Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

[LuvBoating]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Well........we had PERFECT weather this last weekend to take the boat out, BUT:
I got a bad sinus cold last Thursday that went thru the weekend
and besides that,
we want to know why there was excess water in our bilge area (noticed it last time we took it out in mid Oct)
and,
we want to get the Trim Switches repaired..........Trim Indicator and Trim "Down" doesn't work.

Due to sinus cold, we couldn't go over to the boat and see if we could let the water out of the block (petcocks). If we I can't do that, we are going to lay a couple of blankets over the engine for protection anyway. Due to finances, got to wait another month or so to take the boat to the dealership to check the possible water leak, replace the Switches, etc.. The lowest we will get this week is 42 degrees for a few hours in the AM.

Anyway, we "say" that we won't take it out after Halloween/before March, but if the weather is nice, there is always that chance we could change our minds.

 

[MJG24]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

I hate to say it, LuvBoating, but with your limited physical abilities to take care of simple things, your limited finances to do routine maintenance, and lack of anyone around to help you, I don't see owning a boat as something that should be in your future...

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Wife and I BOTH say.........you're definitely WRONG, but are entitled to your opinion! We've done fine with this boat since buying it in 2009, and, like any 20 year old boat, have had to put some money into it. Yes, I have some physical limitations, so????? Does that mean we shouldn't own a boat.......ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Anyway, trying to get my body down inside/around the engine compartment sure ISN'T a simple thing!! Don't know how old you are, but the mechanics that have worked on our boat are at least 1/2 of my age........and in much better shape than I am! Limited finances.......ah, a lot of boat owners have that problem! Routine maintenance? We get it done, when it's needed.

I hate to say it, LuvBoating, but with your limited physical abilities to take care of simple things, your limited finances to do routine maintenance, and lack of anyone around to help you, I don't see owning a boat as something that should be in your future...

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Well Luvboating -.......... Id say you are between a rock and hard spot when it comes to your boating needs!

Maybe a battery operated blanket....dont know if they make them or not!

 

[MJG24]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Wife and I BOTH say.........you're definitely WRONG, but are entitled to your opinion! We've done fine with this boat since buying it in 2009, and, like any 20 year old boat, have had to put some money into it. Yes, I have some physical limitations, so????? Does that mean we shouldn't own a boat.......ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Anyway, trying to get my body down inside/around the engine compartment sure ISN'T a simple thing!! Don't know how old you are, but the mechanics that have worked on our boat are at least 1/2 of my age........and in much better shape than I am! Limited finances.......ah, a lot of boat owners have that problem! Routine maintenance? We get it done, when it's needed.

Well, I didn't expect you to agree with me . And I'm not trying to be an a-hole. Just an observation. Also, I don't really want to turn this into an argument, but physical and financial limitations can be very dangerous to boating...

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Ah, no problem! No argument intended, but I don't have THAT much of physical limitations and sometimes finances are a problems and sometimes not.
Listen, I use to work on my own vehicles years ago (70's, 80's and 90's) when I was younger and all this computer stuff wasn't in them. I didn't do anything heavy duty, such as brake jobs or engine/trany work, but tune-ups, change oil, replace starter, change belts......that kind of stuff yes. In some ways I was a real "grease monkey" back then, but doing that as a career......NO THANKS!! Today, I'm a "computer junkee" and stay clean. Before retiring, I worked in an office and wore office clothes and LOVED IT!

Heck, last week, I was told by a Dry Storage manager, "only a few boats in these two buildings get winterized. Most people here know, or are told, that it isn't necessary. Their boats run fine after sitting for a few months in the racks."

Well, I didn't expect you to agree with me . And I'm not trying to be an a-hole. Just an observation. Also, I don't really want to turn this into an argument, but physical and financial limitations can be very dangerous to boating...

 

[blackcreek]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

First boat I bought after moving back to Jacksonville in 2000 was a ski supreme with a cracked block and heads from freeze damage. It does not happen every year but it must of been bad back in 2000 because the machine shop that honed my replacement block said lots of boat motors got hit that year. I boat year round because I live on the water, if it looks like cold weather I just throw a couple lights under the engine cover. I would certainly empty the block and heads if the boat is going to sit between mid November to mid March. The week you travel for Christmas or holidays will be the week we get a bad cold snap. If you are getting water in the bilge of a mercruiser drive boat my guess is one of the rubber bellows is bad, had to change them on my sea ray.
Saturday was around 80 with no wind and the river was dead calm so I took the wife down to outback crabshack in the boat. (Mastercraft)

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Heck, last week, I was told by a Dry Storage manager, "only a few boats in these two buildings get winterized. Most people here know, or are told, that it isn't necessary. Their boats run fine after sitting for a few months in the racks."

I'll bet those few boats that get winterized in that dry storage are owned by people that have been bitten by not winterizing in north Florida before.... but, hey! It's Florida!, the Sunshine state and nothing like boat blocks freezing and cracking ever happens there!... 'cause everybody says so.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

...we are going to lay a couple of blankets over the engine for protection ...

Optimistic thinking! This sound good until you think it through.
Blankets keep objects warm by reflecting a portion of the heat back in.
The engine is not generating heat and will not be warmed by the blankets.

It would be like putting blankets on a corpse to keep it warm!

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

This has been an interesting read. I live in Texas, and many of you know that my Dad just bought a 340 Sundancer. Now I drain my black and perform all the maintenance in the fall, and put her to sleep, but all the guys on my Dads dock NEVER drain anything. I was stunned. Because the boats sit in the water, they stay much warmer. All the guys do it pug up the bilge vents, have a good bilge heater (for emergencies) and run the cabin heater. The guy in the slip beside us run a data logger in is bilge and no heater and last year the coldest it got in his bilge was 34.

I have also noticed guys with smaller boats that are on lifts rushing out to lower them in the water before a freeze.

hat is interesting is all the smaller boats at the marina that are on lifts do the same thing. It is funny to watch, the day before a freeze, all the guys coming out to lower their boats into the water for warmth.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

34 deg in the bilge is proof positive that the owner just got lucky.... WAY too close for me to be able to sleep soundly!

 

[V153]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

34 deg in the bilge is proof positive that the owner just got lucky.... WAY too close for me to be able to sleep soundly!

Yeah that's cuttin it a lil close.

Fwiw nobody I know 'winterizes' a boat 'round these parts. You might get laughed outa the marina if you inquired about it.

Having said that if you live inland north of Ocala, or say Jacksonville. And don't plan to use the boat during the winter months. Might not be a bad idea.

Sounds like somebody needs to invent a solar/wind powered block heater?

 

[Quit It]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

I noticed a complaint about my "truckload of batteries" comment so I'll say this:

sure you could heat the engine compartment with a space heater and inverter... I'd say that 10 group 27 deep cycle batts would get you through 8 hours of running the heater without a recharge... sooo for roughly $1500 and half a day of work you could have freeze protection for 1 or 2 nights.......

If all you needed was a 100 watt bulb for heat then the same 10 batts would give you possibly 80 hours
but that will only raise the engine room temp a couple of degrees on some boats and more on others depending on how air tight and how well insulated

What? 10 group 27 batteries could only run a heater for an 8 hour stint? What heater are you using? Running the numbers one battery (I used a group 34) would get you about 7 hours. And, that's constant running. It's not going to run constantly in Florida. It's going to run for a few hours, maybe.

Maybe you ran the numbers using a household space heater? That would make more sense. I dunno, I don't want to go back and forth with you about this, but it's certainly not going to require 10 batteries; 10 batteries are going to get you way more than 8 hours; and there's no need to spend $1,500 on batteries.

 

[Quit It]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Optimistic thinking! This sound good until you think it through.
Blankets keep objects warm by reflecting a portion of the heat back in.
The engine is not generating heat and will not be warmed by the blankets.

It would be like putting blankets on a corpse to keep it warm!

FWIW, a recently deceased body that's insulated (clothing, bedding, etc.) cools much slower than one that's naked (all other things being equal). As you said, blankets reflect the heat back in, and what LuvBoating is hoping would happen with an engine that was warmed to 55-65 during the day (ambient air temperature) would retain some of that heat throughout the night. I'm not saying that it would work, but insulation does help objects retain their heat.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

yes a typical 110 volt household space heater uses 1000 or more watts..... that's 83 amps/hr minimum.... figuring a deep cycle at 100 amp/hr you get just over 1 hour..... now at that high of an amp load you would need several batts in parallel because the 100 amp/hr rating will be at considerably less than an 83 amp load.

The block heater in my truck uses around 1400 watts which is 120 amps at 12 volts and would suck a batt dry in 45 minutes or so

worse yet these numbers assume a 100% efficient inverter which is far from possible... figure more like 75% and cut the above times by 25% and you'll see that to get any real heat takes a LOT of juice.....

I have run a space heater in an engine compartment in 25 deg weather when a storm caught me unprepared and it was only able to keep the temp at around 45 deg running constantly... it was enough but just barely.... my bilge vents were open, blocking them might have made a pretty good difference but at what point does it become easier to simply drain a few petcocks on a boat that will be parked for months...... For me that point comes WAY before I have to go out at night and start rigging up batteries and a heater and covering vents

 

[Quit It]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

yes a typical 110 volt household space heater uses 1000 or more watts..... that's 83 amps/hr minimum.... figuring a deep cycle at 100 amp/hr you get just over 1 hour..... now at that high of an amp load you would need several batts in parallel because the 100 amp/hr rating will be at considerably less than an 83 amp load.

The block heater in my truck uses around 1400 watts which is 120 amps at 12 volts and would suck a batt dry in 45 minutes or so

worse yet these numbers assume a 100% efficient inverter which is far from possible... figure more like 75% and cut the above times by 25% and you'll see that to get any real heat takes a LOT of juice.....

I have run a space heater in an engine compartment in 25 deg weather when a storm caught me unprepared and it was only able to keep the temp at around 45 deg running constantly... it was enough but just barely.... my bilge vents were open, blocking them might have made a pretty good difference but at what point does it become easier to simply drain a few petcocks on a boat that will be parked for months...... For me that point comes WAY before I have to go out at night and start rigging up batteries and a heater and covering vents

Like I said, you're talking about household space heaters, the bilge heaters usage is way, way less than typical. The block heater in your truck is working much harder than it would in Florida. I can't speak to your personal experience, and I have no experience using a bilge heater. Maybe the manufacturers are all lying about their specs, maybe Ohm's Law is wrong.

I also am finding that it's not just a few petcocks that need to be opened It probably is simpler for you, me and most everyone to drain when necessary, but I don't begrudge anyone for trying to find a way around it.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

I never said I wasn't talking about a space heater....
A small bilge heater would be what, 300-500 watts... If that was big enough for an application then you could double or triple the above numbers... of course ohms law isn't wrong.... volts x amps = watts

IE 1500 watts / 12 volts = 125 amps....

400 watts / 12 volts = 33 amps.... If a battery is rated at 105 amp/hrs at a 10 amp/hr load then it would take 3 of them powering a 75% efficient inverter to run the heater constantly for about 6 hours and 45 minutes....
I honestly don't see what is so tough to understand.... Sure it MIGHT not run constantly... sure it MIGHT not be a big enough heater to do the job... those are variables that would require much more data AND a crystal ball.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

FWIW, a recently deceased body that's insulated (clothing, bedding, etc.) cools much slower than one that's naked (all other things being equal). As you said, blankets reflect the heat back in, and what LuvBoating is hoping would happen with an engine that was warmed to 55-65 during the day (ambient air temperature) would retain some of that heat throughout the night. I'm not saying that it would work, but insulation does help objects retain their heat.

I have no disagreement with your statement; You can't argue with the physics.

I can cover 95% of my body in blankets easily.
Imagine trying to cover all 6 sides of an engine installed in a boat with blankets! I wouldn't even attempt it.

I was using the "Warming the Dead" statement only as an example of delaying the inevitable.
Sometimes a Visual helps the explanation.

Many folks do not have a firm grip on thermodynamics.
I am sure there are many that think the blankets do the warming.
Think of how many think a shot of Whiskey can warm you up?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Having said that if you live inland north of Ocala, or say Jacksonville. And don't plan to use the boat during the winter months. Might not be a bad idea.

The OP lives in the Jacksonville area.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Winterization In Florida........Yes or No?

Yes, we live 11 miles south of downtown and the temp right now (8:21AM) is 47 degrees and going up........not going to hurt our boat engine! During these months of the year, the northside and westside of Jacksonville can be at least 5 degrees colder than we get. Just seems to stay somewhat warmer in the area we live in and we are told it's b/c of the St John's River being close to us.

BTW, we aren't going to do the blanket thing on the boat. This weekend I will try to get to the petcocks and open them/drain the water. If I can't, so be it.

The OP lives in the Jacksonville area.