Yeah I said it......Winterization Questions

[tackleshep]

Ok I really don't want to start this talk so early but my plan for the winter involved leaving my boat in the water all year. My plan is to allow the Marina to overcharge me to winterize my two big engines. While I'm sure I could handle this at $12,000 a side I'll give up the $400 to have that done.

On the other hand I want to learn to do the air, gen, plumbing, heat, ice box....blah,blah,blah. I would love to buy manuals with pictures that are like a service manual that would help me understand whats going on so I know what I'm trying to achieve. I'm in a group with three large boats like mine and we plan on doing it together so even if it's buying a nice manual I've got no problems.

Any ideas?

[shrew]

WATER

1) Turn off the breaker to the hot water tank.

2) Drain all the water from the fresh water holding tank.

3) Drain the hot water heater.

4) Fill the freshwater holding tank with Propylene Glycol (The PINK stuff ONLY). This will require quite a few gallons as you will need to fill the hot water tank in the process. You can bypass the hot water tank by connection the water in to the hot water out lines. This will force the pressure water pump to fill the both the hot and cold lines with the propylene glycol. If you do this, put enough propylene glycol into the hot water tank until it begins to drain. This will flush any remaining fresh water from the tank.

4a) Don’t forget the transom shower.

5) Drain the freshwater lines, both hot and cold.

6) Open all the faucets, both hot and cold on the boat to allow expansion if anything remains in the lines.

Holding Tank

1) Close the seacock for the head

2) Get a pump out

3) Fill the holding tank with water (1/2 is fine).

4) Pump out the water. (You might want to do this more than once).

5) Toss twice the recommended amount of holding tank chemicals in the toilet.

6) Pour about 1-2 gallons of propylene glycol into the head and flush. (Dry flush only).

7) (If the boat is on the hard, then re-open the seacock. If being stored in the water, leave it CLOSED).

Deck/Sink/Shower Drains

1) Pour a little propylene glycol into all deck drains in the cockpit.

2) Pour a little Propylene Glycol into the shower drain and run the shower sump pump until it begins to pour outboard.

3) Pour Propylene Glycol down all the sink drains until it pours outboard.

PUMPS
1) If the boat is hauled for the season, make sure to pull the garboard plug and completely drain the bilges.

2) Dry the bilges so there is absolutely no water in there.

2) Pour Propylene Glycol into the bilges.

3) Run the bilge pump until the Propylene Glycol begins to pour outboard.

4) Run until pump can't pump anymore.

5) you can either leave the propylene glycol or clean up the remainder that the bilge pump can't reach and dry the bilges. (It's up to you).

Fridge
1) Turn off the breaker for the fridge.

2) Turn off the power on the inside of the fridge.

3) Put a container in the fridge to catch the water from the melting frost from the freezer. The drip pan barely works and you'll end up with a wet carpet otherwise.

3) Completely empty and clean the fridge.

4) Use something to prop the fridge door open for ventilation.

Lockers

1) Completely empty all lockers and take EVERYTHING off of the boat.

2) Clean all lockers with some type disinfectant.

3) Use something to inhibit mold growth in all the lockers. I like 3M Marine Grade Mildew Block. (Not a Mildew/Stain REMOVER, but the Mildew Block product which actually spays on and is wiped, but not actually removed. It leaves a protecting film that inhibits mold growth.

A/C
1) Close the A/C Seacock.

2) Drain the raw water strainer.

3) Disconnect the hose going from the raw water strainer to the A/C water pump.

4) I connect a winterization flush kit to the hose going to the A/C water pump and fill the winterization flush kit full of the PURPLE propylene Glycol. Gravity can typically push the glycol until it begins to purge outboard. You can turn on the A/C pump and use the pump to pull the antifreeze through. this can be done by filling a bucket with the purple antifreeze and using the pump to pull it from the bucket and up through the A/C System. Don't run the pump dry, you don't need much. You only need to displace the raw water and flush with the anti-freeze.

5) Reconnect the hose from the A/c pump to the raw water strainer.

6) Re-open the A/C Seacock. (If the boat is in the water, then obviously leave the seacock shut).

If you are so inclined, you COULD do this FIRST (Before steps 1~6 above):

1) Disconnect the discharge hose from the A/C through hull.

2) Connect a garden hose from the A/C discharge hose and run it back to a bucket in tha back of the boat.

3) Disconnect the hose from the raw water strainer which goes to the A/C water pump. (The hose is still connected to the pump at this point).

4) Now stick the A/C water pump hose into the bucker along with the garden hose from the A/C discharge.

5) Fill the bucket with water.

6) Turn on the A/C water pump by turning on the A/C. (Make sure someone is watching the level of water in the bucket, since the A/C system will typically take more gallons than the bucket will hold). As soon as the level of fresh water in the bucket gets fairly low, but not lower than the ability for the pump to draw water, then turn off the A/C and fill the bucket with more water.

(The idea here is you want the discharge hose connected to the garden hose to begin filling the bucket. Keep doing this until you no longer need to add water to the bucket. Now the water being drawn from the bucket is being pushed through the A/C system, being discharged and run back through the garden hose to the bucket again. You've essentially created something similar to a giant fish tank. Make sure to count the number of gallons of freshwater you need to add).

7) Once you have good circulation add the appropriate amount of Barnacle Buster. The instructions will tell you the ratio of how much Barnacle Buster you need based on the amount of water being recycled.

8) Let the A/C cycle the freshwater and Barnacle Buster for a couple of hours (2-3). This will remove all calcium, barnacles and junk that might be causing potential constrictions in the A/C system. This will allow you to run ice cold, rock solid A/C all next summer.

9) Once this is done, proceed with the original set of steps 1~6 (above).

Cabin (General)

1) Remove any cushions, curtains, etc. which can be somewhat easily transported or stored at home.

2) Open (prop open if you have to) all cabinets, lockers, etc. (ALL OF THEM. Closed lockers grow mold and mildew).

3) Clean all hard surfaces everywhere.

4) Load the boat with moisture displacement canisters.

5) Turn off all battery switches (If stored in the water, you’ll want to leave switches on and leave the battery charger on and the boat connected to shore power so the bilge pumps can run in case of emergency).


I'm sure I'm missing some things, but this is all I could think of.

[tackleshep]

Shrew you rock. Thats better than a manual and actually common sense.

Can you do the generator much like the a/c???

[shrew]

Originally Posted by tackleshep

Can you do the generator much like the a/c???

Since the Generator typically has a discharge through-hull above the water, i see no reason why you couldn't flush the raw water cooling side of the generator the same way as the A/C. I skipped that because, I have a portable Honda 2000 Generator that is air cooled, and you implied that the engine was going to be handled by the service dept. at the yard/marina.

You'd need to add; change oil. If the generator has a carb, you'll probably want to fog the genny too. If it's EFI, I would say that is not necessary or even recommended as I beleive fogging an EFI wreks havoc with the injectors. Also, I like to loosen the spark plug in the fall, then replace it in the spring. DO NOT take it completely out, just 'crack' it so it's easier to remove in the spring.

Now, the challenge I see is that you're contemplating wet storing your boat. Do you live in an area that is subject to freezing over the winter. You would need to leave your seacocks closed, while if on the hard, you would leave your seacocks open. If you stored the boat in the water and winterized in the water, it will be difficult to remove the raw water from the seacocks. Once they are closed, the water above the valve gate will still be in there. That could freeze and crack the seacock, even if every above the waterline was winterized. That is a great way to sink a boat quick. I'm not sure if there is an easy way to get that water out.

I'd probably have the boat hauled, then pull the garboard plug and drain the bilges, then open the seacocks and drain everything in there, then close them again adn re-launch to be safe. Wet storage in the frost belt is rare, but not unheard of. Most will also require bubblers to prevent the surrounding water from freezing and crushing the hull as well.

[tackleshep]

Shrew - The boat is stored in the water but in a marina. There are dozens of boats wet stored there and we pay the marina for speciazed aggitation. The boat has been wet stored for the past 10 years in this area without any problems. I can not imagine that when the marina has wet winterized the boat there is any answer for the water in the seacock's or anyway to get that water out of there and still have the boat in the water but I will ask.

We just changed oil 2 hours ago so that will be good till next season. Since I do not have a trailer I don't want to pull the boat just for winterization as they charge us $500 for that and it wouldn't accomplish much of anything.

Thanks for all your help.

[shrew]

Great, if it worked it worked. I suspect that as long as you drain the seawater strainer and the water from the lines, then that would be sufficient to allow for expansion of frozen water. In that case if any water remains, it would freeze and expand into the air space in the hose. Things really only blow apart when there is no room for expansion when the water freezes. Also, location is relative. Wet storage in Maine and New Hampshire (incredibly rare) in winter is a bit different than wet storage in Maryland. I don't know where you live, so it's all a bit relative. 2 weeks of 0-5 degrees F is much different than a winter that only drops 25F a few days every now and then thorughout the winter.

BTW, $500 seems a bit high to have the yard put the boat in the slings for an hour. My marina charges $75 for 4 hours to have the boat hauled and sit in the slings. This lets you powerwash, change zincs, check running gear (if necessary), etc. More if you want it moved onto popits/stands. Then they charge for the haul and for the launch and a daily charge for yard storage. $500 sounds like the charge for a complete winterization, not just a temporary haul. I'm sure I'm wrong on this one too, but you might want to ask what they would charge to simply haul the boat in the slings for an hour. In my marina, a couple of guys got savvy, and arrange to have a haul about an hour before the yard closes. Then they sit in the slings all night. They get relaunched about a 1-2 hours after the start of the next day. They're within the time limit but get a few extra hours in the evening and the next morning to get things done.

[tackleshep]

Shrew,

Yeah thats a nice thought but so you know I'm in Kansas. We don't have major bodies of water and boats like mine are in the top 20% of size and power for the State. Our lake is a larger one for the State and has two marinas and thats what they charge to pull a boat and launch. It's a total rip but thats they way things go here. A complete winterization of all lines, engines, and systems will cost me $1,200 if I don't do part myself.

As far was weather were a hard four season State. This summer head index easily reached 115F and last winter among 12 inches of snow the heat index (now called wind chill) was -15 degrees. As I indicated part of the marina package is winter agitation where they make sure the water in the entire marina never freezes so I'm sure that helps as well. My boat is also equipped with an automatic thermo controlled engine compartment heater which I'll be interested to see how that helps as well.