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What to do in the winter

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CJRoxs
Navigator

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USA
114 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/29/2013 : 12:16:14

I was wondering what others do with their water ballasts for the winter. Lily stays in the water year round as the weather here doesn't get that cold. However, there is the possibility of it freezing for short periods of time (maybe a week). What is the recommendation? I worry that if I drain the ballast tank Lily will get beat up rocking and rolling. But I don't want any major repairs either. Is there a biodegradable antifreeze available? As an additional note, I do not have a trailer.

S/V Lily
1995 Catalina 250WB
Honda 9.9 Four Stroke
RCYC
Portland, OR

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bear
Admiral

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USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 10/29/2013 : 13:05:33

Why not pump the water out for that period of freezing weather. I think your going to have a problem getting anti-freeze into that ballast tank. If the water around the boat doesn't freeze[excluding salt water] I don't know if I have a concern. You can monitor the air temperature in the cabin and adjust that I would think also. I also have a '95WB but never dealt with freezing temperatures. Also using the dock lines properly would inhibit some of the rocking/rolling. {springlines]

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/29/2013 : 13:33:05

Bear in mind that I don't own a WB, nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn, but if I were worried about the water in the tank freezing (not likely if you're in salt water), I'd add some potable water antifreeze. It's easily available on Amazon & lots of other places. RV owners use it in their potable water systems for the same reason.

However, unless you get a very hard freeze (not likely in Portland), for a long-ish time (extremely unlikely) I wouldn't worry about it. As long as the water in the tank is separated by only a relatively thin layer of fiberglass, the heat transfer necessary for the water in your tank to freeze would require that all the surrounding water freeze as well as the surrounding air in the cabin. If you're running a cabin heater (we do up in Seattle), again, it's not very likely that you're going to get freezing temperatures inside the cabin.

If your boat were out of the water, and you somehow managed to keep the water in the tank, then there would be a reasonable chance of freezing it if it got cold enough, long enough.

With that said, I do pump out my potable water tank & porti-potti flush water because I can't guarantee that the power will stay on 24/7 at my slip to keep my heater running, and they're both un-insulated from a freeze if the cabin got cold enough.

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CJRoxs
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USA
114 Posts

Response Posted - 10/31/2013 : 12:46:56

After giving this more thought, I came up with the same thinking you guys have. I figure if we get a really hard freeze I could just put a heater in the boat for the short time it's freezing. Thanks.

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2269 Posts

Response Posted - 10/31/2013 : 13:21:54

I hate to be a naysayer, but you may want to check your marina's policy and your boat insurance exclusions before putting in an unattended space heater. I know both my marina and boat club prohibit it, and [url="http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2013/october/alert.asp"]BoatUS certainly frowns on it[/url]:

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Electric Heaters #8800; Winterizing

A heater is no substitute for properly winterizing a boat! Numerous freeze claims over the years have proven that point again and again. If you're tempted to leave your boat with a heater running this winter rather than winterizing, consider these examples:
Photo of cracked Bayliner engine

1. The owner of a 24-foot Bayliner in Portland, Oregon never got around to winterizing his twin gas engines and instead put a heater in the engine compartment. Like a lot of other people, the owner probably didn't realize that temperate states like Oregon often have nearly as many claims from freeze damage as frigid places like Minnesota. In fact, 40 percent of the ice/freezing claims in the past year came from nine states you wouldn't normally associate with freezing weather, including California, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee. He also probably thought that a heater would provide enough protection even if it did get really cold. Unfortunately, power outages most often occur right when you need electricity most — when the worst winter weather hits. An ice storm came through just before Christmas, downing power lines and cutting off power to the heater long enough to freeze water in the engines. The next spring, when the owner fired up the engines, instead of heading out for the first cruise of the season, he limped back to the dock with the manifolds from both engines cracked and spewing water. Because the marina was busy with launching and recommissioning boats for the season, the repairs couldn't be completed for weeks (Claim #0813453).
Photo of burn-damaged Rinker

2. This 27-foot Rinker was "winterized" by placing a space heater in the engine room. The boat, which was afloat in her slip in Alabama (another "no-freeze" state), caught fire when the extension cord used to power the heater shorted where it had been damaged at some point. The boat was destroyed and damaged another boat as well as the dock (Claim #0300330). Other boats have been lost when the heater itself has caught fire, when the heater has ignited something combustible inside the boat, or when the heater has been tipped over by a large wake that rocked the boat. Even light bulbs in the engine room have caused fires.

Don't rely on an electric heater to keep your boat safe this winter — it may not, and it might even destroy your pride and joy. Winterize your boat properly, even if you live in an area that seems safe from hard freezes. It only takes a couple of hours to prepare a boat properly — or to destroy an engine in a cold snap if the power goes out.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

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shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

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USA
1032 Posts

Response Posted - 10/31/2013 : 18:23:45

100 watt electric light bulb (if you can still find them).

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CJRoxs
Navigator

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USA
114 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2013 : 12:58:01

The heater I am talking about looks like the dryer in this link. It is the equivalent of a 100 watt bulb. It won't work for a hard freeze but for the unexpected overnite freeze it will be ok. If a hard freeze comes I will take other measures.

This brings up another question. I have heard you can empty the tank while the boat is on the water by opening both the input and the vent and apply air pressure to the vent until bubbles come from below. My question is how much pressure am I looking at to vacate the tank but to not cause damage?

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bear
Admiral

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USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2013 : 16:50:56

Done this procedure many times. The lower the air pressure the better off. I use the outlet of a hand held vacumn cleaner. Always make sure the drain valve is open before applying any pressure. You may or may not see any bubbles. Takes me about 10 minutes of constant air pressure. Boat will rise out of the water to the point my bow is out of the water. Better having two people doing this one to apply air pressure and one to close drain valve quickly when air pressure is stopped. Some use an air mattress pump also.

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 11/14/2013 : 09:32:20

Why not just put a gallon or two of RV antifreeze in the tank and stop worrying about it.

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CJRoxs
Navigator

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USA
114 Posts

Response Posted - 11/24/2013 : 17:58:46

I thought of this also, but haven't tried it.

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bear
Admiral

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USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 11/24/2013 : 18:59:15

I tried putting chlorox in the tank many years ago with a funnel, almost got it back in my face. I guess if you can vent it while trying to pour it in you might get away with it. That 3/4-1 inch hole isn't very friendly when its used for other purposes. JMTCW.

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