason why I want to stay in the water at my own dock (my private property) next year. I can use the electric as much as I want through my two 30 amp receptacles and not feel guilty since I pay the bill.
 
JimT said:
Wait ten years. With global warming you will be boating on Long Island Sound all year, no winterization. We are pricing out Palm trees here in Charlotte.
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And if you live in Florida, you won't be needing your marina anymore as you'll have waterfront property soon enough! :)
 
So I can kill some stripers, I run a bilge heater for most of December. Do a full winterization for the January/February using my trusty sea flush. Bubbler is a must on the Yeocomico. I have to tell ya, it beats the hell out of blocking up every year. Some of my best times are at the marina, no one around, temps below freezing, and I am down in my warm rat hole drinking beer. We have a nice club house, so warm showers and a working head is nice and convenient.
 
We leave our boats in the water, shrink wrapped and all systems winterized. I do use a Nest cam in the boat and view the temps whenever I wish, I also visit them every couple of days. I have gone back and forth regarding hull support sitting on the hard and think its much better structurally to have the entire hull supported during the cold winter months!!
 
We stayed in the water last winter and plan to do the same this winter...

Appreciate any thoughts and your plans...

My plan last September 2019 was to...

  1. Do all the typical maintenance in November e.g., oil changes, gear fluid change, fuel filters, impellers, belts, etc.
  2. Run the bilge heaters
  3. Run the Cabin Heat at 65 for as long as it will make heat from the bay water. And then winterize the A/C Systems.
  4. Winterize the water system (with Forced AIR) in December/Jan depending on ambient temperatures.
  5. Start and run the Mains and Gen on any warm weekends throughout the winter.
Reality set in and I could not take the pressure and winterize everything...

  1. Did all of the above but winterized the engines and blew out the fresh water systems in early December.
I am going to try again this winter to hold out and not winterize the engines assuming the water temps stay up and we have a mild winter.

Again appreciate to hear what you all plan and any thoughts...
 
Winterize the water system (with Forced AIR)
Please tell me what you use to do this. I used to use a Zodiac pump on previous boats but those had flexible hoses for the water lines and were easy to disconnect, drain, and pump air. This boat has hard pvc lines and i am wondering how to force air thru them (no zodiac pump) and i dont like using that pink stuff, takes til august to get the taste out.
 
Pirate Lady said:
Winterize the water system (with Forced AIR)
Please tell me what you use to do this. I used to use a Zodiac pump on previous boats but those had flexible hoses for the water lines and were easy to disconnect, drain, and pump air. This boat has hard pvc lines and i am wondering how to force air thru them (no zodiac pump) and i dont like using that pink stuff, takes til august to get the taste out.
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Air compressor. I have a small portable one, just make an adapter to connect it to your water supply.
 
Yes, portable air compressor set to 40 psi. Insert the compressor hose into the municipal water intake on your boat using an adaptor you can create from any Home Depot or plumbing supply house. Then open faucets and water will spit out followed by air. Check all of them and don't forget any (including windshield wiper sprayers, outside transom shower sprayers and anchor locker fresh water supply) Pic of my adapter:
 

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Pirate Lady said:
Winterize the water system (with Forced AIR)
Please tell me what you use to do this. I used to use a Zodiac pump on previous boats but those had flexible hoses for the water lines and were easy to disconnect, drain, and pump air. This boat has hard pvc lines and i am wondering how to force air thru them (no zodiac pump) and i dont like using that pink stuff, takes til august to get the taste out.
Click to expand...

see my post #1284

http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/48-da-owners-club.84284/page-65#post-1176557
 
brewster16 said:
Yes, portable air compressor set to 40 psi. Insert the compressor hose into the municipal water intake on your boat using an adaptor you can create from any Home Depot or plumbing supply house. Then open faucets and water will spit out followed by air. Check all of them and don't forget any (including windshield wiper sprayers, outside transom shower sprayers and anchor locker fresh water supply) Pic of my adapter:
Click to expand...
That is what I did a few years ago after getting to taste pink in the potable water for a some time. I also open the drain valve on the hot water tank. I do cold lines separate to hot then open both after I feel the lines are empty. I also remove the lines on the 12 volt water pump and turn it on to get the water out of it after all the potable lines are empty. If you are concerned about the little water in the potable water tank pour a bottle of cheap vodka in it.
 
I live aboard in NYC. Shrink film storm windows, plug up all vents, Reflectix taped over air intakes, heat with the reverse cycles until the water temperature gets near 40 degrees, antifreeze the reverse cycles and then portable 110v ceramic heaters. May put a heater in the engine room this year but I've lived aboard for 50 years without one.
 
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