Non Winterization?

[American Flyer]

This is our first winter with the tug. We plan to use it at least bi weekly and do not plan to put it into winter storage. It will stay in the water under cover in Olympia where it doesn’t get to much below freezing for very long. I plan to heat the cabin and engine compartment with marine safe ceramic electric heaters when not in use. Are there any other precautions that are recommended for cold weather use?

 

[dbsea]

I generally just make sure my freshwater pump is off and the faucets are drained each time I shut down the boat after using it. We use ours regularly all winter here in Seattle. Some people say to blow air into the cockpit freshwater shower and the raw water wash down since those are above the waterline and exposed to freezing air. Otherwise, that is it!

 

[SJI Sailor]

+1 on draining the cockpit shower if you have those. Ours froze one year and I had to replace it, and then installed shutoff valves in the lazarette.

We also lost a bilge pump last year when it got extra cold (down to about 15F) ... not because the bilge froze but because we got ice on the outside of the hull. It pumped against that and died. That was in an uncovered slip with a lot of wake that stirred up the water. If you're covered that should be a non issue!

 

[American Flyer]

Is there an easy way to drain the fresh water after use each time? I have not seen any type of drain valves anywhere. Or do you just open the faucets with the pump off and they gravity drain?

 

[Haifisch]

In the PNW where it doesn’t get super cold, I just open all the taps and If by some chance ice would happen in the lines the air would just be expelled rather that breaking hose or Pex. I do have a Pali heater by the engine and run a Calframo in the cabin, but mainly as an extra precaution.

 

[JeffreyAC77]

The past two winters (Lake Union) we have had some extremely cold spells of a week or so and all I have used is a heater in my cabin and open faucets, without any issues. It comes on automatically at 38 degrees and I leave it in the cabin all winter.

 

[American Flyer]

Thanks all.

 

[srhawk454]

Do not forget to open all hatches/cabinet doors to allow air flow

 

[SJI Sailor]

As for drain valves for the cockpit lines, they are not installed from the factory but are easy to add (assuming your PEX lines are accessible in the lazarette). I got two Shark valves with drain holes; cut the PEX lines measuring carefully; and snapped in the Shark valves.

That lets us cut off the cockpit lines and drain them -- while still leaving the water in place otherwise for winter boating.

 

[knotflying]

Keep in mind that there are probably dips in the waterlines and would not drain unless blown out. Probable leaving cabinet doors open will help avoid their freezing.

 

[FlyMeAway]

After many years of boat ownership in the PNW, including a few as a liveaboard, I've seen three approaches to the winter:

• 
  1) Winterize
  2) Cabin and engine heaters at ~38F, open faucets and cabinets
  3) Engine heater ~38F; 1000W, 1500W, or 2X 750W electric cabin heater(s) at ~60-68F (roughly, not all of them have numeric thermostats), do nothing (or open faucets and cabinets)

I've always practiced #3. I think it is a much more conservative approach than the "freeze only" cabin heater, as it'll keep the center of the boat warm enough that the extremities also stay well above freezing. Recently on our R-31 I've done 2X750W (one in the Salon, one in the forward berth) and even when it got terribly cold last winter the little logging thermostats I had in the nether reaches of the boat never got below the mid-40s. Of course, #3 is also the most expensive option... But I also like how it keeps the boat relatively dry, which keeps mildew down and also means using the boat on short notice is less uncomfortable for others.

We're at EBM and had our engine heater fail right before the worst of the cold snap... Which really spooked me, but luckily we had no damage.

 

[SJI Sailor]

Keep in mind that there are probably dips in the waterlines and would not drain unless blown out. Probable leaving cabinet doors open will help avoid their freezing.

+1 to both. In the PNW and keeping the boat in the water, I don't worry too much about some residual water in the cockpit lines after draining them as best I can, although I do leave the transom shower valve open as a precaution. If she were out of the water then I would want to use a compressor to blow it out.

All cabinet doors open, too. FWIW another thing that helps is a cockpit enclosure (although not necessarily all the time, which can boost mold).

The other thing that helps in the winter is to go boating and run the engine and heater!

 

[American Flyer]

“The other thing that helps in the winter is to go boating and run the engine and heater!”

That’s the part I am looking forward to!

We have a nice efficient electric heater that easily keeps the cabin at 65 and the engine compartment heater is 50 to 55. This should make a quick “spur of the moment” cruise easy and comfortable.

After hearing everyone’s advice I am confident we will do just fine over the winter after taking the precautions you have suggested. Thanks again for the great response.