how are you keeping your boat safe during the cold?!

[Redhook98]

Go to homedepotlowes or ace and get a couple of these.

Put a 40 - 60 watt incandescent (you want the heat) bulb in them. Clamp them in the cabin preferably near water lines. Open all cabinet doors. This should suffice for now. Get an ER heater. Better safe than sorry. This may not be the last cold winter.

[URL="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/11/years-global-cooling-coming-say-leading-scientists/"]http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/11/years-global-cooling-coming-say-leading-scientists/[/URL]

Be VERY careful using incandescent bulbs for heating like that. This was the norm for many many years, but in todays
litigious world, it is a big no-no. Your insurance and marina will not cover you if an accident happens using this method. If the fixture comes loose for any reason, drops and is resting on fiberglass or other flammable material, your screwed. Get the heaters like everyone else said.

Their are only 2 types of heaters that are approved for use in your engine room. They are made by Boatsafe and Xtreme. These are the only heaters that are approved with your boating insuarance and your marina for use in the engine room. A ceramic heater in the cabin can be used, but is frowned upon for use while the boat is not occupied. Don't kill the emessenger, just letting everyone know the "correct" and legal way.

Personally, I use the Boatsafe in the engine room, and a ceramic in the cabin. It is a constant 41 degrees in the engine room, and 60 degress in the cabin.

 

[wish2fish]

isn't it the avg daily temp that you need to be concerned about? If it is 40s during the day and 25 at night your boat will be retaining the heat accumulated during the day. for future reference put some water outside and see if it freezes.

 

[Redhook98]

isn't it the avg daily temp that you need to be concerned about? If it is 40s during the day and 25 at night your boat will be retaining the heat accumulated during the day. for future reference put some water outside and see if it freezes.

YEP! :thumbsup:

 

[Bodkin Creek George]

I agree with Scott. Just having the boat in the water should do the trick. Check the water temps on www.weatherunderground.com.
George

 

[Captain Allen]

Water temp is 38-39 degrees. Manual says it does not operate at 40 or below. Keep in mind, I have a 1994 unit. Slip neighbor with a 1989 440 AC has the same problem. But a 2006 Tiara is working fine. Newer units appear to operate at lower water temps than our vintage units.

 

[Larry&Leisa]

Water temp is 38-39 degrees. Manual says it does not operate at 40 or below. Keep in mind, I have a 1994 unit. Slip neighbor with a 1989 440 AC has the same problem. But a 2006 Tiara is working fine. Newer units appear to operate at lower water temps than our vintage units.

My 370 quits also at below 40. Temps have been near zero over the weekend and low teens (barely) during the day. Lowest temp with the Xtreme kept the bilge at 36 (temp probe put furthest away and at lowest point of bilge), cabin with ceramic heater 60.

 

[hagel]

So i keep my boat on Allatoona which is about 30 miles north of Atlanta. Normally our winters are pretty "mild", although the past few weeks have been pretty cold here.

I got a call tonight from the security guard on our dock saying that an alarm was going off on my boat, and that it looked like it was taking on water. Upon arriving at the boat, and opening the hatch, I noticed that there was water spraying out of my A/C pump and about 10" (and rising) of water pooled up in the bilge with both the bilge pump and high water pump running. The security guard said this is the 3rd boat this week that has suffered from this same problem... unfortunately the other 2 boats were not as lucky as I was as they had problems with there bilge pump and it ended up costing them big time!

I was able to close off the seacock, and let the bilge pumps do there job to pump out all water... so all in all everything is OK (or will be once I replace the A/C pump), but just wanted to give everyone a heads up since it sounds like a few other boats have had the same problem.