boat prep for winter..

wxt8981 · Nov 28, 2006

Hi Roy;

you don't need to suck up the antifreeze (doesn't taste to
good either). Just get a jog with water mixed with
antifreeze (like the chart says on the bottle), loosen the
raw water intake, stick it into the jog, start the engine,
and when the stuff comes out the other end- you're done. A
better way is to open all valves from the engine (should be
sommewhere at the lowest part depending on what engine you
have). Though it's still a good idea to drain all water
from the exhaust hose as well!

Wilhelm, V-257

trevy_kins · Nov 29, 2006

Roy, I am dealing with this issue for the first time with winter fast
approaching here in Ontario. I don't think the manual should be
followed where freezing temperatures occur. First I drained the motor
and the exhaust of coolant, then I removed the water intake hose from
the thru - hull and stuck that in a pail of anti-freeze (good
anti-freeze has rust preventatives in it) and drew that into the engine
until it came out of the exhaust (carefully catching it in a bucket) and
then removed the impeller (if you don't it will swell up and need
replacement). The trouble with removing the impeller, however, is that
I lost a lot of antifreeze into the bilge. So I plan to do this again,
and quickly cork the uptake hose leading from the pump to the engine
when I open up the impeller cover to remove it. Don't forget to run
plumbers antifreeze through your plumbling too. Cheers, Trev #2915

________________________________

From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of groundhog
Sent: November 28, 2006 4:52 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] boat prep for winter..Hello all,

I searched the archives and didn't find much on preparing the boat for
winter.

The procedure in the manual seems quite complicated.

Can I suck up some antifreeze/rust preventative into the engine until it
comes out the back?

Can anyone share what they do to their boats for the winter?
Does anyone have favorite products to use?

Roy
Good Things
#1813

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itheilmann · Nov 29, 2006

Hi Trevor,

Greetings from the Ottawa Valley,

For what it is worth, I have winterized "Tara", 2490 since 1998. I do it by just running the engine prior to being lifted out of the water, and sucking antifreeze in through the water intake hose until it came out of the exhaust. I replaced the impellor when we bought the boat several years ago, just on principle, and have not replaced it since and it has not seemed necessary to replace it yet, as it continues to pump satisfactorily. I would prefer to do the winterizing on land but I'm not sure if the cutlass bearing could take the shaft turning when the boat is out of the water. I did replace what seemed to be an original type bearing with a black plastic like one from Sweden when I overhauled the combi unit. Trust you had a good sailing season.

Iver

wxt8981 · Nov 29, 2006

And for what it's worth- don't forget to take out the plug
from the bilge.
Wilhelm, V-257

trevy_kins · Nov 29, 2006

Hi Iver, good to hear form another Canuck! Thanks for your input.
Original owner of my Vega reported swollen and crumbling impeller when
he left the impeller soaking in anti-freeze one winter (albeit he used
100% anti-freeze which is never advisable) so I thought it best to
remove it. I run a garden hose into the aft end of the shaft for
lubrication when I run the engine on the hard. There is a bit of play
on stern bearing though. I'd be interested to know how much play is
normal? Perhaps I will need to overhaul the combi after my first season
on the water next year. Did you do that yourself? And, if so, how did
you find that experience?
Cheers, Trec

________________________________

From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Pam and Iver Theilmann
Sent: November 29, 2006 12:42 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] boat prep for winter..
Hi Trevor,

Greetings from the Ottawa Valley,

For what it is worth, I have winterized "Tara", 2490 since 1998. I do it
by just running the engine prior to being lifted out of the water, and
sucking antifreeze in through the water intake hose until it came out of
the exhaust. I replaced the impellor when we bought the boat several
years ago, just on principle, and have not replaced it since and it has
not seemed necessary to replace it yet, as it continues to pump
satisfactorily. I would prefer to do the winterizing on land but I'm not
sure if the cutlass bearing could take the shaft turning when the boat
is out of the water. I did replace what seemed to be an original type
bearing with a black plastic like one from Sweden when I overhauled the
combi unit. Trust you had a good sailing season.

Iver

groundhogyh · Nov 29, 2006

Thanks for the input. All really good tips!

I wonder if there is some type of antifreeze that won't eat at your impeller? Does anyone know what type of rubber the impeller is made of?

Thanks,
roy

jvancraaikamp · Nov 29, 2006

Hi groundhog

The impeller is made of nitrile rubber,

Regards Jan

groundhogyh · Nov 29, 2006

On that impeller getting eaten thing...brbr

What if you first pump antifreeze through the engine and exhaust, then just remove the impeller cover and wash off the impeller with some water, then leave the cover off for the winter?brbr

You now have antifreeze all through the engine, except in the impeller compartment, which is open and will be safe from freezing.brbr

Would that be ok?brbr

Roybrbr

jvancraaikamp · Nov 29, 2006

Hi Roy,

I don't think that you have to worry about your impeller being eaten
by your anti freeze since all the hoses in a car are made of rubber
and they last quite some time.
They don't disapear. I always remove the thermostate and fill up the
motor with antifreeze through the waterfilter before the pump while
the motor is running on the starter. When the antifreeze comes out
of the exhaust I stop filling and I've never removed the impeller.
I do check th impeller before I lauch the boat in april.
Regards Jan

wxt8981 · Nov 29, 2006

Hi Trevor;
you should see the bushing (stern bearing) which is made of
some sort of fiberglass (or whatever). It's normal to have
some play, but if you see more wear on one side, then it's
time to change the bushing. (and then at the same time
replace all rubber seals like from the stuffing box. These
things aren't expensive, but worth every penny.
Wilhelm, V-257
(I'm lucky, I don't have to winterize any more since I'm in
Florida, but I did it often when I was "up North" on lake
Michigan).

pjacobs55 · Nov 30, 2006

That's what I do and what Westerbeke recommends. A year ago I had the water
pump replaced and the yard left the (new) impeller in antifreeze all winter
and I ended up overheating, finding a rotten impeller, and replacing the
impeller while sailing. So it is important not to leave the impeller in
antifreeze all winter.Nicholas Walsh
Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial Street
Portland Maine 04101
Tel. 207/772-2191
fax 207/774-3940

This email was sent from the law firm of Nicholas H. Walsh P.A. It may
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vegasailor2001 · Nov 30, 2006

Hi all!

In Sweden it is common to do it this way! When the boat is still in water: Let the engine run for 30 min. When the engine is warm, change the oil and oil filter. After that losen the inlet water pipe and suck first one bucket (10 liters) with fresh water through the cooling system (to get rid of the salt) and then one bucket with anti-frezze (50%). It is important to change the oil in the autumn since the used oil may contain sulfur compound which can be corrosive. Most people also take out the impeller, grease it and store it in a bag. I have done both and not seen any real difference. Maybe the rubber quality is better now? When the boat is on land, the drain plug is taken away and the bilge is cleaned with a rug. Then the toilet system is emtied or filled with anti-frezze. If anti frezze is used, make sure the rubber sealings is ok to use with anti-frezze. It is also good to cheque the batteri, and make sure it is fully charged. I usually charge it one or two times during the winter to make sure it stay loaded all the time.

In spring, the fuel filters is changed and the boat is ready for a new season.

Yours,

Björn
Vega 2757

groundhogyh · Dec 2, 2006

I came across another interesting tip. New to me but probably familiar to many of you.

For water plumbing systems, put in a mixture of 50% vodka.
And you get a surprise when you get that first glass of water next season.

gh

sabre28mk1 · Dec 13, 2006

Hello everyone,

We have switched our Sabre28mk1@... address to
the following:

Albinvega1865@...

I will switch my address on the list over in about a
week or so. Bear with us while this change takes
affect. After Dec 22nd, the Sabre account will be
down.

Thanks!
Chris & Kerin
#1865
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