It's winter...exactly how much trouble am I in?

[Tincupchalice]

This is my first winter with the cruiser. We keep it in the lake year-round here in Atlanta and it has a bilge heater, so I was not all that worried about winterizing. I've been on the road this week and as I've watched the temps drop, I've gotten pretty nervous. Today was shooting for a high of 29, low of 16.

One of my friends checked on the boat, just to make sure the bilge heater was running. All the same, should I be scared? I just looked and the current lake temp is 54 degrees...that gives me some more hope that I'm ok.

[Mocoondo]

Pray the heater continues to heat. A few degrees below freezing is tolerable. Down into the teens is bad news.

[Pcpete]

In the water helps a bunch. The not frozen water acts like a heat sink, however, if you haven’t closed the through hull valves, have your buddy try to do that. Boats that sink from freezing are often from an open through hull and the hose above freezing and breaking it open. When things thaw, water comes in. Next, water in your potable system may freeze and cause some connections to fail. I’ve lost a few galley sink faucets from frozen water in the fixture. Whatever you do don’t put a cheap space heater. A ceramic one is okay, but be careful of how much amperage you draw. It’s easy to put three or four heaters that draw 15 amps on a 30 amp system.

[builderdude]

I’d be nervous also. BTW Only approved ignition protected heaters in the engine bay.

[Rick_Kenyon]

Put duct tape over the engine compartment air intakes. That will help keep the engine and bilge at the temp of the water. Get some RV antifreeze and put it in the toilet, pump it through to the holding tank, refill the bowl and let it sit. Put some in the sink drains and let them sit also. You’ll be ok unless the air gets below freezing and stays there for several days. Even then unless the water freezes, your motor won’t be affected.

[grandpa1955]

I had requested Skipper Bud's in Grand Haven Michigan to winterize my boat a few years ago. The request was done over the phone. They didn't do it and the boat was stored indoors in a non heated facility. The block cracked and I had to replace the engine. Cost $7000 and Skipper Bud's claimed I never made the request, and I had no paper trail to prove it.

Bottom line, don't tempt fate. If not in heated storage... winterize!

By the way, I had the boat temporarily stored at a different Skipper Bud's the past two years in Bay City MI, and requested several repairs be done. Just got the boat out of storage and placed at my marina and guess what. Some of the work wasn't done .... again.... Do we have a trend here with Skipper Bud's???

[dmcb]

Something bites you once, its their fault. If it bites you twice its your fault.

[grandpa1955]

So true! Lesson learned. Never going to use Skipper Bud's again, no matter where they are.

[boatworkfl]

If you close your seacocks, then remove the hose from the seacocks and be sure they are drained, if the engine is raw water cooled in the engine open the drain valves
Be sure the fuel tamk valves are closed.

[dmcb]

No seacocks on this model boat. They are I/O's