does it all apply to me?

Richie89

Richie89

Active Member
Aug 20, 2012
599
Miami Beach, FL
Boat Info
450 Sundancer
Engines
Twin Cummins 480 Zeus
just got a boat this year. been reading and learning about winterizing. since i live in atlanta, GA and it doesn't get that cold, is more than basic draining and filling with anti-freeze needed? thanks for any help
 
Does it freeze hard where you live in GA? By that I mean does it get below 32° and stay there for several days at a time? Do you keep your boat on a trailer or in the water?

If you only get an occasional night where the temp drops down to freezing then goes back up the next day, I wouldn't worry about winterizing. If you keep your boat on a trailer and it freezes for a few days at a time you do need to winterize.

Nic signature picture.
 
IMHO - If you keep your boat on a trailer you need to winterize it! Heck a good hard 20 degree night could cause things with water in them to bust...
 
Richie89 said:
just got a boat this year. been reading and learning about winterizing. since i live in atlanta, GA and it doesn't get that cold, is more than basic draining and filling with anti-freeze needed? thanks for any help
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i live in upstate SC and i trailer my boat...i just drain the engine block, exhaust manifolds, and fresh water lines and do not use any antifreeze....IMHO no need for antifreeze unless you are concerned about internal corrosion protection due to boating in salt water....air does not freeze so once the water is drained out the components are freeze protected....very easy to do...usually takes about an hour to drain everything and blow out the water lines using the exhaust end of a wet/dry vac.....

cliff
 
A 240 Sundancer could have quite a few "systems" that could be damaged by freezing weather. I live in South Carolina where hard freezes are common during the winter. I would think many parts of Georgia are the same including the Atlanta area.

Keep in mind that winterizing needs to address the engine and outdrive, the fresh water systems and hot water heater, vacu-flush systems including holding tank (if so equipped) or at the very least probably a porta-potty, A/C system including strainer and water pump (if so equipped). Each of these systems can be winterized in different ways.

Maybe if you can tell us how your boat is equipped and how it will be stored over the winter we can give give you some good answers.

Dave
 
We keep our boat in the water all year round. I have never winterized anything, but we use it all year also. Are you in or out of the water? We are @ Park Marina in Red Top Mountain just off 75.
 
Richie89 said:
just got a boat this year. been reading and learning about winterizing. since i live in atlanta, GA and it doesn't get that cold, is more than basic draining and filling with anti-freeze needed? thanks for any help
Click to expand...

Dave S said:
. I would think many parts of Georgia are the same including the Atlanta area.
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Reminds me of leaving Tybee Island, GA with the travel trailer and realizing that I forgot to bring antifreeze for the trip home. No biggie as the weather had been near 60 by day and low 40's by night. HA HA, the laughs is on me, by the time we got to Atlanta it was freezing (27 degrees) and I'm trying to find antifreeze in a place they it semed no one worried about it. Tried several big box stores with no luck and my third stop at an auto parts store I found exactly what I needed and not one gallon more. I bought them out.

It freezes in Atlanta and I will not forget again!

MM
 
Great thing about the weather here. Could be 27 one night and the next night be 47. One day 45 the next 65. If you don't like the weather one day, don't worry about it, It will be different the next day. Oh Mike I bet it didn't stay 27 very long!!!!
 
black pearl said:
Great thing about the weather here. Could be 27 one night and the next night be 47. One day 45 the next 65. If you don't like the weather one day, don't worry about it, It will be different the next day. Oh Mike I bet it didn't stay 27 very long!!!!
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Didn't stick around to find out, just headed north to where it was darn near guaranteed to be cold.

MM
 
hi guys, thanks for the help. for more information, i have A/C, a vacu-flush, holding tank, water heater, about everything. i keep the boat on a trailer inside a garage, but it's not heated and there's open doors so it's about the same temp inside as it is outside. i'm also near lake allatoona in marietta, so it does freeze, but when it does it's just for a matter of hours overnight usually, and just a handful of time per year usually.
 
IMHO - You answered your question. "so it does freeze" heck of a lot cheaper to winterize all the systems then having to scramble to do it when it is going to be a hard freeze and have something bust. Have you thought about a bilge heater, if you plan to use the boat during the winter? Still would want to winterize the other systems (IMHO)


Richie89 said:
hi guys, thanks for the help. for more information, i have A/C, a vacu-flush, holding tank, water heater, about everything. i keep the boat on a trailer inside a garage, but it's not heated and there's open doors so it's about the same temp inside as it is outside. i'm also near lake allatoona in marietta, so it does freeze, but when it does it's just for a matter of hours overnight usually, and just a handful of time per year usually.
Click to expand...
 
Richie89 said:
hi guys, thanks for the help. for more information, i have A/C, a vacu-flush, holding tank, water heater, about everything. i keep the boat on a trailer inside a garage, but it's not heated and there's open doors so it's about the same temp inside as it is outside. i'm also near lake allatoona in marietta, so it does freeze, but when it does it's just for a matter of hours overnight usually, and just a handful of time per year usually.
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In your situation here is what I would do if it were my boat:

1. Drain the a/c line to clear it out until you use it again in the spring
2. pump out the holding tank to clear it out until you use it again in the spring
3. Blow out the water and drain lines and/or run antifreeze through them to winterize them until you use it again in the spring
4. Empty the hot water heater to clear it out until you use it in the spring
5. Pour a bunch of pink into the head and flush it - repeat a few times to winterize the vacu-flush water path (note: you could continue to use the head for #1, just keep a bottle of pink handy and use it to fill the toilet for flushing)
6. Drain the engine/exhaust system after every use (as I'd be using the boat on the nice days during the winter)

Since its a 240, no genny - right?
 
thanks, gonna get started this afternoon. i might have some specific questions once i'm in there. i'm going to change the oil and filter, impeller, and outdrive oil while i'm at it. i at least know where to start with everything except the A/C. i don't even know how to get to it and even where the strainer is. any help on that?
 
thanks bill. can u share with me any thoughts on draining the A/C lines. and i don't have an onboard genny, just a honda for the docks.
 
Richie89 said:
thanks bill. can u share with me any thoughts on draining the A/C lines. and i don't have an onboard genny, just a honda for the docks.
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Not sure about the 240. But on my boat its in the bilge. There is a seacock with a black hose line running to a strainer. From the strainer another black hose goes to a cylindrical looking pump which has a white hose coming out the other end. The white hose is the line running to the a/c system, and has all the water in it. I just close the seacock, disconnect the hose between the pump and the strainer, at the strainer. Then I put my 1.5 gallon shop vac against the open end of the hose and blow out the water (or you could suck it out if you don't have a way to blow it out). I also use the shop vac to suck out water left in the strainer, in the line between the strainer and the seacock, and the seacock itself.
 
One other thing - if you are not going to use the boat at all in the winter then I'd go ahead and pull the t-stat hoses and fill the engine/exhaust passages with antifreeze for corrosion protection. Its not necessarily needed to prevent freezing (although it would dilute out an pockets of water that may not have drained), but it is recommended in the manual to keep internal corrosion down. Some of the climates have their boats winterized for up to 6 months or even more, so the anti-corrosion approach is very useful. For the warmer climates where you may go out now and then or only be out of the water for a few months, maybe not as critical.
 
thanks so much. figured out the A/C, and drained the hot water heater and all those lines. it's actually going pretty easy. will finish up tomorrow. thanks again, all your info has been very helpful.
 
Richie89 said:
thanks, gonna get started this afternoon. i might have some specific questions once i'm in there. i'm going to change the oil and filter, impeller, and outdrive oil while i'm at it. i at least know where to start with everything except the A/C. i don't even know how to get to it and even where the strainer is. any help on that?
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Hay Richie89, Glad to hear you decided to winterize. That is how I got my boat. It lived on Lanier and the engine froze, when I say froze I mean everything water passes through split not cracked, split. I bought the boat, replaced the engine and I winterize it every year. Congadulations on you purchase.
 
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