Happy Thanksgiving to all. My boat is located in Northeast Alabama and stays in the water year round. We are just far enough South to have some gorgeous weekends during the winter but far enough North that you don't dare leave the boat unwinterized. My goal is to be able to quickly and fairly easily rewinterize the boat on Suday afternoon after sailing for the weekend. I have seen other boats in the marina that have a tank that they fill with the "pink stuff" and, through added hoses and 3 way valves, close the seacocks and let the engine pull from the tank long enough to protect its self. I am considering using a new 3 gallon water/waste tank as a central water manifold, filling the tank with the engine seacock, and pulling engine, dripless shaft bearing, central head/air, and maybe the head water out of this tank (year round). To rewinterize I would close the engine seacock and pour antifreeze into the tank and run each system for a few seconds. An additional benefit of using one seacock and a tank might be that I could leave more of the 10 or so holes Beneteau punched in the bottom of the boat closed while I go sailing. This sounds like it work work to me but I'm no engineer. Thoughts anyone?
Central water manifold
- Thread starter Grady17631
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It might work if you had check valves in the hoses. But I am leary of big check valves. When the engine is running you are trying to draw water into the tank using the engine's seawater pump. But you have open hoses to three or four other places(head, A/C, shaft bearing, etc.). How is the engine going to draw anything but air?
You really have a water-cooled shaft seal?
You really have a water-cooled shaft seal?
Tee fitting
There is a much easier way. How do you winterize now? First, keep freshwater system winterized and if you need potable water, take camp jugs. Now, the engine-put a tee fitting in the line between through hull and strainer. Put a valve on the open part of the tee and fit with 3-5feet of hose. To run engine, close the new valve and open thru hull. Should work as normal.
When you get back, with the engine running, put the new hose in a gallon of pink stuff, open new valve and close thru hull. The pump should pull pink stuff instead of lake water. As soon as pink stuff is running out the exhaust (probably about 1 gal) shut down the engine. Close all valves and pack up.
There is a much easier way. How do you winterize now? First, keep freshwater system winterized and if you need potable water, take camp jugs. Now, the engine-put a tee fitting in the line between through hull and strainer. Put a valve on the open part of the tee and fit with 3-5feet of hose. To run engine, close the new valve and open thru hull. Should work as normal.
When you get back, with the engine running, put the new hose in a gallon of pink stuff, open new valve and close thru hull. The pump should pull pink stuff instead of lake water. As soon as pink stuff is running out the exhaust (probably about 1 gal) shut down the engine. Close all valves and pack up.
I question the need to winterize
If you leave the boat in the water and the water doesn't freeze solid, there shouldn't be any need to winterize...'cuz the hull of a boat takes its temperature off the air (if out of the water) or the water if in the water...so if the water is above freezing, so is everything inside the hull.
I kept my boats on Lake Lanier north of Atlanta for more than 20 years...and like you, used my boat 12 months. Never winterized, never had a problem, even during "hard freezes" that lasted several days because the WATER never got below about 40, so neither did anything in the boat..
If you leave the boat in the water and the water doesn't freeze solid, there shouldn't be any need to winterize...'cuz the hull of a boat takes its temperature off the air (if out of the water) or the water if in the water...so if the water is above freezing, so is everything inside the hull.
I kept my boats on Lake Lanier north of Atlanta for more than 20 years...and like you, used my boat 12 months. Never winterized, never had a problem, even during "hard freezes" that lasted several days because the WATER never got below about 40, so neither did anything in the boat..
Sorry for not replying before now,
been away from the computer. Thanks for the information. Peggy you are right, I may be worrying about something that will not happen in my lifetime but, I sleep better knowing that no mater what, even if I am out of the state, the boat will be safe.
Andy, I probably will do something close to what you recommend. I was thinking of using a tank to get away from more valves but the extra valves maybe the simplest solution. We do winterize the pressure water system as you suggested.
Ed, I was thinking of filling the tank right out of the engine seacock and letting the engine and air-con pumps pull the water out of the tank. The air conditioner pump doesn't self prime and its buried deep under the rear berth so its the worst to winterize. Drawing air into the system I proposed was one of my big concerns.
The shaft seal was new to me, but one of the 10 holes in the bottom of the boat is a dedicated seacock that supplies water to the shaft seal and appearently cools and lubrcates the shaft and then flows overboard. Seems to work great; never felt the shaft get warm, there is no water drips inside the boat, and near as I can tell there is nothing to adjust.
Thanks for the helpful input.
been away from the computer. Thanks for the information. Peggy you are right, I may be worrying about something that will not happen in my lifetime but, I sleep better knowing that no mater what, even if I am out of the state, the boat will be safe.
Andy, I probably will do something close to what you recommend. I was thinking of using a tank to get away from more valves but the extra valves maybe the simplest solution. We do winterize the pressure water system as you suggested.
Ed, I was thinking of filling the tank right out of the engine seacock and letting the engine and air-con pumps pull the water out of the tank. The air conditioner pump doesn't self prime and its buried deep under the rear berth so its the worst to winterize. Drawing air into the system I proposed was one of my big concerns.
The shaft seal was new to me, but one of the 10 holes in the bottom of the boat is a dedicated seacock that supplies water to the shaft seal and appearently cools and lubrcates the shaft and then flows overboard. Seems to work great; never felt the shaft get warm, there is no water drips inside the boat, and near as I can tell there is nothing to adjust.
Thanks for the helpful input.
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