Winterizing in Carolinas

[Alex F]

While seeking a home port for the winter in NC/SC region I wanted to ask folks form warmer states, how do you prep your boats for the warmer (compare to Northeast) winter storage while leaving your boat unattended for a while?

Of course the idea of storing in warmer waters is to avoid the real winterizing process all together. But, I just want to know what you do different?

I’ll start with some high level items and let’s see what we can add:

Maintenance – I guess this is not much different and you do most of your maintenance items like oil sampling and changes and everything else.

Engines and Generator – I assume that nothing is done to winterize the engines and genny. I’m installing block heaters (on mains and genny) and hope that it should handle the TEMPs and humidity in the ER. Do I need anything else? I know that some people also add boatsafe heaters, will I need them as well or the block heaters will handle it?

Do you guys cover the vents with some canvas covers or foams to keep the cold air out or with the oil pan heaters this will not be necessary?

Engine Zincs – I always change mine in spring to be ready for new season. So, I thought changing them before winter storage might be good time. Then, I’ll check those that ware off faster in late spring. Is this what you guys do or do you just keep a particular schedule regardless of the season?

Seacocks – Do you close any of the saecocks? I know that it’s kind of loaded question and some folks closed them even when they leave the boat for a week. During the season I never close my seacocks. I guess, theoretically, it might be a good idea to close them for mains, genny and head discharge (this one is closed most of the time anyway).

Fridges – If you don’t boat for over a moth do you still leave your fridges running or do you defrost them and leave the doors open/secured?

A/C-Heat – I always use HU mode when I leave the boat in the spring or fall. I’m not sure that this can be used when the temps drop in the winter. Know that some folks just use the heat cycle and add oil filled electrical heaters by setting all to 50 degrees. Is this the normal procedure for the most of you?

What happens when the temps take a plunge during few cold nights in Jan/Feb, does the boat’s heating units shut down with some error code and then you rely on the electrical heater to kick in as the backup unit? If the boat’s heater stops with an error code related to cold temps, does it recover automatically or does it have to be manually reset?

I only had my A/C shutdown once with, if I recall, LO/PS error and it stayed that way until I reset it manually. It’s not a big deal during boating season when we’re back on the boat the following weekend. But, I guess this could be a problem when the boat sits for a month or more unattended. How do you manage this?

I know that our units are programmable, do you change the HU or any other programs or it doesn’t make sense to mess with it?

Humidity and Air Circulation – How do you control it? Do you also use “no damp” buckets or do you use some sort of dehumidifier?

Do you add some electrical fens to keep the air moving? I guess, those that use dehumidifiers don’t need fens.

Fresh Water – I assume most people don’t use antifreeze, but do you at least drain the tanks (FW and HWH) and open the faucets? Or do you blow the lines and HWH with a compressor?

Exterior – Most people in northeast don’t wax the boat before winter storage and even washing it becomes more and more of a useless exercise, b/c the shrink wrapping guys make your boat filthy and you’re just happy they don’t break anything. Now that this is not the case I thought that give her a good wash and wax would be the most appropriate.

However, we all know that most waxing products don’t hold too long, do you re-apply every couple of months? I wasn’t sure how practical will this be when it gets colder. For example, if I wax her last week of Oct, then she’ll be due by the end of Dec. I’m sure this is when the temps will drop low and applying the wax may not work so well. How you guys manage your gelcoat during the winter?

Bottom Growth – Do most of you hire a diving service on a monthly basis to clean the bottom or is it not necessary during the colder months (Dec/Jan/Feb)?

So far this is all I can think of from the top of my head. Please add if I missed something important.

Looking forward for you comments.

 

[bahamabreisus]

Most people here don't winterize at all. Leave your heat on, at lowest setting, put an electric back up at pre freeze setting. Bilge heater would be a good idea, we do get some cold nights, but if you leave block heaters on, there would be no reason for bilge heater. Diver not really necessary in those months. One good wax in the fall will take you through the season. As I said in your other post, there are 2 Club Sea Ray members here. we live on our boat, so we are here all the time. The other is here most weekends. So you would have eyes and ears at all times. The marina also has a camera system you can log into. I would assume if you move your boat south, you will use it once or twice a month, so leave everything on, so you can use it when you get down. Hope that answered most of your questions

 

[Alex F]

It sounds like you don't treat winter season any differently than other (or for Northeasters boating) season and use your boat year round like we do Apr-Nov? It'll take me a little while to get used to this :grin:.

I understand that it takes good couple of days for the temps to stay well below freezing in order for the things to start breaking. I should be notified well in advanced before this occurs.

We definitely plan on using the boat, but looking at the situation realistically, between kids school time off and picking decent weather I wanted to plan for worst case scenario during Jan/Feb. However, I figure that even if it's not boating weather during that time frame I can still go to the boat and catch up on my projects.

 

[Kendall]

While seeking a home port for the winter in NC/SC region I wanted to ask folks form warmer states, how do you prep your boats for the warmer (compare to Northeast) winter storage while leaving your boat unattended for a while?

Of course the idea of storing in warmer waters is to avoid the real winterizing process all together. But, I just want to know what you do different?

I’ll start with some high level items and let’s see what we can add:

Maintenance – I guess this is not much different and you do most of your maintenance items like oil sampling and changes and everything else.

No difference.

Engines and Generator – I assume that nothing is done to winterize the engines and genny. I’m installing block heaters (on mains and genny) and hope that it should handle the TEMPs and humidity in the ER. Do I need anything else? I know that some people also add boatsafe heaters, will I need them as well or the block heaters will handle it?

In the water in Charleston I have not seen anyone winterizing or using heaters. Coldest water in the winter I believe is above 55 F. Make some friends so they can check on the boat or there are several guys who will check on her for a nominal fee if needed.

Do you guys cover the vents with some canvas covers or foams to keep the cold air out or with the oil pan heaters this will not be necessary?

Haven't seen this yet.

Engine Zincs – I always change mine in spring to be ready for new season. So, I thought changing them before winter storage might be good time. Then, I’ll check those that ware off faster in late spring. Is this what you guys do or do you just keep a particular schedule regardless of the season?

I would have the diver checking at each cleaning.

Seacocks – Do you close any of the saecocks? I know that it’s kind of loaded question and some folks closed them even when they leave the boat for a week. During the season I never close my seacocks. I guess, theoretically, it might be a good idea to close them for mains, genny and head discharge (this one is closed most of the time anyway).

Up to you.

Fridges – If you don’t boat for over a moth do you still leave your fridges running or do you defrost them and leave the doors open/secured?

I leave the salon one running but shut off the bridge one.

A/C-Heat – I always use HU mode when I leave the boat in the spring or fall. I’m not sure that this can be used when the temps drop in the winter. Know that some folks just use the heat cycle and add oil filled electrical heaters by setting all to 50 degrees. Is this the normal procedure for the most of you?

I believe most people in Charleston just turn the heat off when away in the winter. I would leave a separate heater with thermostat on freeze mode to help you sleep at night.

What happens when the temps take a plunge during few cold nights in Jan/Feb, does the boat’s heating units shut down with some error code and then you rely on the electrical heater to kick in as the backup unit? If the boat’s heater stops with an error code related to cold temps, does it recover automatically or does it have to be manually reset?

I only had my A/C shutdown once with, if I recall, LO/PS error and it stayed that way until I reset it manually. It’s not a big deal during boating season when we’re back on the boat the following weekend. But, I guess this could be a problem when the boat sits for a month or more unattended. How do you manage this?

I know that our units are programmable, do you change the HU or any other programs or it doesn’t make sense to mess with it?

Humidity and Air Circulation – How do you control it? Do you also use “no damp” buckets or do you use some sort of dehumidifier?

No need in the winter. We didn't use the AC to dehumidify until June and that was then set to HU mode only. I don't like leaving pumps running non stop on the boat...

Do you add some electrical fens to keep the air moving? I guess, those that use dehumidifiers don’t need fens.

Fresh Water – I assume most people don’t use antifreeze, but do you at least drain the tanks (FW and HWH) and open the faucets? Or do you blow the lines and HWH with a compressor?

Never had to do this yet. I guess it is always possible that you can have the rule of 24 in place in Charleston but 24 F for 24 hours would be rare. The sun heat gain during the day usually keeps things pretty nice as far as I have seen. I also don't leave the water connected to the boat. We use the water in the tanks and fill when leaving.

Exterior – Most people in northeast don’t wax the boat before winter storage and even washing it becomes more and more of a useless exercise, b/c the shrink wrapping guys make your boat filthy and you’re just happy they don’t break anything. Now that this is not the case I thought that give her a good wash and wax would be the most appropriate.

Wax before winter and then wash her when you are down to visit.

However, we all know that most waxing products don’t hold too long, do you re-apply every couple of months? I wasn’t sure how practical will this be when it gets colder. For example, if I wax her last week of Oct, then she’ll be due by the end of Dec. I’m sure this is when the temps will drop low and applying the wax may not work so well. How you guys manage your gelcoat during the winter?

Bottom Growth – Do most of you hire a diving service on a monthly basis to clean the bottom or is it not necessary during the colder months (Dec/Jan/Feb)?

Once the water gets cold you should be able to space bottom cleaning out to every two months. The guy we use is $2.00/foot.

So far this is all I can think of from the top of my head. Please add if I missed something important.

Looking forward for you comments.

Most importantly don't forget Charleston is an absolute blast! Be warned you most likely will not want to move the boat back home next season.....

 

[bahamabreisus]

Don't get me wrong, winter here is chilly, sometimes plain cold. I grew up in Westchester county NY. So I know what cold is. Its not that cold, just seems bad along the coast because of the humidity, what cold we have sinks to the bones. We do use boats all year, nothing like a boat ride in the winter, not a lot of traffic . We have a full camper package, like a sunroom out there.

 

[fwebster]

Alex,

I don't know that I am clear on where you are going to put the boat for the winter, but there are a couple of points worth mentioning.


Remember that your boat is going to be sitting in ±50˚ water so there isn't much to worry about as far as freezing is concerned since the water tends to moderate and radical swings in air temperature on the boat.

A lot of the worries with a boat in a remote location go away if there is someone who checks on it frequently and can make changes to settings, add lines, or just call you if there is a problem. Similarly, things like sea cocks can be a real trap if you are in a marina where the employees may need to move the boat. I would never leave my boat with the seacocks closed because I am in a working marina where the service manager does occasionally move the boats for work on the facilities or for my service needs. There are 10 full time mechanics plus the service manager during the day and a 24 hour watchman 7 days a week who all know me and know my travel patterns so I have a lot of friendly eyes watching my boat for me. I just don't worry about it. If you are just going to rent a low cost public slip without services other than water and electricity, then you have to plan for and manage the boat for those occurrences where something out of the norm, like storms, power outages, mechanical failures, etc., happen. You either need to be in a marina that offers services or you need to cultivate some local talent qualified to operate the boat's systems to check on the boat for you.

Never leave the boat with spoilables in the refrigerator and depend upon the refrigerator or the local power service to keep them fresh. There is no smell worse than spoiled food to try to remove from a boat. In 6 months you will a new refrigerator and the odor will mostly be gone......it just isn't worth it.

Marine fouling isn't much of a problem since barnacles, worms, sea potatoes and slime don't grow much at all in 50 degree water, so you won't have to worry about a diver until you are ready to return home.

My boat has always stayed in the water in winter and we do use it 12 months a year. I use the humidity control mode on both a/c's and it controls moisture and odors.

Exterior maintenance is no different, summer to winter for me.....wash every 2 weeks and wax 3 times a year. If the boat isn't covered, then you need a plan to regularly wash the boat and to wax the exterior at least once over the winter.


Hope that helps.

 

[Alex F]

Thanks Frank. Great points.

A quick question or clarification. AS I understood you're using the A/C's HU mode all the time and I do too during the summer. Do you see an issue for me using it in the colder than FL weather where the temps at night might get close to 32 or on a rare occasion even lower?

I have no first hand experience, but I've a lot of times that heating cycle doesn't work very well when water is below 40deg. As far as I recall, the HU mode runs in preset cycles (I think default is every 4hrs or so), but the key here is that after the fan slows down the compressor kicks in to a cooling cycle for about 10min.

I don't know at the moment, but let's assume that I'll be in SC. You state that the water in SC stays at least in high 40s to mid 50s. So, does it mean that the units should have no problem running in HU mode?

The conflicting question is about keeping the interior warm enough. I was under the impression that I need to keep my A/C unit in heating mode set to 50-55 and also add oil filled electrical heater in case if the boat's units will have an issue.

Which method applies best to SC region, the HU mode or Heat mode with a backup electrical heater?

According to Kendall's post, some folks there don't use anything. I guess, it's another option, but I would like to take the advantage being plugged in to circulate the air in the salon.

 

[fwebster]

Alex,

You are over thinking this...........

Check the normal water temps where ever you are going to be. I don't know what the water temperature is in SC, and I only estimated it at ± 50˚. I don't run heat or air conditioning when my boat is unattended.....like 2 weeks a month. When we are in town we set the heat or air as needed for the boat to be comfortable. As I said, when we are away, both units are set to HU-1 setting. We get several nights each winter when the temps are in the 20's and in the 24 years I've owned Sea Rays in Florida, I've never had a problem and have never winterized or used supplemental heat of any kind, but maybe you will need it wherever your boat is going to end up.

 

[JimT]

I don't winterize. I have an Xtreme bilge heater. The water temps on our lake rarely get below 50 so the bilge heater is overkill. I leave the heat set at 55 so the boat isn't bone cold but we are there weekly. The past three winters we have had no extended periods below freezing. Make arrangements to have someone check on your boat periodically.

 

[Dave S]

Alex

You have gotten a lot of good advice here already so I'll keep my reply short. My boat sits in fresh water I have seen our lake get down to 40 degrees but our weather in the interior part of SC is a bit colder than it is on the coast. I make sure that all outside water line feeds such as the transom shower, cockpit sink, etc are drained and turned off for winter. It can get below freezing and when this happens, these things will freeze up. I have seen it happen at our Marina. I leave the rest of the FW system functional so I can use it all winter long. I use a bilge heater to keep everything else warm in the engine room and I do not block my vents even though temperatures can drop down to the single digits overnight. I personally use ceramic heaters in the cabin itself rather than the heat pump.

This is how I have been doing things for the last seven years and it has worked out fine for me.

Dave

 

[Alex F]

Thanks Dave, your approach makes perfect sense to me.

Looking at the real data in Dec 2012/Jan 2013 there was a whole week where the LOWs for Charleston were in upper 20s, but during the day it was getting just under 50deg. I guess, there's always a slight chance to the outside lines being exposed to colder weather than they can handle.

Quick questions:

- Do you shut the FW supply at the FW manifold after draining the outside lines or do you physically disconnect and put a caps on the Ts?
- Since you're not using built-in heating unit, do you blow the lines with compressor or just leave as is with raw water in the lines?

 

[fwebster]

Alex,

We have exactly the same situation in NW Fla.

Keep these things in mind........1. the low is just that. The temperature reaches the low for only a few hours, while the vast majority of the day is well above freezing. 2. your boat is sitting in a very large 56˚ heat sink.........it is unlikely that the actual temps above your waterline will be under 32˚.

To test my theory that the boat doesn't need winterizing, I've left my own boats un-winterized for 25 years in the same conditions you are describing with no damage or ill effects at all.

 

[Alex F]

Roger that, Frank. Thank you for reassuring me.

I have temp and humidity sensors in MSTR SR, Salon and ER. So, as long as wifi connection remains active I'll have instant reports.

 

[mquiet]

I am the other Sea Ray in NC with Bahamareisus. I moved for NH about 1.5 yrs ago. First winter without winterizing made me nervous, but the advise you are getting is spot on. I leave my heat set to 55degrees and if you have bilge heater even better. The water temp last year was in the fifties. I know this as I went diving in January to remove crab pots from my prop. Winter cruising is great and the temp during the days were enough for short sleeve shirts. Enjoy.

 

[Alex F]

I am the other Sea Ray in NC with Bahamareisus. I moved for NH about 1.5 yrs ago. First winter without winterizing made me nervous, but the advise you are getting is spot on. I leave my heat set to 55degrees and if you have bilge heater even better. The water temp last year was in the fifties. I know this as I went diving in January to remove crab pots from my prop. Winter cruising is great and the temp during the days were enough for short sleeve shirts. Enjoy.

Thank you. I'm really looking forward to it.