Winterizing

[bojango541]

Hey,

I have a 23' Chris Craft with a v8 OMC, Tonight the temp is supposed to drop into the 20's. I'm not ready to winterize it for the winter yet, as I plan on using it a couple more times. Is these anything I should do tonight to avoid any damage from the cold?

Thanks, Nick

 

[Maclin]

Re: Winterizing

Generically speaking for raw water cooled: drain the block and exhaust manifolds and powersteering cooler.

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: Winterizing

You can buy bilge heaters for that purpose. Or if you trust it Ive heard of people hanging a 100 watt light bulb(or two) in the bilge to provide heat.

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: Winterizing

FWIW, years ago I ended up winterizing late and hung a 100w light bulb in next to the engine. I was amazed at how LITTLE heat built up. Unless your engine enclosure closes really tightly, don't count on the bulb(s) to do much. Maybe it doesn't take much to keep it from freezing, but I sure didn't trust it. Not to mention if it burns out or the cord shifts and breaks the bulb, you're SOL. I rearranged my schedule and winterized it the next day. If I had to do it again, I'd get some of those magnetic block heaters. They probably pull a fair amount of amps, so you might need more than one circuit. Still, if the juice stops flowing you might end up with a cracked block. I'd drain it for sure so I could sleep at night.