how long can you get away w/o winterizing

BrentJones

BrentJones

Member
Oct 4, 2006
405
Fenton/Lake Ozark, MO
Boat Info
2005 240 Sundeck
Engines
6.2L
The last several years I have been winterizing the boat around the end of October, beginning of November. Unfortunately this year with the new baby, trips to the lake have been scarce. When do I have to worry that the boat hasn't been winterized when it comes to temperature? I keep the boat under a covered dock on a hoist. Recently the weather has been in the upper 50's to 50's during the day and upper 30's during the night, but this October has been more like November weather. This next weekend typically would be the last weekend to the lake for the season, but I've been thinking I might be able to push it one more week or so. Any thoughts?
 
Just a question, but how much does having it on a lift help with the temps.? Does the water really help that much since you are not in it? Talked with my Marina about a lift and they said that I would have to winterize the engine since I would not be in the water even with my bilge heater if the power went out? Kind of defeated the purpose of the heater in the first place???
 
I would fully drain the fresh water system now Brent because that is a lot more suseptible to freezing than the engine. I think you will be OK with the engine as long as it doesn't go below freezing for more than the evening hours. One of the things I did on my 240 Sundeck to "educate" myself on the temperature lows reached on my dry stored 240SD was to purchase a digital thermometer that records highs and lows and put it into the engine compartment. That way I knew how cold it actually got in my engine compartment compared to "official" lows from the weather folks. Remember your lake is a lot warmer than the air temperature and my experience taught me that even when it was below freezing elsewhere it was not below freezing at our lake mainly because the water itself kept things a lot warmer. One other example of this is a trip I took in my car one day in December a few years ago. My car has a temperature readout and when I left my home the temperature was 28 degrees. When I reached Lake Norman where I-77 crosses right over the lake the temperature was 34 degrees. As soon as I passed over the lake it dropped again back to 28 degrees.
 
I agree with Dave S. As for the engine you could also lower the boat so the lower unit is in the water. The heat from the water will prevent the lower unit from freezing and conduct somewhat into the engine, lowering the temperature. A mechanic told me that it has to be below 32 degrees for the majority of the day for several days before any engine damage will occur. It was 28 degrees this morning and mine is still on the lift at our lake. I'm still optimistic that we'll get a few 60-70 degree days in November. The ultimate solution that I wish I could excercise is to move to warmer climes :smt009 .
 
You could always stick a light bulb down there to help raise the temp a little. Of course if the power goes out you have the same problem as a bilge heater. I would definitely winterize the fresh water system as someone suggested.
 
The answer obviously varies by where you live. Having said that, go to weather.com and click on the section that lists normal highs and lows as well as record highs and lows. I don't get terribly excited about the weather unless the record low for a given date is in the high teens or low 20's AND the weather trends are favoring an early winter with a 10 day forcast for more of the same. If it is going to be cold for 2-3 days, I set the A/C on 75 and leave the companion way door cracked to let some heat into the cockpit. I usually have a small ceramic heater going in the cockpit as well, and will even start the engines and bring them to full operating temperature in the evening before shutting them down to keep the bilge warm overnight. If you find yourself doing this a lot, you are probably pressing your luck.
 
Brent...as I recall from SRO you boat at LOTO....I also am in Missouri and boat on Table Rock. The water temperature last weekend was still in the mid 60's. I am a fairly new boater and was conerned last week when they were calling for 28-30 degrees one night. I called a friend ( who is a long time boater) and he said everything should be fine since the water temparature is still so warm. My boat sits in the water, which is a little different than yours, but I think with the warmer water temps, you should be fine. Mine is supposed to winterized the week of November 6th. If we were to get a real cold snap before I winterized, I would probably put a light bulb in the bilge or go spend the night on it and start the engines every few hours. :smt089 boohoo boating season is almost over :smt089
 
Yes, I do boat at LOTO. October has been so crappy, Thursday is the only chance I can go down with the family and it has been cold and rainy. It looks the same this weekend, but my favorite weather man is predicting above normal temperatures for the first couple of weeks of November, which should me temps in the mid 60's hopefully.
 
BrentJones said:
Yes, I do boat at LOTO. October has been so crappy, Thursday is the only chance I can go down with the family and it has been cold and rainy. It looks the same this weekend, but my favorite weather man is predicting above normal temperatures for the first couple of weeks of November, which should me temps in the mid 60's hopefully.
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Now what happens if your favorite weather man is wrong. :smt089 My favorite weather man is the one that give the best outlook for the weekends :lol: Mine is saying first of Nov. is looking good for us too.
 
chuck1 said:
Now what happens if your favorite weather man is wrong. :smt089 My favorite weather man is the one that give the best outlook for the weekends :lol: Mine is saying first of Nov. is looking good for us too.
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I guess if he is wrong, the only reason I'll be going down is to winterize. :smt089 But if I can squeek just one day of 60 degree weather in, I'll be happy.

And BTW...

GO CARDS!
 
Do you have many boater on the lake in the winter? Hope you get at least a few more days in. Remember what they say. A bad day on the water is better than a good day at work. :grin:
 
chuck1 said:
Do you have many boater on the lake in the winter? Hope you get at least a few more days in. Remember what they say. A bad day on the water is better than a good day at work. :grin:
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LOTO is dead in the winter. It is kind of an odd feeling because there is so much development up and down the lake but there is not a soul to be found. I guess the only people out in the winter are fishing boats.

You're right on with your quote. I've been out on the water and it has been pouring rain, but there's nothing wrong with kicking back under the bimini with a cold beverage!
 
The rule of thumb we use is 2-3 days of consectutive freezing temperatures, day and night, and you are in trouble unless you winterized. For example, the past 2 nights here have hit freezing though the daytime temp is 50+ degrees so no worries.

Yes, the boat being in the water does help, a lot. Think of a road bridge, why does it freeze before the road? Because cold air can circulate under\around it. Same thing with a boat out of the water.
 
I saw the comment about putting a light bulb in the bilge. While I do that as a last resort, I do it in a fully enclosed dry storage and on a timer, AND, I don't leave it unattended for more than a day or so. It's really a last resort and just in case I didn't get all the water out of somewhere, and it's going to be cold enough to drop below 32 in the enclosed, insulated storage I have.

However, in a marina they may frown on you doing that. The risk is great, and you're insurance company might even have something to say if something were to happen because a light bulb broke, like "Sorry, claim denied" As they are with a lot of things many insurance are now saying is a risk they don't accept, like damage due to weather (as in frozen block).

You might find the Marina would come after you for any other damages that could occur.

It may be an extreme case, and a slight risk, but it is still a risk and not worth it. Use a marine bilge heater, even if there is a chance you may loose power.
 
Searay Jim said:
I saw the comment about putting a light bulb in the bilge. While I do that as a last resort, I do it in a fully enclosed dry storage and on a timer, AND, I don't leave it unattended for more than a day or so.
It may be an extreme case, and a slight risk, but it is still a risk and not worth it. Use a marine bilge heater, even if there is a chance you may loose power.
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I agree with Searay Jim here. I also did it for a while, with the boat in my shop two years ago. But the more I thought about, the more often I went out checking for gas fumes and making sure the bulb had not gone "poof" yet. Finally decided it was just not worth the risk and got a simple bilge heater.

It is my understanding that a Bravo outdrive will drain out when out of the water, if you make sure the lower unit is lowered so it can drain. If this is not the case, I hope someone will say so. I may depend on this being true some day while traveling. There is lots of mass inside the boat to keep the temperature up if I make a short trip down the road when the outside temperature is 25 degrees. But the outdrive outside will get cold quickly.
 
Dave M. said:
[
It is my understanding that a Bravo outdrive will drain out when out of the water, if you make sure the lower unit is lowered so it can drain. If this is not the case, I hope someone will say so. I may depend on this being true some day while traveling. There is lots of mass inside the boat to keep the temperature up if I make a short trip down the road when the outside temperature is 25 degrees. But the outdrive outside will get cold quickly.
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That is correct Dave.
 
The antifreeze is for the engine block. Just so happens one way to flush the block is through the outdrive.
 
Have you heard about 24/24 theory?....that it has to be 24 or lower for 24 hrs before damage will occur. What do you think?
I also wrap my stern drives in a blanket, then saran wrap, and keep them lowered. Colorado has some strange weather! Last weekend it was 80. Next week nighttime lows will be 25...but only for about 3 hrs...just a l'il nervous about it necause this is a new boat to us this year!
 
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