Winterizing

J

jerzyjr

New Member
Jan 6, 2016
10
ohio
Boat Info
240 Sundancer
Engines
350 Mag
Its that time of the year almost and I have never owned a cruiser before this this season. can someone tell me what all needs to be winterized. Boat specs below


2007 240 sundancer
Heat/AC
Water heater
350 mag
Macerator
Vacuflush head
 
I refuse to acknowledge this post.
 
jerzyjr -

These questions come up every year and there is no one size fits all answer. If you are a new boat owner with no experience winterizing I would hire it out the first year and make sure you understand what they did - be there watching them do it if you can. Improper winterization can cause extensive damage to all the systems you listed in your post above. The technical steps will vary among different engines etc, but the general idea is to remove any freshwater from the systems and in some cases backfill with non-toxic anti-freeze (the pink stuff). Any system that holds freshwater needs to be winterized, that is usually things like engines, generators, freshwater systems, hot water heater, head and air conditioning. There are also other lay up things aside from freeze protection like oil changes, engine fogging, shrink wrap/cover etc.

My advice is to hire it done this year and educate yourself for doing it in the future.
 
BillK2632 said:
jerzyjr -

These questions come up every year and there is no one size fits all answer. If you are a new boat owner with no experience winterizing I would hire it out the first year and make sure you understand what they did - be there watching them do it if you can. Improper winterization can cause extensive damage to all the systems you listed in your post above. The technical steps will vary among different engines etc, but the general idea is to remove any freshwater from the systems and in some cases backfill with non-toxic anti-freeze (the pink stuff). Any system that holds freshwater needs to be winterized, that is usually things like engines, generators, freshwater systems, hot water heater, head and air conditioning. There are also other lay up things aside from freeze protection like oil changes, engine fogging, shrink wrap/cover etc.

My advice is to hire it done this year and educate yourself for doing it in the future.
Click to expand...

+1 on Bill's advice.

The other thing I will say, is to do a search on here using the word "Winterizing." Depending on your mechanical abilities, you can learn all you need to know. There are 100s of threads/posts on here that deal with this subject and will answer most every question you might have. I took my time and have read and "digested" everyone of them.

This will be my 3rd year winterizing and this is how I learned.

Bennett
 
I have been a boater for years, just mostly powerboats never a cruiser. I do know all the ins and outs of winterizing as I do it myself. This is my first cruiser tho so not sure what all needs done besides motor obviously. Like I had no idea AC/Heater had to be winterized. So heat/AC, freshwater systems, hot water heater...........anything else im missing?
 
jerzyjr said:
I have been a boater for years, just mostly powerboats never a cruiser. I do know all the ins and outs of winterizing as I do it myself. This is my first cruiser tho so not sure what all needs done besides motor obviously. Like I had no idea AC/Heater had to be winterized. So heat/AC, freshwater systems, hot water heater...........anything else im missing?
Click to expand...

Really anything with water in it. motors, AC unit, genny, fresh water system, hot water system, anchor washdown, head system, ice makers, etc.

Plus what Bill said, and I really don't mean to sound snarky (really I don't), but to say your "know all the ins and outs of winterizing" and then say that you had "no idea that the AC unit needed to be winterized" tells me that you really should seek the help of a professional (or at least a seasoned dockmate) the first time. I'm sure you've watched your AC unit pump water out the side all summer long so that in itself should be an indication to someone who knows all the ins and outs that the system needs to be addressed during winter layup. Save yourself some potential major headaches and repair bills next spring and don't go it alone this first year.
 
Around here you could store that boat on it's own trailer (heated) for around $600 for the winter if you didn't care about access once stored. I would guess you can't buy antifreeze and shrink-wrap that boat for less than $600? It might be worth considering.
 
Don't forget to dump a bit down each drain and to make sure ice maker is spitting out pink cubes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If you are thinking of doing any of winterization services yourself, read and ask questions. I've posted some links to basic instructions below - not sure which items are applicable to your boat.

I'd also watch someone else at your marina when they do it, preferably with a boat similar to yours. I usually suggest paying to have someone winterize the engines for the first few years and doing the other items yourself until you're more comfortable with the process for the engines and outdrive. In addition to winterizing the motor, you will typically also want to do some maintenance at the same time. As others have said, it's not hard but a mistake can be very costly.

http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Winterizing-Potable-Water-Systems
http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Winterizing-Marine-Air-Conditioning
http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Winterizing-Marine-Sanitation-Systems
http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Winterizing-your-Gas-Inboard-or-Sterndrive
 
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