UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

[Emeraldsnake]

Okay, this will be the first winter with my new boat. I'm leaving her in the sea as I want to do a bit of cod fishing. What do I need to look out for with regards to the winter conditions. Frost, snow etc. what precautions should I take? She is berthed in a well protected marina, so I have some weather protection. I will need to change my anode set soon, spring time hopefully. I'm guessing I can't really do it with the boat in the water with a wet suit and mask/snorkel. How will sub zero temperatures affect the sea water in my drive etc? Any hints and tips with regards to winter boating will be gratefully received. All the best. Mike. :watermelon:

 

[achris]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

I'd be looking at draining the engine block and manifold, even while it's in the water. That would mean pumping the water in the bilge out with the bilge pump.... Ahhh, gotcha!!! That's what all that solar panel guff was all about... Using the solar panels to keep the batteries up so the pump still works... Yep, they'll do that.. :thumb: The more water you can get out of the block/head and manifold the less chance you have of cracking the engine if the water does freeze... Obviously put the drains back in when it's emptied out, and don't forget the big hose on the water pump at the front of the engine. As for the drive, leave it trimmed down and the steering pointing straight ahead. Anything in the sea water shouldn't freeze. What is the lowest expected temperatures?

Chris.......

 

[Emeraldsnake]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

Down south of UK is normally between -3 to -8 in mid winter, but who knows. We sometimes just stay above freezing all winter, other times we have had -15. Will starting the boat up on a cold frosty morning be a bad idea then? That's when the best cod fishing is done. No antifreeze like in a car engine, so what's the deal? The engine on my boat is well covered as you know, with white leather interior seats and covers, so the engine should be well protected from frost, and all that salty sea air should surely minimise frost forming anyway. Clutching at straws?

 

[b20]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

Hi Mike,

No, starting the engine when it's cold won't hurt anything. Just make sure you have the right weight oil in the engine for the temperatures expected. And let it warm up plenty before putting a load on it...

If the block was drained (like was suggested in the earlier post ), then incoming water won't freeze. The covers on the engine won't make much difference, other than to keep the frost off the engine itself. The temperature in the engine box will be the same as outside it...

Cheers,

 

[Emeraldsnake]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

When you say "drain the block", what do you mean? As said in previous posts, I've only had outboards before. How do I do this, what are the reasons, and what do I look out for when doing it. Sorry, my expertise is weapons, I'm a dumbass when it comes to boats with inboards. Not my field....but I'm learning. I want to know everything.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

do you have shore power at the marina? if so, you may want to look into a bilge heater. there are a few marine approved units out there for doing exactly what you are looking to do.

I personally only use a 75 watt rough service trouble light under the engine cowling when having the boat in the water during freezing temperatures at my friends lake hous. it kept the engine about 40-45 degrees (4-7C) when the temp was about 25 (-4F) however that was for a very very short weekend only.

since your in salt water, the salt water will be in you cooling system. that will afford a few degrees of protection vs fresh water as well. However salt water will eventually freeze if the temp gets down low enough

salty sea air does not minimize frost

 

[Emeraldsnake]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

No power unfortunately. I'm in a naval marina that just has a hose! Fantastic security though....! Can I assume that using the bilge is unwise when it's extremely cold then? If the water in the bottom freezes then I can't use it anyway, I don't expect to be out in freezing weather by the way, I just want to protect the boat whilst she is in the water during the cold months.

 

[achris]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

When you say "drain the block", what do you mean? As said in previous posts, I've only had outboards before. How do I do this, what are the reasons, and what do I look out for when doing it. Sorry, my expertise is weapons, I'm a dumbass when it comes to boats with inboards. Not my field....but I'm learning. I want to know everything.

Hi Mike,

Draining the block is done as part of the winterising process people in cold climates need to do each (and every :facepalm autumn... There are 2 schools of thought. First school is you run antifreeze through the system and that protects against freezing... It does, where it touches. Engine cooling systems aren't that simple, and they have lots of little pockets that untreated water can sit in and then freeze, expand and crack the block... Just watch come April/May how many threads we get with "I started and ran my engine and now I have milkshake engine oil"... The second school of thought (and this is the one I subscribe to) is 'Air don't freeze'... Open up the drains and let all the water out... Yes, there are going to be small pockets with a little puddle of water in the bottom, but if it freezes and expands, it doesn't have any metal to push against.... no cracking. The anti-freeze community say that just leaving air in the block will allow it to corrode more... Ok, choice... A tiny little bit more corrosion (and in comparison to salt water living in there, not a lot of difference), or a cracked block? You're choice.

So, how do you drain your block and manifold? Got a bilge pump? I would hope so if you plan on leaving the boat in the water fulltime...

There is a brass plug (might be a blue plastic one, depending on the engine age) on the lower extremity of the port side of your engine block, round about the middle, under the manifold. There is also one under the bottom of the manifold. Remove those, then poke a bit of wire, a small screwdriver or a nail into the hole and make sure it's clear and the water's running out... There may also be one on the exhaust elbow, do the same to that one. While they are draining, remove the bottom of the big hose into the water pump at the front of the engine, drain that out too.... When they are all done draining (couple of minutes, maybe 3), put the hose back on, and the drain plugs back in... Walk away... Oh, run the pump and get all that water out too...

If you decide to use the boat in the dead of winter (why? :facepalm: ) just start up the engine and it will fill with water from the sea... Then go out and catch a cold (sorry, fish)... When you get back to the marina, let the engine cool off a bit, and drain all the water out of the engine again.... Just like you did ^....

Don't think I've missed anything... If I have I'm sure my friends will jump all over it...

Enjoy....

P.S. The only stupid question, is the one not asked...

 

[achris]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

Mike,

Just checked up on some of your older threads (no serial number in this one)... You have a much later engine than I thought. The draining procedure is a little different. Do you have the Merc manual for you engine?

Chris..........

 

[Emeraldsnake]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...ZDU4ZS00NzcwLWI1MGYtMTQwMzc3MTJiYTdl&hl=en_GB

This is the manual that you advised that I download from my first thread. I have it all printed out.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

"Down south of UK is normally between -3 to -8 in mid winter, but who knows. We sometimes just stay above freezing all winter, other times we have had -15. "

Assuming this is celcius....

While I do not suggest taking chances, I would assume your water temp gets no lower than 40*F, and that gives you some protection. Also, a night-time air temp of a little below freezing for a couple hours isn't going to get the core of the block down that low. Boats on a trailer are at higher risk.

A splash of antifreeze (marine grade) in the bilge can't hurt to protect the pump. Close your seacocks.

You really need to ask boaters at your marina with boats similar to yours. I am not an i/o guy and my temps are like yours, and salt water, but what I have learned here is that you just can't leave water in an i/o block. So if you want to use it during the winter, you have to drain the block after every use--at least when there is a chance of freezing. But regardless, you are in a totally different circumstance than the mid-western USA lake boaters who put their boats away for the cold winters on a trailer.

Salt air will work on everything so be sure you have fittings and electronics protected--white lithium grease, dialectric grease, CRC but NEVER WD40. Remove stuff you won't need, including upholstery. Covering is optional.

Without knowing how your boat drains, we can't comment on the bilge pump set-up.

 

[moosehead]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

Cheerio,

FWIW, starting in September, we have pretty cold air temps at 8,300' Elevation in the Colorado Rockies, generally dropping well below freezing for most evenings. Many of my dockmates will keep their I/O's in slip until mid October without draining their blocks and manifolds, under the fairly accurate theory that if the water temp remains above freezing, then the outdrive will keep the block below freezing. I've done this through last week in September with no issues. Below photo is from Sept. 20th at our marina, night time temps had been in the 25-30F range for several weeks and there is still roughly 80% slip occupants holding out to pull their craft until bitter end.

That said, in your case, I would not recommend taking the above risk for the entire winter season unless there was the ability to drop in a light bulb or bilge heater as insurance. Even if the block was not exposed, I would not sleep well.

Good advice to ask around your marina and see what your fellow dockmates are doing. Everyone will offer help and tips. Keep asking until you find the dominant pattern and follow that. Otherwise, your best bet is to drain the block and manifolds after every outing to ensure no major engine or exhaust system cracking.

I'm not familiar with your block, but it is common to have four 1/4" brass drain plugs - two on either side of the lower engine block, and one each on port and starboard exhaust manifolds towards the stern side. You could add four brass petcocks to replace the traditional fixed drainplugs to make frequent drainage a bit easier.

EDIT: Upon a brief look at the manual link in thread post #10, there are fairly good instructions and illustrations on how to drain your block, manifolds, and system depending upon whether or not you have a closed cooling or raw water system. See pages IB-19 - IB-23, and IB-26.

Good luck and post Cod photos for us.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

Chris,

keep in mind, I believe that the OP wants to keep his boat in the brine in the winter months to go fishing for Cod

I agree with your posts on flushing and draining the cooling once the boat is pulled from the brine. However I think the salt water will help in this case where the temp is just below freezing. Not sure how one would flush an Alpha/3.0 combo in the water (motor and drive from OP's other thread posts)

I also agree with a splash or two of PG antifreeze in the bilge to keep the bilge pump from freezing.

Scott

 

[rallyart]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

When your boat is on the water and closed up the temperature in the hull is closer to the water temperature than the air temp. Even if it's below freezing it is probable warmer than that in your hull. Further, water in the bilge is salt water and will not freeze at zero. You say you have no antifreeze in the cooling so I assume that it uses raw water for cooling throughout the engine. If you have a closed system with a heat exchanger then you should have antifreeze in the cooling around the block. If you have raw water cooling then you again have salt water in the block so it will not freeze at zero.
As far as starting it in the cold just make sure you have a good multigrade oil as an engine lubricant.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

salt water does not freeze at 0/32 but it will freeze at some temp below that. My guess is 25*F based on getting iced from spray while hunting.
All salt water is not created equal. North atlantic is the most concentrated, but once you go inland to estuaries and rivers, salinity can change to practically none. Rainfall/snowmelt and tide events can affect it, too.
So to be safe, treat all water as freezing @ freezing.

 

[Emeraldsnake]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

All very good advice. Certainly opened my eyes a bit. The bilge is under the engine. It works with the ignition on and by being switched on at the dash. Water collects at the base of the boat, switch on the bilge, an it eventually goes. I should mention that I have a Bayliner 2052LS Capri with a 3.0l GM engine with Alpha one gen 2 drive. 1999. :facepalm:

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

look at the bilge pump and see if there are 3 wires going to it or if there is a float (looks like a foot pedal near the pump). Most boats like yours have a wire going directly to the battery from a auto-bilge pump which will start if there is a level in the bilge no matter if the switch is turned on or not. The switch is a way to manual run the pump when the float does not detect a level.

The idea of a splash of anti-freeze in the bilge is to stop any rain water, moisture freezing so the pump can not pump it out.

 

[achris]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

.....
The idea of a splash of anti-freeze in the bilge is to stop any rain water, moisture freezing so the pump can not pump it out.

Although that sounds like a good idea (and it is), the first time the bilge pump comes on and empties out the bilge all that AF is gone... The next load of water has no AF in it... :noidea:

Chris..........

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

with out dock power there is no way to really store a boat in water during cold weather in the uk unless you are going to visit the boat every few days. I found this out when my mates boat sunk in wells harbor. During heavy snow and especially afterwards you will have to visit the boat often to recharge the battery. Is the boat going to be covered in a way that will keep the snow from building up on it?

 

[Emeraldsnake]

Re: UK winter, boat left in sea, what to look out for.

I'm at the marina at least twice a week, as with us all, I like to tinker with my other lady. Labour of love etc. The marina manager checks the boats each morning too, and will jump on the phone if he finds any problems. I'm just looking for a heads up on what to expect during the winter months. As said, I will be going out through the cold season. I will post a picture of the bilge, it's not the greatest bit of kit, it certainly seems to take a while to get rid of any collected water. I really don't like the idea of the water turning into a block of ice along the bottom of my boat! The previous owner never used her during the winter (wimp), so couldn't comment on cold running.