What to do this winter?

[spinreach]

Advise please. I have a twin engined petrol cruiser with stern drives, located in a Marina on the upper thames. I've now had the boat for two years and have had the boat on hardstanding for both winters. First winter, I managed to scrape the old antifould and renew and followed that last winter, with a sand and again, new coat of antifoul, so the hull is in pretty good shape. This Spring, both drives were serviced with full bellows change, so I feel they are in pretty good shape too.

I'm now in two minds whether to lift out for the Winter or leave in the Marina. If I leave the boat in the water, I have a fan heater with thermostat low temp setting and shoreside mains available, which is fine for the cabin. I would also be a regular vistor to the boat as its only 5 minutes away from home, so am not too concerned about checking moorings, water levels etc.

If I leave it in the water, I would be very tempted to use it over the winter but would not want to de-winterise the engine for what would be relatively short usage, and then have to winterise again. Do many not bother winterising their engines and if so can I get away with a blanket around each engine? Other threads have suggested putting heater into engine compartment, but am reluctant due to petrol tank - is this reasonable or paranoid?

The engines are Mercruisers with bravo 3 legs, so with the cooling system intake on the legs and with no seacock, I guess full winterisation is not possible when left in the water anyway, so it's probably not really a question as to when in marina, winterise or not. Rather is it ok to leave in water over winter?

Any thoughts, advice or current practices are most welcome.

 

[ExcaliburII]

Leave it in and use it !

Assuming for the moment that the upper Thames is unlikely to freeze solid this Winter, I would suggest you won't have a problem with the water in the outdrives freezing.

If we have a prolonged period of below zero air temperatures there is a risk that any water in the engine jackets might freeze (assuming they are raw water cooled and therefore cannot be dosed with antifreeze). To mitigate against this, as you have mains power available I would suggest putting a low wattage heater - say something like a greenhouse heater with a thermostat - in the engine compartment to stop it dropping below zero.

Having said that, it would take quite a long time to cool two Mercruisers down to below freezing overnight unless the ambient temperature was uncharacteristically low for a couple of days and the engines were not started up in the meantime, so I doubt whether you would have a problem anyway. There is an upside to global warming, after all

 

[paultallett]

I have a single Mercruiser Petrol with Bravo 3 drive. I've left the boat in the water for 2 winters now and have put a tube heater in the engine bay with a thermostat that is set at 5 degrees. Obviously I'm supper carefull that I can never smell petrol (that goes without saying all year round) and have never had a problem. I guess the most important thing is making sure that the power supply to your heater is reliable.... depending upon your engines you could always drain the block and manifolds down if a very prolonged period of cold weather is due, but I always make sure I mop all water from the bilges just to stop the extra damp in the engine room.

Having the boat in the water over winter gives me a great excuse to get down to the boat when the wife says it too cold for her and 'do some jobs'.....which to be honest I love just as much as being out at sea!!!

Hope that helps??

Paul.

 

[LittleShip]

Dont under any circumstances leave a fan heater on your boat for long periods running unattended, these can over time pick up dust and debris which can cause a fire. It would be much better as suggested, to fit a tube heater or heaters to prevent any possible frost damage.

Tom

 

[Ifraser]

Mine was fine...

I had, until very recently, a 26' cruiser with twin mercruiser 1.7d's which I left afloat on the River Frome in Dorset. I used the boat at least once every couple of weeks but didn't do anything towards winterising any of the boat... the engines had antifreeze of course but the raw water side was just left. Last winter I saw genuine temps of -10c ( I work nights and two different car thermometers agreed it was -10) I had no problems at all... I believe this is because, as has been posted on other posts, that assuming the river doesn't freeze solid it is still above freezing and acts as a big radiator for the boat. I did not drain the fresh water system or do anything to the engines. In a previous year, when the boat was ashore, I left water in the fresh water system and arrived one day to find a nice ice sculpture sticking out the side of my now destroyed tap!! So in short you should be absolutely fine in the water unless we suddenly experience a freak siberian winter... if that happened you could always go and add heaters as you are very close to the boat.
As an aside if you have any kind of heating system either engine driven or an eberspacher you will find some very nice cruising days in the winter. I went out without heating last year well dressed up but when I got to where I wanted to be for lunch i opened the engine hatches and voila two great big radiators!!... have a good winter.. Iain

 

[Nautorius]

Leave it in, do not winterise and use it! This is mainly because you live so close. I Used my boat on the Thames in the winter and it was lovely. Just used a couple of cheap oil filled radiators for £29 each from B&Q and put them on a timer at low temp. It takes a lot to freeze a block and whilst it does happen if left alone, anyone taking care of their boat nearby can prevent it.

The year later left mine outside on a dry rack at Hamble Point and did not winterise it but made sure I used it in a cold period. I did not even have a heater on her but she was a well insulated Scandi boat. Probably would not have done it with a modern US sportsboat.

Paul

 

[stuartwineberg]

Leave it in, do not winterise and use it! This is mainly because you live so close. I Used my boat on the Thames in the winter and it was lovely. Just used a couple of cheap oil filled radiators for £29 each from B&Q and put them on a timer at low temp. It takes a lot to freeze a block and whilst it does happen if left alone, anyone taking care of their boat nearby can prevent it.

The year later left mine outside on a dry rack at Hamble Point and did not winterise it but made sure I used it in a cold period. I did not even have a heater on her but she was a well insulated Scandi boat. Probably would not have done it with a modern US sportsboat.

Paul

Nautorius

That's the one. Tube heaters in the engine bay and cabins, dehumidifier set to drain down the sink and use the thing. Empty marinas, no-one collecting harbour dues, crisp blue days - fantastic.

 

[spinreach]

In It Stays!

Thanks all. I am now convinced. Just need to find some heaters. have found tube heaters that look suitable which come in various sizes. The smallest is 1 ft at 60w. Is this enough, or should I go to the 120W or even higher?

 

[LittleShip]

Thanks all. I am now convinced. Just need to find some heaters. have found tube heaters that look suitable which come in various sizes. The smallest is 1 ft at 60w. Is this enough, or should I go to the 120W or even higher?

120w should keep the engine bay from freezing and a frost stat will switch it on whenever it is needed. That will save you some money on your electric bill, pointless running it when not required.

Have a look here it was posted a couple of weeks ago by a forum member and I have just bought one from them.
http://www.dealec.co.uk/acatalog/dealec_tubular_heaters.html

Tom

 

[spinreach]

Thanks Tom for the advise and the link. Will order a couple (one for the cabin as well).