All of us who live
in the inland Pacific Northwest must be aware of potential dangers that
freezing weather may bring to our sailboats and prevent potential damage by
winterizing our boats. Whether your boat
spends the winter on a trailer or in the water, you must winterize. There are too many horror stories about boats
sinking while in the slip …… or sinking when first launched in the spring. Sinking is nearly the worst thing that can
happen on your boat.
Water (freezing
water) will do considerable damage. Freezing water can break thru hull valves,
raw water strainers, engine blocks, fresh water systems, marine heads and
porta-potties, and anything else that has water in it during the winter.
So, here is a
typical check list of things to do aboard your boat to make sure that she’s
ready for winter.
The first thing to
do is to check the owner’s manuals
for equipment aboard your boat. Are
there specific recommendations for winter conditions?
Next prepare a
written checklist so that you will cover all the “bases”…… Here are some of the “bases”…
Clean out the boat.
Remove all
electronic equipment and store it in a warm dry place. Check your owner’s manual for info on how to
store this gear.
Remove all sails,
lines, anchors, fenders, pfd’s, bunk cushions, flares, fire extinguishers,
carpets, etc. Check and repair these
over the winter.
Empty all lockers,
especially food lockers. Take all loose
gear off the boat.
Securely prop open
all locker doors, access hatches, bilge access and anything else that will
improve air circulation.
Open and clean the
ice box and/or refrigerator.
Drain all the water from the fresh water
system.
For a fairly
simple system, drain all the hoses and drain and clean the tanks. Leave everything empty.
For more
complicated systems with heaters and electric pumps you’ll need to empty all
water, header and heater tanks, making sure that no water remains in the tanks
below the outlet level. Clean the tanks
and wipe internally with a chlorine solution.
Make sure you
disconnect the electrical supply to the heater tank before you drain it.
Drain all the
water from the hoses and pumps – you may need to disconnect hoses at both ends
to do this.
Reconnect the
hoses ad bypass the water tank. Pump
pink, eco-friendly anti-freeze into the hoses and pumps to protect them from
any residual water.
Check shower sump
for water. Sponge dry if necessary.
Drain and winterize the head.
Pump out the
holding tank. Flush the head with fresh
water several times while emptying the holding tank.
Close the head
intake seacock and romove the hose. Sit
the hose in a bucket of 50-50 eco-friendly (pink) anti-freeze and water.
Pump the head
until all water in the bowl and hoses has been replaced by anti-freeze. Replace the hose on the seacock.
Don’t open the
seacock until next spring.
Winterize the batteries.
Remove the
batteries to a warm dry place. Keep them
off the ground.
Fully charge the
batteries before storage and recharge every month in storage.
Don’t leave the
batteries connected to the charger.
Winterize your diesel inboard engine.
Fuel system
Add
stabilizer/biocide to your fuel tank and fill the tank. Read the instructions on the stabilizer
container.
Change all fuel
filters and drain the water separator.
Run the engine for
15 minutes to get stabilized fuel into all lines and injectors.
If already on the
hard, run a water hose to the raw water intake to get anti-freeze into the
engine.
The oil system
Drain the oil
while the engine is still hot from the fuel circulation above.
Change the oil
filters
Fill engine with
clean oil
Drain the oil in
the transmission if separate from the engine.
Refill with clean oil
The fresh water cooling system
Drain the fresh
water cooling and heat exchanger system and replace the coolant with 50-50 pink
anti-freeze
Winterize the raw
water side as detailed below
Flush the raw water cooling system
Close the raw
water seacock
Disconnect the
hose on the outlet side of the raw water pump
Place the end of
this hose into a large bucket. Have a
second bucket handy.
On the exhaust
riser or muffler, disconnect the cooling water hose
Connect this hose
to a water supply and back flush the raw water system
Collect the
flushing water in the buckets and dispose of properly
Reconnect both
hoses.
Replace the raw water with anti-freeze
Close the raw
water seacock
Disconnect the
hose from the seacock
Place the hose in
a bucket of 50-50 mixture of pink anti-freeze and water
Start the engine
and run it until pink anti-freeze is discharged from the exhaust
Turn off the
engine and reconnect the hose to the seacock
Do not open the
raw water seacock until next spring
Drain the
anti-freeze from the muffler if you have a drain plug. Reinstall this plug immediately
Remove the raw
water impeller and store. Tag the engine
so you remember the impeller is not installed next spring
If you are already
on the hard you can leave the seacock open and run a hose from the raw water
intake to a bucket of anti-freeze mixture and proceed as above
Close the seacock
afterwards
Sundry work
Spray fogging oil
into the intake manifold and turn the engine over by hand. Don’t use the starter motor.
Spray the inside
of the ignition switch with WD-40 or CRC
Cover the engine
with a waterproof cover to protect from any leaks above the engine (deck,
cockpit, etc.)
Seal all air
intakes, breather pipes, tank vents ad exhaust outlet with duct tape or plastic
seals.
Winterize your gasoline inboard engine.
Follow the steps above regarding; The oil
system, The fresh water cooling system, Flush the raw water cooling system, and
Replace the raw water with anti-freeze
The fuel system
Start the engine
and shut off the fuel supply
Spray fogging oil
into the air intake while the engine is running
Run engine until
it stops
Drain the gasoline
tank and all gasoline lines. Ethanol in
modern fuel absorbs moisture, separates, and damages gaskets and rubber
fittings.
Put the fuel into
your car’s fuel tank
Sundry work
Spray the inside
of the ignition switch with WD-40 or CRC
Cover the engine
with a waterproof cover to protect for any leaks from above
Seal all air
intakes, breather pipes, tank vents, and exhaust outlet with duct tape or
plastic seals
Inspect fuel
tanks, lines, pump and filters for leaks
Winterize your gasoline outboard engine.
Start the engine
Disconnect the
fuel line at the engine and spray fogging oil into the carburetor air intake
Run the engine
until it stops
Change the lower
unit gear grease
Drain the gasoline
tank and all gasoline lines. Ethanol in
modern fuel absorbs moisture, separates, and damages gaskets and rubber
fittings.
Put the gasoline
into your car’s fuel tank
Clean and inspect your boat
Internal clean
Remove all loose
gear from the boat
Wash down all
surfaces to remove any dirt or grease that will allow mold to grow
Scrub the ice box
and/or refrigerator with a mild bleach solution
Clean out the
interior lockers
Clean the
bilge. Scrub with soap and hot
water. Add pink anti-freeze to the bilge
to stop any remaining water from freezing
External clean
Scrub or pressure wash
the hull and deck
Clean hardware,
mast and rigging to remove salt, dirt, and grime
Touch up any
damaged varnish or paintwork
Lightly wax all
fiberglass surfaces to protect over the winter
Inspect the hull
Inspect the hull
for cracks, blisters or any stress cracks.
Repair as necessary
Inspect the deck
for cracks. Check for delamination at
cracks and repair if required.
Install backing
plates to hardware or stanchions showing signs of stress cracking before
repairing
Inspect lifelines
for signs of corrosion. Replace if
necessary
Inspect sundry systems
Inspect propane
lines for damage. Make sure they are
well supported.
Close propane
bottle and light the stove. Allow the
stove to go out. Close off the supply at
the stove.
Remove propane
bottles from the boat Seal the end of
the propane line
Inspect all fuel
supply lines for softness, brittleness or cracking
Inspect fuel fill
line and fuel vents. Check all joints
for leaks.
Ensure all lines
are well supported with clips or straps
Inspect and
service all winches, mainsheet system, turning blocks and rope clutches
Lubricate the
roller furling system if fitted
Inspect and
service all seacocks
Inspect all hoses
and hose clamps. All hoses should be
double clamped. Replace hoses and/or
clamps as necessary
Inspect all
electrical connections. Clean and
reconnect if required.
Since I have shore power
Connect the 110
VAC dehumidifier
Connect the 40
Watt heat strip
Fill the two
Dry-Z-Air dehumidifiers and place one in the galley and one in the head
I also fully tarp the cockpit and foredeck with blue tarps to keep the snow and rain off.
No doubt that this is an incomplete
list…… add to or delete from this list
for your own boat. Remember that
freezing water is the most dangerous winter hazard to your boat!!!
