09
Feb
I plan to occasionally fish on the boat. While there are risks associated with leaving your boat in the water over the winter there are also significant risks associated with leaving your boat unattended and exposed on land.
It doesnt shed water and snow as well as shrink wrap.
Keeping boat in water over winter. According to Boat US the boat must be left in the water all thru-hulls except those for cockpit drains have to be protected by closing all seacocks and gate valves. If there are certain openings that cannot be shut it should be stored ashore during the harsh winter months. Remove any excess water after the gate valve has been shut as well.
Maybe not frequent but often enough so having the boat set up would be great. Im leaning to leave the boat in over the winter use bubblers and perhaps tent the cockpit. Stow foresail wrap the main and keep any drains winterized I guess.
Didnt consider the boatyard scheduling demands and that constraint. Theres nothing wrong with keeping your boat at the dock all winter long as long as you take the proper precautions. This owner likely didnt.
Photo courtesy of BoatUS. That said with a little planning and the right mindset theres no reason your boat cant safely spend the winter in the water. As for the engines just make sure the oil has been changed before the winter begins.
Check the coolant freeze level on the closed side of the cooling system to make sure it is adequate to about -25 degrees F. The engines will be fine in the water over the winter otherwise. Enjoy those winter escapes to the boat.
Hey guys Im going to be docking my 31 BHM on the water over the winter. I plan to occasionally fish on the boat. What steps should I take to keep the.
As a general rule of thumb you should not leave your boat in the water through the winter months if you live on a coast with notoriously brutal winters. In areas where the temperature gets extremely low and stays low for long periods of time winterizing your boat may not be enough to keep it safe. We have always kept our boats in water over winter although on a marina.
Some thoughts in no particular order though. 1 Have a diesel heater of some sort as can be run to warm up when returning to berth. 2 Have an electric blanket.
3 Have a electric fan heater as used for geenhouses etc. 4 have a convector heater. A lot of house boats leave the lower unit in the water all winter.
They may use a block heater I dont know. I used to have an inboard that I would use into the winter. I used a block heater and a 100 watt light bulb to protect from freezing.
Still I would fully winterize it after December draining block lower unit powersterering cooler etc. The upside to keeping your boat in the water is obvious you save the time and expense of hauling it and you wont have to re-commission and launch it in the spring. If you leave your boat on a lake or other body of water that is prone to freezing over however the downside can be dramatic and expensive.
Most of the guys around town here in CR whos boats sit outside all winter put a plastic tarp over top the canvas cover and wrap it up like a big burrito. I would think that for about 40 you could buy enough PVC piping elbows and a tarp to build a decent support structure to sit in the boat and keep it safe and cozy. Leaving outboard in water in winter Sounds like its going to do a whole lot more sittin that runnin.
Put some stabilizer in the gas. Id drop it in the water only when the forecast made it necessary. Leave it in the water and you could get water in it that otherwise wouldnt get in there.
Better yet trailer it long enough to change the gearlube. But only where there is no water movement. At our lake on channels that see no water flow people leave their docks and lifts in over the winter and some do leave their boats on the lift.
However on properties that are lakefront they are required to pull their docks and lifts due to potential damage to waterice movement. There are several advantages to keeping your boat in the water. First your boats systems that contain water are less likely to freeze than boats in rack storage because of the higher ambient temperature.
Another plus is the fact you can hop in the boat and go which lends itself to. If you are at a dock in a marina there are two ways to store a boat in a marina in winter – on the hard which means out of the water and in the dockyard propped up by stilts or by wet storage which means keeping the boat in the water the whole winter. While there are risks associated with leaving your boat in the water over the winter there are also significant risks associated with leaving your boat unattended and exposed on land.
Because air temperatures fluctuate more than water temperatures leaving your boat exposed to the winter air can be equally damaging. The boat gets good ventilation over the winter. Canvas has its downsides.
Higher up front cost. A custom canvas product is never cheap and it must be measured and fitted to your boat. It doesnt shed water and snow as well as shrink wrap.
Canvas doesnt keep water out like shrink wrap and its more likely to leak. Simply put if you are leaving the boat in the water leave it in the up position to avoid growth. If you are leaving it out of the water trim it down to drain the water and protect the Power Tilt and Trim seals from the sun.
You can keep boats outside in the winter if you provide adequate protection against harsh weather. But you cant simply park the boat on your driveway as most people do during the boating season. Leaving your boat outside during the cold season can damage the boat.
Before you set out for some winter boating change the oil in the lower unit of your boats motor. Even with new seals water can creep in and mix with the oil causing corrosion or cracking. When the seals are exposed to cold water they can shrink much more quickly causing moisture buildup.
As the temperature outside begins to drop check. Keeping your boat in still water over winter runs the risk of damage from ice. We all know that water expands in volume when frozen take a frost damaged water pipe for example and ice around the hull can inflict damage if certain measures such asde-icer.
When geese begin winging their way south boaters in the far northplaces like Chicago Milwaukee and Duluthturn to the task of removing their boats from the water and laying them up for the winter. This is the unavoidable consequence of keeping a boat where ice can develop to over three feet thick.