Question...not winterizing what do i do?

[patton]

If i plan to keep my boat opperational during the winter months what percautions do i need to follow to keep the boat safe when things freeze. I have a 21CC with livewell under the two captians chairs, my biggest concern is with the water lines running to the well. The boat will be kept on a lift if that makes any difference. The only covers i have are for the console, engine and seats. I use startron regularly and plan to keep it toped off and plan on trying to run at least once a month to keep things moving on the boat. Is there anything else that i need to do or watch out for while not in use, especially if we get snow...

Any suggestions/recomendations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mike2043]

Up front here I am new to boating so take this for what it is worth. I would get some of that Bio-Safe Anti-Freeze and pour it down the drains for the live wells. This should keep any water in the lines from turning to ice. You would have to carry it with you and re-apply it every time you use the live wells.

Good luck. Hope this helps you out.

 

[patton]

Thanks, Im new to this boat owner thing :? , I wont be using the livewell this winter but was told that i need to suck up some anti-freeze into the intake and up into the livewell and put some into the bilge itself to keep the bilge pump from cracking...any thoughts? :roll:

 

[TheOtherLine]

You need to move to Florida and then you won't have to worry about doing any of that

 

[Megabyte]

If you will be on a lift the boat will essentially be at air temperature, so some antifreeze in the bilge would be a good thing. Another thing to consider would be to remove the garboard drain plug (if you can get to it) to completely drain the bilge. Just don't forget to put the plug back in before using the boat. :shock:

Your biggest challange will be to keep the scuppers ice free. If you get snow in the boat, the normal thaw/freeze cycle will almost certainly ice in the scuppers at some point. If that happens, and we get significant rain, your boat will fill up like a bathtub. The weight of the boat and the trapped water/ice could be a problem for your lift.

Since you are on a lift, I assume you have power at the boat. What you might want to do is to get some heat tape, or a heavy duty shop light and rig yourself something to keep the scuppers and the area around them warm so that any snow melt, ice, or rain will drain and not freeze the scuppers closed.

If you decide to go with lights, rig yourself a small protective tarp over the stern to keep the heat somewhat trapped and snow/ice/rain off the lights.

With a little planning and a few preparations, you should be able to make it through the winter just fine. :wink:

 

[patton]

Thank Capt...Ill look into the heating tape, that should work well. I guess ill have to shovel the boat off if any snow acumulates to help solve that problem. Will the ice in the scuppers cause any cracks? Im assuming that the open ends will allow for expansion when it freezes...Im most concerned with the live well and hoses though.

Another suggestion was to throw some salt on the decks to avoid the freezing issue but that doesnt make me feel too good, dont know what that salt will do in the long run.