I have just purchased a Hunter 26 water ballast model. In the interior of British Columbia in late Sept. and through October we get temperatures as low as 25 degrees F. at night and then typically 40-70 degrees F. during the day. The boat is in the lake. Is water ballast freezing a concern in the autumn when it goes below the freezing point for maybe 6 or 8 hours a night? When should I definately take the boat out of the lake and drain the ballast tanks? I would appreciate some advice on this issue. Thanks, Nick H-S
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Mike
Water Ballast
I had one in N Alabama. It survived temps at that ranges for several days. As long as the lake doesn't freeze, the water ballast will not freeze.
I had one in N Alabama. It survived temps at that ranges for several days. As long as the lake doesn't freeze, the water ballast will not freeze.
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Ron Mehringer
Freezing
Hunter advises that just because the lake doesn't freeze, doesn't mean your ballast wont freeze. A lake is a large thermal mass, and even getting just a skin of ice requires a lot of cold (my thermodynamics professors would be cringing at my wording). The water ballast is a much smaller mass and is insulated from the water by the fiberglass and wood core of the boat's hull. Under the right conditions, your ballast will freeze even though the lake doesn't. My H26 has been in the water on nites below freezing w/o a problem, but there's no guarantee. In many cases, marine insurance won't pay for damage caused by freezing. You may want to take this question over to the Smaller Boats Forum, where more wb boat owners will see it. Ron Mehringer H26 Hydro-Therapy
Hunter advises that just because the lake doesn't freeze, doesn't mean your ballast wont freeze. A lake is a large thermal mass, and even getting just a skin of ice requires a lot of cold (my thermodynamics professors would be cringing at my wording). The water ballast is a much smaller mass and is insulated from the water by the fiberglass and wood core of the boat's hull. Under the right conditions, your ballast will freeze even though the lake doesn't. My H26 has been in the water on nites below freezing w/o a problem, but there's no guarantee. In many cases, marine insurance won't pay for damage caused by freezing. You may want to take this question over to the Smaller Boats Forum, where more wb boat owners will see it. Ron Mehringer H26 Hydro-Therapy
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Rick Macdonald
Don't forget...
...your porta-pottie and sink water tank. They'd be even more directly exposed to the freezing temperatures.
...your porta-pottie and sink water tank. They'd be even more directly exposed to the freezing temperatures.
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MArk of OSMS
Submersible aquarium heater?
Sorry... just thinking out load. Check link below if you're as nutz as I am. Happy sails *_/), MArk
Sorry... just thinking out load. Check link below if you're as nutz as I am. Happy sails *_/), MArk
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Ron Mehringer
Thinking outside the box
Gotta hand it to you Mark. The submersible aquarium heater is a clever concept. Ron Mehringer H26 Hydro-Therapy
Gotta hand it to you Mark. The submersible aquarium heater is a clever concept. Ron Mehringer H26 Hydro-Therapy
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Chris
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Ron Mehringer
additives...
If you should chose to add antifreeze, please be careful to use the kind that is environmentally friendly. Sorry, but off the top of my head I can't recall which is which. Ron Mehringer H26 Hydro-Therapy
If you should chose to add antifreeze, please be careful to use the kind that is environmentally friendly. Sorry, but off the top of my head I can't recall which is which. Ron Mehringer H26 Hydro-Therapy
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Chris
That's right
Thanks, Ron. I actually intended to put that in the thread. Yes, please be considerate of Mother Nature!
Thanks, Ron. I actually intended to put that in the thread. Yes, please be considerate of Mother Nature!
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Joe Refkin, SV/Skooky 3 Cat 30
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