osd9
New Member
comsnark said:.....On the Barnegate Bay, we don't have "flow" like you do on a river......
The pics I posted above and the pic posted below (the Toms River in 2007.....Comsnark's neck of the woods) are both on creeks and rivers. In both pics you see waterfront homes, and yes there are marinas along both waterways. When the ice in those photos breaks up, you better believe ice chunks flow......just go look back at the photo of the ice chunks coming up on shore.....that's the Barnegat Bay.
comsnark said:........ Of course, we have already demonstrated that Dom and I have different memories of weather conditions 10 miles apart . . .don't be surprised if he comes by and says something different regarding Forked River. .....
The pics I'm posting are not memories (so to speak) they are reality! The waterways in Ocean County NJ certainly do freeze....and they freeze on vey regular basis!
comsnark said:...... I am cheap. I bought an heavy duty outdoor timer for $10 and run it 4 hours a day every day. If I actually lived at the dock, I would only plug in the de-icer on cold days and not bother with the timer.......
Cheap is NO WAY to run your ice eater if you are keeping your boat in the water. The original poster is interested in gaining knowledge about ice eaters because he plans to protect his boat in the water through the winter.
comsnark said:....... I visit the dock every week or two. And yes. . I do occassionally find the de-icer non-functional. I don't normally sweat it, because it is rare to have serious freezes in our area. A 10 hour power outage would be no big deal in my mind......
Rare! No, it's common.....as the pics, from mulitipe 'recent' years ( 2002, 2003 2007) prove. The NJ/Barnegat area waterways also froze in other recent years, I just don't have the time or inclination to pull out all the old photos.
My point in picking on comsnark's posts in this thread is to make a point with regard to all the other issues that recently started here on CSR in other threads and posts about 'red balls' and the like. In my opinion, he is giving bad advise with regard to how to properly use, maintain and oversee an ice eater.....especially with regard to using one to protect your boat in a cold climate. And I believe that that bad advise needs to be addressed and corrected.
New Jersey is a cold climate. Sure, some winters are warmer than others, but they ALL have the potential to cause havoc. To take using a an ice eater as protection for your boat is, or to imply that it's no big deal, is wrong.