Winterising without running engine ashore

[Adjag]

We take the boat out in the winter for a month or so & the yard doesn't allow engine running whilst on land. This makes it hard to introduce antifreeze mixture into the seawater side of the engine. Usually I drain as much as I can (strainer, pump, heat exchanger all seem to empty via the waterpump) & then pour some antifreeze down the exhaust to hopefully protect the silencer/Waterlogged.
Does anybody have a better way?
P.s. I know it's a bit late for this & we're all looking forward to sailing not messing about with engines!

 

[Wansworth]

Do it just before lifting out

 

[Tranona]

No need to do anything more than that. Many people don't even bother with that. The temperature inside the boat is unlikely ever to fall below zero for a long enough period of time even to affect the water left in the waterlock.

Different if you are out of the water for long periods in exposed places in the north or east where wind chill can be a significant factor.

I leave a 135w tube heater on (in Poole) and the air temperature never falls below freezing.

 

[[2574]]

No need to do anything more than that. Many people don't even bother with that. The temperature inside the boat is unlikely ever to fall below zero for a long enough period of time even to affect the water left in the waterlock.

Different if you are out of the water for long periods in exposed places in the north or east where wind chill can be a significant factor.

I leave a 135w tube heater on (in Poole) and the air temperature never falls below freezing.

Quite expensive to leave constantly on, about £200 for the winter I reckon. We have ours on a switching thermostat set at 4deg C.

 

[Tranona]

Yes it is I used £60 of electricity this winter with that and some use of the dehumidifier and battery charger.. However I am on the boat most days working so I only have it on when the temperature has fallen below about 5. OP is only having the boat out for a month, it really does not need anything at all, but heater useful if cold spell is forecast.

 

[Daydream believer]

I divert the water inlet hose to a plastic tub. I fill that with water from the shower which drains the fresh water tank. A couple of extra buckets of water to top up if the shower does not supply water fast enough. Then at the very end I add the antifreeze to make it something like a 50% mix. As I see any blue antifreeze come out of the exhaust, I quickly stop the engine. 3 jobs completed. Tank drained, exhaust flushed, antifreeze added.
The only job I cannot do with the boat in the water is drain the sail drive.

 

[mjcoon]

Different if you are out of the water for long periods in exposed places in the north or east where wind chill can be a significant factor.

Wind chill as cited by forecasters applies only to bare human skin which is heated by blood flowing somewhere below it. Thus air temperature above freezing can feel like below zero. That will not apply to inanimate objects.

 

[FairweatherDave]

I see this question as referring to winter temperatures, not what we have now. If a yard really does not allow any engine running at all then maybe close the seawater intake just before lift out and suck up the antifreeze from a bucket while afloat? Or am I missing something.

 

[Adjag]

I see this question as referring to winter temperatures, not what we have now. If a yard really does not allow any engine running at all then maybe close the seawater intake just before lift out and suck up the antifreeze from a bucket while afloat? Or am I missing something.

I did try that but after motoring into the dock with the lift, they hoisted me up & out so promptly I ran out of time. Guess I could have asked them to wait 5 mins.
Recently discovered that others just run the engine on the hard whilst nobody is looking!

 

[doug748]

......Recently discovered that others just run the engine on the hard whilst nobody is looking!

Must say that was my initial thinking. Lot of backside covering rules sprouting nowadays.

 

[Wansworth]

Must say that was my initial thinking. Lot of backside covering rules sprouting nowadays.

Probably insurance companies demands

 

[doug748]

Probably insurance companies demands

I think more likely they just like rules. The more rules there are, the more likely they are to be able to accuse the bloke who is paying of being in the wrong. Some boatyards love that.

 

[ridgy]

I did try that but after motoring into the dock with the lift, they hoisted me up & out so promptly I ran out of time. Guess I could have asked them to wait 5 mins.
Recently discovered that others just run the engine on the hard whilst nobody is looking!

Yeah man, boat yards with that sort of rule only operate Mon-Fri in my experience.
The world's your lobster at the weekend, especially later in the day on a Sunday.

 

[penfold]

Unless your yard is the only one in the UK still using only props to hold up boats rather than cradles the engine run ban is infantilising rubbish.

 

[Shaddickp]

Some boatyard restrictions are laughable. I once stayed in a yard in San Georgio de Negaro where they said I could antifoul my own boat but only on Sunday! Turns out any enviromental inspectors don't do Sundays so it is OK. Also bit daft as 50m away, where they lift and jet wash the boats, half of every boat's antifoul was blasted off and just ran back into the water.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Unless your yard is the only one in the UK still using only props to hold up boats rather than cradles the engine run ban is infantilising rubbish.

Our yard uses props and is thus much cheaper than others in district. They raised no objection to our engineer running engine ashore. I reckon the 4 props aside are more secure than any cradle