Year-Round Boating in the PNW

[armor]

Question for folks who have Volvo Penta inboards and who boat year round in the Puget Sound. I was watching the "As the Prop Turns" on winterization, and was wondering how you handle winter boating.

If we wanted to take our C-28 out say once/month in the winter in the Puget Sound (dry outdoor storage with power between trips), do we need to winterize/de-winterize the engine every trip? What do you do if you go out for a weekend and it drops below freezing while you're at anchor since there's still raw water in the engine right? Thanks!

 

[Andrew Custis]

I might have had a small part in this and can easily get off topic when it comes to the webinars. 🙂

The main thing you will want to do is to keep your boat dry. Whether that is with a heater or dehumidifier, that is a good rule to follow in the rainy Pacific NW. I am not as concerned with the engine or items below the water line because the temperature of the water will keep them from freezing. Many will still do an engine room heater, golden rod or similar but I have never found it to be an issue. The other thing you will want to make sure is to keep any fresh or salt water device above water line from freezing. Many will install shut off valves or quick disconnects on those devices so they can still utilize the rest of the system.

If you need me to walk you through it, feel free to give me a shout. (253)230-0727. If you dont reach me, leave a message and I will certainly call you as soon as I am free.

Happy winter boating!

 

[BradOwens]

We have a Yanmar, not a Volvo-Penta, but we use the boat year round as you asked. I also retired from the Coast Guard, and Coast Guard boats and cutters operate year round in much colder climates than we have here. If your boat is kept plugged in to shore power with a heat source or dehumidifier as Andrew said, there should be no problem while the boat is idle. When cruising, the heat from the engine will be enough to prevent freeze damage overnight, and the cabin heater will add to that as well as protecting the potable water lines. Also remember that salt water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water.

 

[armor]

Thanks for the responses, Andrew I'll take you up on the offer of a call! Continuing the discussion here for a minute in case it's useful to other owners, it makes sense that we'll be fine while in the water and cruising. I'll install the recommended shutoff valves to keep the water system above the waterline isolated in the winter.

In between trips I'm keeping the boat on blocks out of the water (at Dagmar's in Everett if anyone knows it), but I can be plugged into shore power so I'll get a heater to keep the boat warm. A few more questions:

1) Where should I put the heater, in the cabin or in the engine compartment? If I put it in one location or the other, will it be enough to keep both the engine and the cabin water systems (potable and holding) warm enough with the boat out of the water, or do I need to winterize either the engine or the potable/holding system in between trips?

2) What do you all do about the dinghy's outboard (Yamaha 6HP in my case), is flushing it with freshwater after each trip and keeping a stabilizer in the fuel good enough?

 

[BradOwens]

I kept my previous boat at Dagmar's and used two heaters, one in the cabin and one in the engine compartment. I also left all cabinets, and the head door open to ensure good airflow. Make sure heat can get to the potable water pump, because since it's full of fresh water, it could crack if it freezes.

I put pink potable water RV/Marine antifreeze in the bilge, toilet, and shower sump to protect the pumps.

I bring my outboard home and store it in the garage during the winter, but it's only a 2.5 hp. That may not be so easy with your 6. I would think that as long as you flush it, run it with the fuel shut off valve closed until it stalls to get fuel out of the system, and use fuel stabilizer, it should be okay.

 

[baz]

I might have had a small part in this and can easily get off topic when it comes to the webinars. 🙂

The main thing you will want to do is to keep your boat dry. Whether that is with a heater or dehumidifier, that is a good rule to follow in the rainy Pacific NW. I am not as concerned with the engine or items below the water line because the temperature of the water will keep them from freezing. Many will still do an engine room heater, golden rod or similar but I have never found it to be an issue. The other thing you will want to make sure is to keep any fresh or salt water device above water line from freezing. Many will install shut off valves or quick disconnects on those devices so they can still utilize the rest of the system.

If you need me to walk you through it, feel free to give me a shout. (253)230-0727. If you dont reach me, leave a message and I will certainly call you as soon as I am free.

Happy winter boating!

Andrew: The RT models today all use PEX tubing for the hot & cold water lines. PEX is good protection from freezing, but I'm unsure just much extra protection provides vs. the older no-PEX/PVC tubing. No matter, I do feel a lot safer from freezing issues knowing PEX is being used. Any comforting thoughts about the PEX benefits ?

For example...
"Due to its flexibility, PEX has a small margin of expansion under the damaging pressure caused by ice formation. If the weather gets cold enough, PEX pipes can and will freeze like any plumbing. However, PEX may be less likely to rupture as a result of freezing."

 

[ButtercupWa]

I'll need to pick up a heater for my C-28 cabin and engine compartment, any recommendations on the make/models?

 

[Brian98133]

I can speak to the PEX question since that is my profession 😉

Any piping system is only as durable as its weakest component. To that end, while PEX piping will handle expansion due to freezing better than any other piping material, the fittings simply will not. Especially the push-on connectors used on our boats.

I would take the necessary steps to winterize your boat's water lines by the steps noted in "As The Prop Turns". 😀

 

[Karll]

When we bought our boat it was stored at Anchor Cove through the first winter and we used a heater in both the engine room and the cabin with a temp control. We moved our boat to Twin Bridges which is heated indoor storage and can have it launched upon request.

 

[Kaptajnen]

I'll need to pick up a heater for my C-28 cabin and engine compartment, any recommendations on the make/models?

We installed a PALI engine heater in our boat, which is in salt water year round here in the PNW. Also a dehumidifier inside the boat. Last year we pumped the watertank empty and then ran some RV antifreeze through the piping to the faucets.

 

[FlyMeAway]

As another potential tug owner who would use his boat year-round in the PNW, I’m interested in this too.

My last boat was a sailboat, never winterized, kept in the water year round, just a small heater in the cabin. I didn’t think our NW winters really got cold enough to need much more than that, or is it different with a power boat because so much more of the cabin is above the water line?

 

[Kaptajnen]

Before we got the tug, and joined the “dark side”, we had a Bavaria 38 Ocean for 13 years, which we kept in Elliott Bay Marina year round. In the winter we had a dehumidifier running because the high humidity was creating black mold behind the panels. Nasty stuff and a big repair.
This winter is supposed to get unusually cold due to the “Pacific Blob” so better safe than sorry!

 

[jagizzi]

I know that this question comes around every year, and I know that many folks get lucky and have no freeze damage when they leave them in the water but I have to relate a story.

I have a friend that keeps a RT31CB in Squalicum Harbor here in Bellingham. He was a new boater and it was his first winter. Like most folks he was told it was not necessary to winterize here in the NW. He was a bit concerned about freeze after one of last years cold spells so he visited the boat. When checking around he noticed more water in the bilges than normal. He manually pumped it out and decided to check back.

The next day there was more water so he asked if I would take a look. It didn't take too long to figure out that the raw water pump casing had cracked. The pump sits near the exterior hull wall, above the water line. In his case the stern was northward and the winds had been out of the north.

So we talked about a couple of things after this event. He no longer leaves the raw water valve open when the boat is unattended. Flushing the toilet is not THAT important ;-) He knows that how to test the bilge pumps now and what to do if they are not automatically working. The main pump sensor had quit and the higher water level that he noticed was below the level of the backup pump.

And he now knows that given the right conditions even the seawater in lines in the boat can freeze in the NW.