Sealed with a bow (and a stern, too)

Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
I’m in the Chicago area, south Lake Michigan.

Winterizing routine includes:
Oil change every other year before haulout
Isolate water heater and drain it.
Empty water tanks.
Remove chart plotter
Top off diesel and add biocide
Remove sails, MackPack, helm cover
Pump out holding tank
Move boat to the hard
Antifreeze in fresh fresh water system
Antifreeze in engine
Antifreeze in head
Dump leftover antifreeze in bilge and run pump
Disconnect cables from batteries
Apply canvas cover
Go home for the winter

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I hate winter.

Greg
 

Bob J.

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Apr 14, 2009
773
Sabre 28 NH
When the boat was in the driveway I'd fly a ridge pole & pull a tarp over her. I'd pull the snow off when we snowblowed the driveway. Now that she's up in Winterport, ME, 4.5 hours from home, decided to shrink wrap. We're getting 8" of snow in western NH as I write this. Based upon where the boat is at, made the right decision.
 

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DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
About the same winterizing steps as Tally Ho. Except I don’t do anything with the water tank or the water heater because they have never had water in them since day one. The galley stove has never seen propane, and the microwave and fridge have never been used. I bought the boat to sail it, not to live aboard. I never had the luxury of the time to spend doing more than day sailing. I applaud those of you who do have the time.

I had a really nice fitted canvas winter cover that lasted about 12 winters before it met its demise. The last two years I had the boat shrink wrapped, but I am finding that it is far less costly in the long run to have a fitted cover.
 
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Feb 11, 2012
271
C&C Mega 30 Long Point, Lake Erie
Lost my free indoor winter storage for both boats...decided to build this over the past couple weeks in my secondary driveway.
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Everything on both boats is winterized like most others do....I do run a dehumidifier in both of them for two weeks or so to get the moisture to a minimum.
All tops, sails, upholstery/ cushions & fabrics are removed and stored indoors.
 
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Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
About the same winterizing steps as Tally Ho. Except I don’t do anything with the water tank or the water heater because they have never had water in them since day one. The galley stove has never seen propane, and the microwave and fridge have never been used. I bought the boat to sail it, not to live aboard. I never had the luxury of the time to spend doing more than day sailing. I applaud those of you who do have the time.

I had a really nice fitted canvas winter cover that lasted about 12 winters before it met its demise. The last two years I had the boat shrink wrapped, but I am finding that it is far less costly in the long run to have a fitted cover.
I am hoping to get 10+ years out of my cover...time will tell.

I see a lot of guys doing their own shrink wrap, which may offer an alternative for the DIY person.

I don’t live on my boat (except usually 1 weekend a year when I do a few nights on the hook), but we do bring friends on board for day sails, eat and drink stuff (fridge is the best upgrade on this boat-my old boat just had an ice-box), and a way to wash dishes, etc. comes in very handy for us. I still go to the marina on days I can’t sail, to work on things, and making a cup of coffee or having a cod beer is a nice luxury.

Cheers,

Greg
 
Nov 30, 2015
1,337
Hunter 1978 H30 Cherubini, Treman Marina, Ithaca, NY
I may have missed something, and this list is a work in progress as I learn more about what I should be doing.

Change the oil and filter
Final holding tank pump out, disconnect head intake, flush antifreeze from head to tank
Drain the fresh water tank and run antifreeze through every faucet until I see pink
Remove everything from the refrigerator, defrost, clean and dry well, prop open the door
Clean the bilge, attach small diameter hose to suck out what I can from the false bilge through a small hole I have access to.
Remove all bedding and toiletries
Make sure batteries are topped off and fully charged. Disconnect.
Fill diesel tank
Hoist the jib and main to make sure they're dry. Remove, fold, and bag
Remove the canvas
Clean the cabin
Have the marina do the haul out and pressure wash
Run antifreeze through the engine until I see pink. Run more through.
Stow the fenders and lines (or bring home to clean)
Open all through hulls to let them drain.
Look longingly at the boat, inside and out, and sigh at the thought of not sailing for 7 months
Pay someone a lot of money to shrink wrap it.
Argue with my wife that we should get get a custom canvas cover, which would save us money after 5 years.
Listen to her tell me that we're not buying a canvas cover until she gets new floors in the kitchen.
Exactly...but sans wrap and no fridge. We use a tarp and only have an icebox. We also remove the cushions and clean them during winter. Otherwise a perfect match with our winter checklist. Then we wait 6 months to restart the spring cleanup. No arguments with the Admiral about canvas covers. Gotta keep her happy and working hard. Come on April...

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Jul 1, 2010
962
Catalina 350 Lake Huron
Concerning ice dams, here's something I'm trying on our Seaward 25 this year. Adding a little support for the tarp with 1/2" pvc pipe:

IMG_20181030_180207423.jpg IMG_20181030_180250640.jpg IMG_20181031_073330193.jpg

We just had a foot of heavy snow, and the pvc support seems to be doing it's job. I leave both ends of the tarp open for ventilation.

Our other boat (Catalina 350) is on a cradle, and has a winter cover.

cat350.jpg

Both boats have had the usual oil change and antifreeze treatments of all that can freeze. I made my own damp rid using nested 5 gal pails and Calcium chloride ice melt. 2 pails in the Catalina, and 1 pail in the Seaward.
 
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Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
Concerning ice dams, here's something I'm trying on our Seaward 25 this year. Adding a little support for the tarp with 1/2" pvc pipe:


Hello sesmith, (first picture) What a wonderful contraption! Add some holes and a hose connection and it can serve as a lawn sprinkler next summer. I will work on one of those for our Celebrity as soon as the temp rises enough so the pipe won't splinter.
 
Jun 13, 2010
70
Hunter 1994 Hunter 35.5 Legend walker, mn
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Heres my cover from Shipshape in Duluth, Mn....it's wonderful....
 
Oct 6, 2007
1,023
Hunter H30 1982 Chicago IL
F17957C5-D2CD-4DDB-AB01-7280E1B4BD7D.jpeg I have the boat shrinkwrapped by the yacht yard. Almost all of my winterizing is usually complete by that time.

I keep a running checklist in the notes app on my iPhone & iPad for fall winterizing tasks, winter/spring projects, and spring recommissioning tasks. Of course I never have time for more than a few of the winter/spring projects on the list, have to prioritize there, but I do get satisfaction out of seeing the fall and spring tasks checked off.

Here is the winterizing portion of my checklist:


BOAT TO DO LIST - fall 2018 / spring 2019

Before autumn river trip (Wed Oct 10):
  1. Fuel dock - fill tank & 2 gal in jerrycan for final top off.✔
  2. Pump out & triple rinse holding tank.✔
  3. Change oil & Fram filter while engine warm.✔
  4. ♻ Old oil to PepBoys.✔
  5. Change fuel filters - Racor✔ & Yanmar.
  6. Winterize water system - 3 gallons pink - drain & bi-pass water heater.✔
  7. Clean & flush bilge.✔
  8. Sails off, folded & to Sail Loft for cleaning, storage. ✔
  9. Halyards and downhaul lines off, halyard messenger lines in.✔
  10. Clothes & linens home.✔
  11. Fenders off dock & on boat (3" above toe rail).✔
  12. Drained water hose, dock wheel & electric cord in lazarette.✔
  13. Dodger canvas off.✔

At Dock Immediately after autumn river trip:
  1. Anti-freeze through engine (2 gal green or purple) while hot.✔
  2. Clean & drain raw water strainer✔
  3. Drain and dry bilge.✔
  4. Brush off bridge debris - fallen rust, grit, etc.✔
  5. Sto Life Sling in lazarette.✔

Final Winterizing on Hard:
  1. All food, trash, cleaning supplies, liquids off boat.✔
  2. Top off fuel tank, add Stabil & BioborJF.✔
  3. Drill and drain rudder.✔
  4. Anti-freeze (1 gal green) through head✔ & in bilge.✔
  5. Water tank inspection ports open and tank dry.✔
  6. Seacocks drained & open, raw water strainer cleaned & drained.✔
  7. Disconnect batteries & check fluid level.✔
  8. All lockers emptied, cleaned, dried & open✔
  9. Cushions on end in V-berth w/ PFD’s saddled over top edges for air circulation.✔
  10. DampRid (6 buckets) deployed. ✔
  11. Shop vac & tools accessible in main saloon for winter/spring use.✔
  12. Dock lines & fenders in lazarette.✔.
  13. Shrinkwrap by yacht yard.✔
  14. Head portlite open 1” after shrink wrap for air circulation.✔
  15. Open anchor locker after shrink wrap for air circulation.✔
Winter Storage Checks every 3-5 weeks and/or after severe weather:
Cradle & pads firm, shrinkwrap secure, check for condensation in cabin, empty DampRid buckets if needed.....etc.
11/3/18, 12/—/18, 01/—/19.....
 
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Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
I don't understand why many people fill their potable water systems with antifreeze. It is cheaper to install a fitting or make an adapter and purge the water system with air. You don't need to by pass the water heater, just drain it from the valve and pressurize the system with air and then open each hot and cold water valve/faucet until only air comes out. Faster and cheaper IMO. Although we don't drink tank water without running it through a Brita pitcher, only if we run out of bottled water, even when your just taking a shower you can taste and smell the "pink stuff" in the water. It's despicable.
 
Oct 6, 2007
1,023
Hunter H30 1982 Chicago IL
I don't understand why many people fill their potable water systems with antifreeze. It is cheaper to install a fitting or make an adapter and purge the water system with air. You don't need to by pass the water heater, just drain it from the valve and pressurize the system with air and then open each hot and cold water valve/faucet until only air comes out. Faster and cheaper IMO. Although we don't drink tank water without running it through a Brita pitcher, only if we run out of bottled water, even when your just taking a shower you can taste and smell the "pink stuff" in the water. It's despicable.
There seems to be two schools of thought on winterizing water systems: Blast it out with air and hope there is not enough moisture left in the hoses for nasty stuff to grow in the system over the winter or fill the system with the pink stuff which nothing will grow in. Both methods protect against ice damage if enough water has been removed from the system.
Personally, I favor the pink stuff. I have more confidence that there will be no freezing damage, nothing gets a chance to grow inside the system over the winter, and I find there is no issue with smelling or tasting it in the water the next season when I follow Peggie Hall HeadMistress’ instructions for recommissioning the water tank and system in the spring. See her March 28, 2018 post on this - search “recommission water tank”. It’s basically a shock treatment of the whole system with a strong dose of Clorox and then a very thorough flush of the system with fresh water.
 
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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
.... Although we don't drink tank water without running it through a Brita pitcher, even when your just taking a shower you can taste and smell the "pink stuff" in the water. It's despicable.
Sounds like you're not doing it right. I use pink, and we never have any qualms with drinking the tap water after it is commissioned properly.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Sounds like you're not dong it right. I use pink, and we never have any qualms with drinking the tap water after it is commissioned properly.
Me either, once I learned to rinse the tanks. I can't take the chance of water laying in many of my boats plumbing, which is largely copper tubing. I've dealt with too much damage from burst copper and even PEX tubing in residential construction, in freeze ups.

But I let everything drain into the bilge and out the garboard plug over the winter, by leaving the main supply from the tanks (3 total) disconnected. Most of the antifreeze is captured and re-used in the head, icebox sump, etc.

I also lost a reduction gear cooled by raw water one year after an early freeze. Now I run anti freeze through the engines raw water.

In the spring I run a few gallons of fresh water through each tank before connecting the tanks to the fresh water pump.

No smell or taste(it is awful if not rinsed), after a good rinse. It's better to use air if it works for your boat.
 
Aug 13, 2012
533
Catalina 270 Ottawa
There seems to be two schools of thought on winterizing water systems: Blast it out with air and hope there is not enough moisture left in the hoses for nasty stuff to grow in the system over the winter or fill the system with the pink stuff which nothing will grow in.
And then you can do both: blow the lines, fill with AF, blow them again.

If anything stays in the lines (in the low spots) it is the AF, so no issue. There is less AF in the lines (hardly any), so the smell and taste of the AF will be that much less in the spring.
 
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Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
And then you can do both: blow the lines, fill with AF, blow them again.

If anything stays in the lines (in the low spots) it is the AF, so no issue. There is less AF in the lines (hardly any), so the smell and taste of the AF will be that much less in the spring.
I would first want to know whether the AF would coat and dry in the lines. A dried coating may not dissolve readily when you refill the lines with water. Then you would have the AF slowly dissolving into your system over a period of time. It may be better to keep the AF in solution, so it can be removed in Spring.
 

FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
I hauled out the last weekend of October. To winterize I take off the outboard and take it home and winterize it. I take off the main, unhook the batteries, take out the gas tank, empty the fridge. Today, I finally covered her for the winter. I don't have any potable water or other systems that require draining and I also don't stow my tools because they are the first thing I dig out in spring.
 

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