Newbie to winterization

[Irie308]

Let me preface this by saying this is our first year with our new to us 320 DA and I'd rather not screw things up. We're in the process of filling out our winterization paperwork and these services are not cheap! First off I'm very technical and mechanical so I feel I can do a lot of this myself however I'm afraid I may not know the process or the order in which things should be done. I've become very familiar with the mechanics of the vessel over the season and I know where most things are. So my question is, do I go ahead and have the marina do the bulk of the mechanical winterization (They've given me the option of looking over their shoulder) and slowly gain some knowledge over the next few seasons or do i try my hand at it with the guidance from the forum? Also if there is anyone in the CT area with a similar vessel that does their own winterization I'm more than willing to offer a hand in trade for some knowledge. Again I don't mind paying for the service but I hate to pay for something that I'm more than capable of doing.

 

[Sous]

Honestly, its pretty easy. With all the excellent "how tos" on here and other places on the net, you can't go wrong. If you are even modestly mechanically inclined you shouldn't have an issue.

 

[Alex F]

Dean,

I've been through the same stage when we purchased our 320 many years ago. I was faced with winterizing process almost right after closing. So, after speaking with very nice mechanic in FL (where I got the boat), I proposed to pay him an hourly rate just to lecture me and show me all the systems that were new to me at the time. After about an hour, I was very comfortable doing all the work myself and save tons of money.

I'm pretty sure that every question you have will be answered by CSR members, but it might still be worth it to get a quick lecture from qualified mechanic, just to give you overall pic.

Also, take your time to read 320DA thread and bunch more on winterizing. Almost all the components and steps have been covered in depth few times. Start early and use the seach function (google type search).

 

[moparlvr4406]

DIY saves me about a thousand bucks
the only drawback is if someone else screws up and something breaks due to freeze ...they are insured
If you DIY and something happen ...you own it.
I usually do the systems (ac water waste toilet and gennie) in mid November
then pickle the engines early/mid December...weather dependent.
If the weather is decent it's nice spending Christmas on the boat :wink:

 

[gerryb]

When I started out with our 280, I let our local dealer do the engine and outdrive and I did everything else. Eventually I took care of the engine and other items but continued to let them do the outdrive servicing. On our 40DA, I do all the winterization for all systems. The savings really add-up. 10 years of boating with Searays... I've saved between $5000-$10,000 in service and winterization charges.

I would suggest starting with the water system and perhaps the AC this year. Let the dealer do the engines and generator (and outdrives if you have them). I like your shout out to anyone else up there for guidance! BTW, 280 to 320 class are very similar so anyone with one of them will basically have the same winterization process. Tons of info and details on this site.

One other suggestion is to see if you can get a copy of the service manuals online somewhere. I found them to have very detailed instructions on winterization (some if which I didn't follow eg. use of external fuel tank).

 

[JJ Chones]

Piece of cake. Do it yourself and have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it. It's real easy. Lots of info on this site and also youtube. I don't let anyone touch my boat except me.

 

[pvan]

Costs to winterize are low compared to replacement costs. With this said winterizing the water systems is pretty easy but doing the outdrive ujoints and gimbal bearings service is a tough do it yourself project.
Changing engine oil, fogging, and changing sea water pumps, fuel filters is not all that tough but takes time and getting rid of old oil is a hassle...so having a shop do it is pretty convenient.

 

[MExcelsior]

I'm all for DIY winterization, even for those that might think they aren't mechanically inclined. If done correctly, (which isn't hard), you can potentially even do a better job than a marina. I know for a fact that most marinas don't get into the bilge and clean up, run pink through bilge pumps, clean strainers, and take the time to really massage things like an owner would. (Tighten bolts, general up-close eye-ball inspection)... And yes.... clean, clean, clean. Yes, U-joints, gimbal bearings, etc. need to be checked every couple of years, but I always believe that the winterization process is a chance to really scope out your boat. I've seen the winterization process in full swing, and although the production/conveyor lines are efficient and impressive, there certainly is very little "patient care" going on.

Mike

 

[Cod Father]

Is it really necessary to change fuel filter, oil filter and oil each season? I use Mobile 1 and was wondering if it will really prevent problems in the next season or not.

 

[k-nutz]

A mechanic sent me a price sheet for winterization that stated that his service without fluid change (including for the lower unit) was only recommended for people who put less than 25 hours per season on their boats. I am going to do that since it's about 2 hundred cheaper and changing oil/gear lube isn't that tough of a task.

Edit ***I may just do the whole job myself since it doesn't seem that difficult and I can use the money towards something else... plenty of youtube videos out there that cover winterization.

 

[Irie308]

Has anyone rigged up some sort of fitting to feed antifreeze through their sea strainers (specifically on a 320 or a 340). Its not easy to remove the hose from the seacocks on a 320 with v drives due to lack of space. Also should I add the pink stuff to my fresh water tank? I've run the pink stuff through my lines already but I disconnected the fresh water tank to do so. If so how much?

 

[rcknecht]

I screwed in pipe nipples into the rw valves and screwed on "T's with valves and hose connections. There are others ways of doing what you need... Search on this site for the recent string on a winterizaion trick... some good alternative to what I did was suggested...

 

[MasterFab]

I typically simply empty my water tank. Then, I'll disconnect the feed line from the tank to the pump, attach a longer line to the pump, and place this line into a jug of pink. Then, turn on the pump, and run the pink through everything (Except the hot water heater - that I bypass and drain.). I usually use 2-3 gallons of pink to get everything flushed. When I am done, I hook the pump back up to the tank, and walk away from it. In the spring, fill the tank with clean water and your choice of sanitant, and flush out all the pink. Lastly, hook the HWH back up, fill it with clean water, vent any trapped air, and you're good to go.

For the mains, I leave the hoses on the seacocks, and instead pull them off the strainers. I then put longer hoses on the strainers, and use them to flush the engines. That way, the strainers get filled with pink to, leaving only the seacocks. Since the seacocks have a few feet of hose still on them, I'll close the seacock, fill the hoses with pink, then cycle the seacocks several times to drain the pink stuff. I leave the seacocks in a half open position for the winter, then reconnect the original hoses back to the strainers.

Dale

 

[Irie308]

My hoses are in such a tight spot i don't trust that even if I'm able to get them off I won't be able to securely fasten then after getting them back on. Which is a pain because i need to also lubricate and exercise the seacocks.

 

[alnav]

Has anyone rigged up some sort of fitting to feed antifreeze through their sea strainers (specifically on a 320 or a 340). Its not easy to remove the hose from the seacocks on a 320 with v drives due to lack of space. Also should I add the pink stuff to my fresh water tank? I've run the pink stuff through my lines already but I disconnected the fresh water tank to do so. If so how much?

You might want to try the SeaFlush tool: http://www.seaflush.com. I've used it for several seasons now and have been very pleased. It's a funnel that fits into the top of the sea strainer; you use a shop vac to blow water out the seacock. With the addition of the "Snorkel", it then provides an easy means to suck antifreeze into the system. I've got strainers from 1" to 2.5" and it fits all of them.

 

[Irie308]

Alnav, i'll give it a look. Thanks!

 

[Jaay757]

I remove the hoses at the thru hull. I made up a barbed hose fitting that attaches to a y hose fitting with shut offs that I attach to a garden hose to flush and salt away the engines and another hose to run the antifreeze through afterwards. I have 2 sizes one for the motors and one for the generator and ac. I believe they are 1 1/2 and 3/4 barb fittings with a threads on the back side to accept the y valve. There are many ways to do this but This works very easily for me.

 

[Alex F]

Has anyone rigged up some sort of fitting to feed antifreeze through their sea strainers (specifically on a 320 or a 340). Its not easy to remove the hose from the seacocks on a 320 with v drives due to lack of space. Also should I add the pink stuff to my fresh water tank? I've run the pink stuff through my lines already but I disconnected the fresh water tank to do so. If so how much?

Dean,

Here's the cap I rigged for my strainers.



All I do is close the seacock, put this cap with connected hose coming from my special bucket rigged to pump antifreeze and run the pink through the mains and genny.



If you bypass FW tank, how did you winterized the main feed line from the tank to the FW pump? I always added pink into my FW tank and winterized FW system using on-board FW pump. This way I ensured that all FW parts are taken care off.

 

[MasterFab]

Alex,

On my boat, I re-piped the feed line from the tank to the pump. So, when I disconnect this line for the pump, all the water in it drains back into the tank, since it is now pitched that way, and has no low spots. Leaving a slight amount of water in the tank over the winter has no drawbacks, and makes flushing in the spring go much faster.

Dale

 

[Irie308]

Hmmm...good point on the fresh water line Alex. I didn't think of that. I guess i'll add AF to the fresh water tank and bypass the manifold to clear the main line of all water. Also how do you guys handle the line from the dockside water hook up?