winterize in seattle in marina

carlastr

Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
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20
Fluid Motion Model
C-302 SC
Hi - new owner, first winter, not sure what to do to winterize. We'll take her out at least a few times a month and be onboard in the slip frequently. We've been told just to put a marine heater in engine compartment and galley and that nothing else need be done. But that scares me so i thought I'd ask the experts!
 
Hi, it's not too difficult! I leave the galley and head cabinets open, prop the head door open, and use two of those round West Marine low heat units inside the cabin. They keep things dry and non-musty inside the cabin. As you mention, I also have an engine room heater.

I do take one more precaution - I had shut offs and drains put into the water lines that go to the cockpit sink and shower. By doing that I can leave the fresh water system operational and still avoid the risk of freezing the vulnerable water lines.

Oh, and I carry a large box of salt- it's handy for thawing a clear spot on a frozen dock....

I am out doing some winter cruising this week, and feeling thankful for the wonderful diesel furnace!
 
Thanks, Sue! Where did you have those things installed for the sink and shower? Do you have a maintenance person/company locally that you use here in Seattle? Also, how do you power your engine compartment heater?

Thanks for responding so fast today, I've been getting anxious!
 
Hi! I had Ranger install the drains/shut-offs when I bought the bought the boat from them last year. It's a pretty simple change. They accessed the hot and cold lines inside the battery switch and fuse cabinet in the cockpit. Cut the lines, added shut-off and drains. Very easy to access and winterize.

My 2015 model R31 has a 110 volt outlet that is located on the underside of the cockpit sole below the cockpit refer. It's hard to find but it is there. That outlet is powered by an unlabeled breaker on the 110v panel. I don't have a generator, so the heater just sits on the shelf aft of the engine.

If your boat does not have that outlet, you can snake the power cord over the engine and then the barrier forward of the engine. Open the hatch in the cabin floor and plug into one of the 110v cabin outlets.

It's great being able to boat in the winter !!
 
It all depends on where you keep your boat. If it is in fresh water you need to winterize. We live in Anacortes and our boat is in salt water which typically is at 45 degrees, we do nothing to winterize except to put a dehumidafier in the head and the lower bunk area.

Bob
 
Hi Bob, I drain the cockpit fresh water systems because mine got frozen and cracked the first winter I had my R-29. For me, I would rather take precautions at the beginning of the winter season than have to run down and drain the water lines if we get one of our uncommon hard freezes. Those sinks are "up in the air" and the water lines freeze very easily.
 
Sue, your shutoff/drain valves really interest me. But I'm having a tough time visualizing how they work. Maybe that has something to do with how differently the plumbing works in a 31 (yours) vs. a 27 (mine). So I hope you don't mind a few questions.

Are you shutting off the water as it comes to the water pump? Would the theory be that it would mostly drain back into the holding tank, so that there wouldn't be that much in the line?

Then, what about the drains? I currently "drain" my system by pumping the water out through the faucets. So my drains are the hull outlets for the sink drains. I'm particularly unsure of how a drain in the middle of the line would work. What kind of fitting is it and where in the line does it go? Where does the water drain (the bilge?)?

I ask because your system seems good for anyone who keeps their boat in the water and uses it through the winter (Pac NW boaters, like you, for example). I run my boat through December in the Portland Christmas Ships. For the first time this year, I'm opting to leave the fresh water tank full. I have a bilge heater, and an enclosure around the cockpit, as well as space heaters on board. During Christmas ships, I have a Honda generator on board, so I can keep the board warm even in a power outage. I'm not overly concerned about freezing lines with my set up. But the lines running close to the hull seem vulnerable to outside freezing air temps, and the interior heat may not be a big help keeping them warm. It seems like your setup permits draining the lines to the faucets if needed, without draining the tank itself. Which would make the system significantly freezeproof for a lot of NW winter boating.

If you can offer any other details, that would be great. Thanks!

Gini
 
Hi Gini, it is a different set up. The 31 has two freshwater fixtures in the cockpit. There is a single set of hot and cold supply lines For these. Just downstream of the new shut off valves, there are drains that work by being unscrewed. I shut the valves, open the drains and a cockpit faucet, and drain just that portion of the system.

If you wanted to drain your cabin lines you could do something similar by having a shutoff on the hot water tank outlet and the fresh water tank outlet I suppose. In my opinion that is probably not necessary in Seattle, as long as you have a small amount of heat in the cabin and remember to leave under-sink cabinet doors open, but your experience might be different than mine ...
 
We picked up our boat last year Oct 2015. Our first winter boating. What works for us is that we keep an electrical heater on (we purchased from West Marine) on all winter. After using the boat, we got into the habit of turning off the water pump and bleed (drain) the remaining water from the faucets of the galley sink and bathroom sink. We found last year we used the boat about every 3 weeks to Poulsbo or Blake Island. We do spend the night on the boat at Elliott Bay Marina because it is fun (at least my two kids think so). In between storms, the weather is perfect for boating in the winter. My husband is thinking big, and hoping the weather is decent so we can boat to the San Juan Islands during Christmas break.
 
Thanks for your thoughts Sue!

GIni
 
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