How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

[sidechoke67]

I live in upstate NY, and am anxious to get my boat back on the water as quickly after ice-out as possible. My boat is a Glastron 175 w/ 3.0L Volvo and Volvo Penta outdrive. I keep my boat in my garage when not in use.

So, I'm wondering just how worried I need to be with sub-freezing temps after the boat has been in the water. Is it the type of thing where a single night with a low of 30 degrees could cause damage to the engine/outdrive, or would it take several days/nights of sub-freezing temps to cause any damage?

My friends have said that once I run the boat in the water, I should be fine with it in my garage unless we have several days below freezing. I called a local boat service place, and they played it safe and said that even a single night with sub-freezing temps could cause damage if the boat was in the water and not re-winterized.

Anyone else have any experience with early boat use in cold climate areas? Thanks for any info!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

the dealer is correct. freezing water expands, and cracks metal. water pumps, thermostat housings, exhaust risers. split hoses. why take a chance, wait a week longer.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

Thanks.

If it was a week, I would have no problem waiting. It'll be at least another month+ before I can be confident that lows will stay above freezing.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

wait a month. it can be a very costly mistake.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

A single freeze event is enough to trash a part. There are people here in VT that use RV antifreeze in the system even if the boat is stored indoors.... we have all seen the cold snaps move in and stay for a few days to a week.

The other choice is to drain it all. Why risk it?

 

[lowkee]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

Tashasdaddy and the dealer are absolutely correct. I delayed winterizing last fall and we have one night of 30F temps. All of the water in the block and hoses froze and busted the thermostat housing in two places. Luckily, that housing breaking is likely the only reason I have a running engine today.

Don't do it. It isn't worth it. Wait it out and boat when it's boating season.

 

[ziggy]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

if you want a extended season. on the ft. side or the back side, this is the ticket..

The other choice is to drain it all. Why risk it?

find out what ya have to do to drain 'all' of the water out of your system. go boating and return home and do the draining deed completely. you do not have to full rewinterize it. just get the water out of it... then your safe as can be as air don't freeze..

 

[HeloMech]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

I haven't even had my boat in the water before. It's "new to me" '87 Freedom 17' with mercruiser 3.0 and Alpha 1 outdrive. I was able to thaw out my hose/faucet one weekend that we had sunlight.. I put the muffs on the boat and proceeded to start working on the engine. Cold temps being what they are right now, I drained the block and the exhaust manifold of water... no likey cracked metal parts.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

Thanks everyone. I'll either wait or figure out how to drain it after use...

 

[bowman316]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

just keep the motor in the down position, and the bow up with the plug removed.
The only thing that could freeze would be left over water, and winterizing will not get that out anyway.
It all drains from the motor when it is down.

Maybe pump some gas into the motor too.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

just keep the motor in the down position, and the bow up with the plug removed.
The only thing that could freeze would be left over water, and winterizing will not get that out anyway.
It all drains from the motor when it is down.

Maybe pump some gas into the motor too.

This is incorrect for the situation that sidechoke is referring to. He has an I/O. The engine block has water in it that does not drain on its own. It needs to have plugs removed from the engine to get it to drain.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

Is your garage attached? Mine is and has a bedroom above it. It has to get really cold for it to be below freezing in my garage.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

Is your garage attached? Mine is and has a bedroom above it. It has to get really cold for it to be below freezing in my garage.

Yea, my garage is attached. That is kind of what I was originally thinking...that I should have a couple of degrees for a buffer zone with the boat in my garage. I am thinking that I'll put a thermometer in my garage to start to keep track of how its temps compare to outside.

I also have a ceramic heater I could run overnight in the garage in an emergency.

I guess the bottom line is, don't let it sit in sub-freezing temps if the boat isn't winterized...

 

[Bondo]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

I guess the bottom line is, don't let it sit in sub-freezing temps if the boat isn't winterized...

Ayuh,... The Bottom line is,... Drain it if you use it...

It's only a couple of plugs,+ a couple of hoses.... Air just Doesn't Freeze...

 

[chiefalen]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

When you do it one time draining it, the next time will take you less then 5 minutes.

What i did before the winter and it got cold, i let the drive all the way down after i pulled it onto the trailer.

A waited a minute and drained my bilge also.

Then i put back up the drive, and went home, it's a 15 minutes tops to my house from the ramp.

Then put the drive all the way down, flushed the motor, and then drained the block right there and then, i stick a soft wire with a hook on it into the holes to see if any rust is in there. I take off the bottom fat hose, and the hose at the manifold, and the long hose from the transom, and hold it up in the air for a second or 2.

15 minutes after i get home, i'm putting the cover on the boat. And if i wanted i could leave it there for a day or 3 months. Drained is the way to go cause as Bond o says air don't freeze.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

If you're the kind of guy with money laying around, you could install a freeze alarm in your garage. Literally it's just a thermometer that can send you an alert if the garage gets below freezing.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

Draining it is obviously the best advice.

But I disagree with most. I don't believe a single night in the low 30s will do any harm. I don't think several nights in the low 30s will do any harm. Especially if the boat is in a garage with no wind factor.

Leave a glass of water outside next time one of these nights hit. Glass freeze up? No, you might get a thin layer of ice on the top.

I've renovated large buildings in the winter where plumbing remained and we left the water service operational. With just the solar radiation through the windows and no heat source at all, we had no problems with broken pipes.

Common sense still prevails. If you're talking a few days in the 20s, you need to act. But 30 for a day or so just at night? I wouldn't worry.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: How concerned w/ sub-freezing temps?

It all depends on whether or not the ambient temp is at zero (sorry, thinking deg C here) or below and if there's space for the expanding ice to move. If there isn't space, such as a full thermostat housing, water jacket, or whatnot then you're going to crack something.

If there is an air space and/or the temp starts to rise again before all the water has frozen, then you may be ok. But that's more than a few scary ifs considering all the areas water collects in an I/O engine and outdrive.

While it's a pain to reach the plugs, draining the water from a block is pretty quick once you have a wrench in the right place. Sometimes draining the outdrive can be a bit more tricky if the trailer sits too low to bring the prop shaft to level or below.