Winterizing our R27 in the water

[AG3]

Friends:

This is our first year with our Ranger 27. We plan to keep our boat in the water in Norfolk, Virginia, the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay, as we have done successfully with two prior sailboats. Winters are mild compared to some parts of the country. The water will not freeze, but the air can go below freezing for several days at a time.

We will keep the boat connected to shore power throughout the winter.....Lithium batteries.

I plan to drain the fresh water system including the hot water tank, and then use an air compressor to blow the rest of the water out of the lines fresh water lines.

Other systems I will winterize. Here are my questions:

How many gallons of pink stuff (RV antifreeze) to winterize the air conditioning?
How many gallons of pink stuff to winterize the head and macerator, assuming my holding tank is empty?
How many gallons to winterize the raw water deck wash down?

Finally, I plan to lower the outboard if the weather is expected to go below freezing. I may also use the boat throughout the winter, especially if we get one or more of those beautiful, sunny, fifty-degree days.

Please tell me if I am missing anything else.

Loving our boat, by the way!

Thanks,

Al

 

[Submariner]

This is what I do.

Time to Winterize our Ranger Tug R27-OB

 

[serendipity]

We just winterized our 2023 R27. We use compressed air. While you can get away with 6 gallons of pink for A/C, washdown, shower sump, and holding tank, and etc I usually get a case plus’s 3 extra gallons. This year I used 6 gallons. The extra will hod till next year.

 

[AG3]

This is what I do.

Time to Winterize our Ranger Tug R27-OB

Thank you, Martin. Very helpful and thorough.

 

[AG3]

We just winterized our 2023 R27. We use compressed air. While you can get away with 6 gallons of pink for A/C, washdown, shower sump, and holding tank, and etc I usually get a case plus’s 3 extra gallons. This year I used 6 gallons. The extra will hod till next year.

Hi Doug: I presume you winterized your macerator pump and line as part of your process. How many gallons of antifreeze did you put through the head to make sure there was enough in the holding tank to run it out through the macerator pump? And did you winterize the bilge pumps as Martin suggests in his video? Do you store your boat for the winter in the water or on the hard?

 

[serendipity]

Al & Betsy, good morning! Normally, we don’t use the macerator. However, this year we did. To winterize the macerator, we had 1 - 2 gallons of pink on hand, but it took only 1 gallon to get a solid pink stream.

Our winterization process mirrored the company’s video on “As the Prop Turn”. And, yes, we incorporated Martin’s tips as well!

We store our R27OB on the hard here in New England and do the winterization on the hard. Caution: we did the macerator winterization on the water! Serendipity is stored outside with shrink wrap which allows the solar panels to keep our batteries topped off. I do drive to the boat for routine checks during the winter.

 

[AG3]

Al & Betsy, good morning! Normally, we don’t use the macerator. However, this year we did. To winterize the macerator, we had 1 - 2 gallons of pink on hand, but it took only 1 gallon to get a solid pink stream.

Our winterization process mirrored the company’s video on “As the Prop Turn”. And, yes, we incorporated Martin’s tips as well!

We store our R27OB on the hard here in New England and do the winterization on the hard. Caution: we did the macerator winterization on the water! Serendipity is stored outside with shrink wrap which allows the solar panels to keep our batteries topped off. I do drive to the boat for routine checks during the winter.

Thank you!