Minimum winterisation to allow use over winter

[fishfoxey]

Hi what are folks thoughts on the minimum winterisation required to allow easy use of my boat over the winter. I currently have 2 tube heaters on stats and a dehumidifier running. Can I get away without antifreezing the raw water system. Boat is based on the broads and has twin diesel inboard.
Also what do folks recommend setting the on off temp for the tube heaters to.
Thanks

 

[Momac]

I drain off the domestic water but otherwise have ever done more than you propose.
I have the frost protection in the engine bay set to cut in at 5 degrees.

One year I lost a shower head to frost but there was 4 inches of ice on the marina - should have shaken the water out of the shower head.

Last winter the macerator pump was damaged - not really sure it was frost but perhaps I had been too keen to remove the heaters in mid March.
So in my experience the domestic systems are at greater risk than the engines.

 

[ST840]

I do exactly the same, as the boat is left in the water until February . The hull is actually warmer in the water than it is out of the water with cold wind whipping round it.
I have one tube heater and drain the domestic water system. Also a dehumidifier running on a stat 24hrs a a day.

 

[Bran]

Boat based on upper Thames, we have tube heaters around engine on a frost stat set to 4 degrees, de humidifier in galley.
I leave the water tank 3/4 full, do not drain any pipes, just leave all taps open when we leave the boat. If it’s expected to be really cold I open all cupboards below the worktop in galley and both heads, then have small oil filled electric heaters in the galley and heads. Last lockdown over Christmas I filled the generator raw water cooling and main engine raw water cooling with a cheap antifreeze mix, just to be safe, mainly because the generator and exhaust muffler are not heated. This allows us to use the boat year round, just wastes the raw water antifreeze mix if we do venture out.

 

[Portland Billy]

Small oil filled radiator in engine bay and two others inside accommodation, set just above frost setting.
Fuel tanks full , water tank half full and taps open.
And that's it. No problems in thirty years.
Boat ready to go in minutes.

 

[hg2016]

Much the same from me. I empty all my domestic water though and I do close the sea cocks (I very rarely use the river or sea water for flushing the toilet any way). I leave the taps open. Tube heater in the engine bay set to cut in at 6 degrees. I do keep it cosy in there by blocking of the vents in the engine bay with some bubble wrap to stop the heat escaping. **Don't forget to remove this if you go out for a run as you could overheat in there**.
Dehumidifier in the saloon and that's about it. Regarding the sea cocks being closed I don't know if that's the right or wrong thing to do, it just seems logical to me.

 

[benjenbav]

Much the same from me. I empty all my domestic water though and I do close the sea cocks (I very rarely use the river or sea water for flushing the toilet any way). I leave the taps open. Tube heater in the engine bay set to cut in at 6 degrees. I do keep it cosy in there by blocking of the vents in the engine bay with some bubble wrap to stop the heat escaping. **Don't forget to remove this if you go out for a run as you could overheat in there**.
Dehumidifier in the saloon and that's about it. Regarding the sea cocks being closed I don't know if that's the right or wrong thing to do, it just seems logical to me.

Nothing to add regarding heating or draining fresh water system. But I always used to close all seacocks on leaving the boat, winter and summer.

Mercifully, I also always remembered to open them again before using the boat.

In winter I didn’t usually bother with the freshwater system. Just took bottles for consumption on what tended not to be overnight outings.

 

[Elessar]

Hi what are folks thoughts on the minimum winterisation required to allow easy use of my boat over the winter. I currently have 2 tube heaters on stats and a dehumidifier running. Can I get away without antifreezing the raw water system. Boat is based on the broads and has twin diesel inboard.
Also what do folks recommend setting the on off temp for the tube heaters to.
Thanks

dehumidifier. Nothing else. The water is warm enough on the sea / tidal river to keep the boat warm.

What temperature is the broads water in winter?