Long term lay up info

[Jeffinjax]

I am putting a boat on the hard for several years. It has a Yanmar diesel and solar panels. It's on the hard here in Florida, so I'm not too worried about snow or ice, but what are your thoughts about the following:

1. Engine preservation: Do I need to change the oil, or put some preservative in the cylinders?
2. Engine: Drain the antifreeze and replace with some special stuff, or leave as is?
3. Engine: If none of the above, should I go to the boat regularly and run it for a while? (That has logistic issues, as you can imagine, but doable.)
4. Diesel fuel: it's a 25 gallon tank with about 18 gallons in it. Should I drain it, or fill it up and deal with aging fuel later, when we put it back in the water?
5. The batteries will come out. Do I need to remove and store the solar panels, as they have nothing to do?
6. As much of the running rigging as possible is coming off, the sails will be removed. Any other ideas for the exterior? I've heard of putting sun screen material on the boat, but how is the sun on land different from water based sun?

Your ideas are welcome, especially if I've forgotten something.

Jeff
Jacksonville, FL

 

[sail sfbay]

The following is based on my experience laying up my Hunter 386 sailboat (on the hard), Ford F250 diesel truck (stored under a carport) and Correctcraft Sport Nautique (stored inside) for 3 years before moving overseas. No issues after returning them service.

1. Engine preservation: Do I need to change the oil, or put some preservative in the cylinders? For diesel engine change the oil and filter. For gasoline engine, fog cylinders.
2. Engine: Drain the antifreeze and replace with some special stuff, or leave as is? Leave as is.
3. Engine: If none of the above, should I go to the boat regularly and run it for a while? (That has logistic issues, as you can imagine, but doable.) No need to visit the boat if logistically an issue as I did not; however, if you have the ability to run the engine then do so say every month or quarterly but you will need to hook up a battery(s) and possible water supply
4. Diesel fuel: it's a 25-gallon tank with about 18 gallons in it. Should I drain it, or fill it up and deal with aging fuel later, when we put it back in the water? Top it off and add enzyme fuel stabilizer suitable for the gasoline or diesel
5. The batteries will come out. Do I need to remove and store the solar panels, as they have nothing to do? Batteries off is a good to avoid draining the batteries and put on a trickle charge otherwise they will go dead. Cannot comment on solar panels other than to say I store 2 trailers outside all year around with solar panels mounted
6. As much of the running rigging as possible is coming off, the sails will be removed. Any other ideas for the exterior? I did not remove the running rigging a good plan to mitigate environmental deterioration. Remove the sails and store in a dry location and if you have in-mast mainsail be prepared to flush out dirt, spiders, etc. from the mast top down before you re-instate the mainsail. Also tie-off your halyards and do not "sky" them or your will have a climb the forestay and mast to retrieve them.
7. Other - consider shrink wrapping, which is what I did for the sailboat. Might consider taping all the opening hatches and portlights with exterior gorilla tape to mitigate dust and rain infiltration

 

[dmax]

1. Definitely change the oil before laying up. I would also fog the cylinders.
2. If the anit-freeze is somewhat recent you should be all set, otherwise flush and replace with new anti-freeze.
3. Without a doubt, your best bet for keeping the engine in top shape is to run it when you can. If you can't run it, rotate the crankshaft occasionally.
4. If you're not going to run it, drain the tank and clean it out.
5. Store the solar panels, they will only degrade in the sun.
6. Protecting the exterior from the sun would be wise, the gel coat will be happier.

 

[jssailem]

It seems logical that you could tent the boat with a tarp. It would help keep the interior cooler during the Florida Summers. You will want to vent the boat. Keeping air movement in the boat will help with the mold and mildew issues.
You will need to visit and prep the boat should a tropical storm target the area the boat is located. Preparing the boat to manage the event.
Examine the section of the engine manual that deals with long term storage. Most manuals have directions. If yours does not I would contact the engine manufacture and ask their advise.
I would store the solar panels.
Batteries can be stored fully charged for several months. Contacting the manufacturer for advice would be suggested. I know that MaineSail has reported leaving a battery in a shed for more than 6 months. It was fully charged and survived the storage. It was either reported here in SBO or on his website.

These are some ideas.

 

[Ted]

Here is another thing to think about if you have a keel stepped mast and are storing the boat with the mast up. Water will accumulate in the bilge. If you don't have a garboard drain, install one. High levels of standing water will eventually cause water damage to floorboards and wood bulkheads. It will also promote mold and mildew throughout the boat.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Question to the OP and those who answered:

Why remove the batteries when the solar panels will/should deal with them?

I left my boat in San Francisco when I moved to British Columbia in 2016, not knowing when I would return. I bought a modest solar controller and hooked my meager 11W panel up. I returned two months later and all was well.

If the OP is going to visit the boat, why go to the trouble of removing the batteries?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Second question:

Boat's going to be on the hard. Why bother with running the engine? It ain't goin' anywhere and the potential for trouble running on the hard far outweighs any advnatge of running it. Inded, I can't think of ANY reason it should be/needs to be run at all. I've read of many who start up engines that have been laid up for years with no issues.

 

[sail sfbay]

.........Why remove the batteries when the solar panels will/should deal with them?...........

After storing my boat and truck for 3 years without solar panels batteries were dead. Same issue with my fifth wheel trailer even with 265-watt solar panel to trickle charge the batteries.

 

[sail sfbay]

...........Boat's going to be on the hard. Why bother with running the engine?.......

Agreed.......put my boats and truck on the hard and never ran the engine for 3 years..............started right up after I returned.

 

[jssailem]

My cousin says, his dad parked a tractor with a Perkins diesel at the edge of a field. Life happened and the tractor was forgotten. For 5 years. Cousin while walking in the field saw the tractor beneath a large growth of blackberry bushes. Hired a local kid to weedwack the bushes back. Once mostly free of blackberry stickers, my cousin took a 2 gallon tank of diesel and a battery down to the tractor. Poured the diesel into the tank. Attached the battery to the starter, pushed the start button a couple of times. Suddenly the diesel fired up. He drove the tractor back up out of the field and into the barn.

Said it was the best tractor he ever had.

Most diesels if kept from totally rusting solid take a licking and keep on ticking.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I am putting a boat on the hard for several years.

You're overlooking two important systems: The fresh water system and the sanitation system toilet, holding tank and any Type I MSD (onboard sewage treatment device).

Sanitation system:
Toilet: If sea water, disconnect flush water intake line from thru--hull, stick it in a full bucket of clean fresh water laced with a quart of distilled white vinegar and flush the entire bucketful through the toilet. Wouldn't hurt to do that if the toilet uses onboard pressurized fresh water...just disconnect the flush water intake line from it's fresh water line.
Leave that line disconnected from its water source.
If the toilet is a VacuFlush, contact Dometic for longterm layup prep instructions: 800-321-9886

Holding tank: pump out and THOROUGHLY flush out the tank...last thing you need to find when you return is sludge on the bottom of the tank that's turned to concrete. It's not a difficult job...you don't have to fill the tank with water to do it: After your next pumpout, put about 4-6 inches of water into the tank via the deck pumpout fitting...'cuz that sends the water into the tank at the bottom to stir up and sludge so it can be pumped out. Pump that out...repeat...repeat...till you're pumping out clean
water. If you have an overboard discharge pump to dump the tank, use one more "dose" of water run it through that pump and its plumbing. If there's any buildup on the tank walls, fill the tank with a strong solution of liquid detergent and water and let it sit at least overnight to loosen the buildup, then drain and fill the tank with clean fresh water a couple of times to rinse it out.

I the boat has a Type I MSD ( ElectroScan or PuraSan) follow mfr's instructions for prepping for long term layup. If you have one, but no longer have the owners manual, I can send you a link to it if I know which one you have.

Fresh water system
As for the fresh water system, you'll want to leave it dry. That requires draining all the water out of the system. Start by following the instructions for winterizing without antifreeze:
1. Drain the water tanks completely (just turn on all the faucets).
2. Drain water heater. Most have a drain petcock; follow manufacturer’s instructions to find it and use it. Remove both the inlet and outlet hoses, and if necessary use a shop vac to be sure of getting all the water out of it.
3. Connect water heater inlet and outlet hoses together to bypass it. Bypass kits for this purpose are available from boat stores and RV supply stores.
4. Using an air compressor, blow ALL the water out of ALL the plumbing, disconnecting it where necessary to achieve this. The first time you opt for this method can be difficult and labor intensive, but if connections are reassembled using quick-connect fittings, it becomes a lot easier in the future.

--Peggie

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Inded, I can't think of ANY reason it should be/needs to be run at all.

Not unless you're trying to continuously add water to the crankcase with condensate from the products of combustion . Nothing worse than running that cold oil through the oil rings to pick up water vapour from each power stroke. The water never gets a chance to boil off from the oil until the engine is run hard and hot for a period of time.

Right or wrong, at the end of the season and after changing the oil, I let the engine cool until it's cold and then run the engine for about 15 seconds and then shut down. My thoughts are that the oil is cold, the coolant is cold, the oil viscosity high, and a good coating of oil should hang around longer than shutting down the engine hot. A few drops of condensate do get into the oil, but I only do this once before getting into long, hot runs in the spring.

 

[dmax]

Second question:

Boat's going to be on the hard. Why bother with running the engine? It ain't goin' anywhere and the potential for trouble running on the hard far outweighs any advnatge of running it. Inded, I can't think of ANY reason it should be/needs to be run at all. I've read of many who start up engines that have been laid up for years with no issues.

Mechanical things generally do better with light use than no use at all. Seals can dry out. Running it removes moisture. I know of one case of a bearing knock developing after long term storage of a diesel engine. I would run it at least once a year but as you say, it's not necessary if properly stored.

 

[Jeffinjax]

Thanks for all the good ideas. Peggie, I hadn’t thought about the fresh water system or the holding tank. Do you advocate for removing all the fresh water, including in the lines, in case of freezing?

Time to get to work.

Jeff