Question regarding how to winterize seacocks when boat kept in the water all winter

[Monheganlover]

Hi. I have previously stored my Catalina 310 on the hard each winter. My marina is on the Chesapeake Bay and we, typically, have mild winters but we do get the occasional deep freeze. The marina has bubblers. While I will be following all the normal winterization procedures I did on land for the fresh water system and the engine, I can't do the same for the seacocks, which, on land, I just left open to drain.

Does anyone have any advice on how I might go about winterizing the seacocks themselves as they will be in the water, including the air conditioner seacock? I am a bit baffled about the best way to do it.

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

 

[jssailem]

Leaving a boat in the water means leaving the seacocks closed.

Have a way to keep your bilge pump ready to run. I.e. Solar or dock power.

When we had incandescent light bulbs, we could leave one on and the heat produced would be enough to stave off freezing. Now I leave a ceramic heater on low with power from the marina to keep it on. If a deep freeze occurs I go up and check on the boat.

Normal freeze of surface water is no problem as water beneath the surface to above freezing and in contact with the through hull.

In the event there is a catastrophic freeze. And the Chesapeake freezes solid then We all have bigger problems.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I kept our boat in every winter in NewEngland. Just dump a little antifreeze in the hose above each sea cock and close it leaving some residual antifreeze trapped.

 

[rpell1@msn.com]

I kept our boat in every winter in NewEngland. Just dump a little antifreeze in the hose above each sea cock and close it leaving some residual antifreeze trapped.

I've been using this same technique on my Cat30's for about 15 years now. Never had a freezing problem here in Sheepshead Bay, NY. The fact that the water in the bay is brackish, lends itself to more easily freezing.

 

[Monheganlover]

I've been using this same technique on my Cat30's for about 15 years now. Never had a freezing problem here in Sheepshead Bay, NY. The fact that the water in the bay is brackish, lends itself to more easily freezing.

Thanks. Would you mind sharing your technique?

 

[Monheganlover]

I've been using this same technique on my Cat30's for about 15 years now. Never had a freezing problem here in Sheepshead Bay, NY. The fact that the water in the bay is brackish, lends itself to more easily freezing.

Ooops, ignore. I see that you were endorsing the previous poster's good suggestion.

 

[Monheganlover]

Leaving a boat in the water means leaving the seacocks closed.

Have a way to keep your bilge pump ready to run. I.e. Solar or dock power.

When we had incandescent light bulbs, we could leave one on and the heat produced would be enough to stave off freezing. Now I leave a ceramic heater on low with power from the marina to keep it on. If a deep freeze occurs I go up and check on the boat.

Normal freeze of surface water is no problem as water beneath the surface to above freezing and in contact with the through hull.

In the event there is a catastrophic freeze. And the Chesapeake freezes solid then We all have bigger problems.

Thanks! Great suggestions. And you are right about the Chesapeake freezing being a cause for larger concern

 

[Sanfelice]

I do it a little different. I use 100 below pink stuff and fill the closed respective hose and seacock. I then connect my shop vac and blow the antifreeze through the seacock and shut it quickly while the vac is still on. That ensures that the seacock is clear of water. I also run the 100 below pink stuff through all my hoses and then blow the lines out. As added protection, I place a chicken coop reflecting heat lamp facing the engine. It is connected to a 110 outlet utilizing a plug which switches on when the interior temp gets cold. The lamp and thermo plug are available at Tractor Supply or on Amazon. Total cost around $30.00.

Be aware that most insurers will not cover a frozen seacock that leads to further damage. Boat U.S. used to for a $20 rider but now requires that it be done by a Marina employee. That basically makes the Marina first in line to pay damages. I trust my self more than the Marina personnel.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

I'm also on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis. I often put some antifreeze in the hose to the seacock and while it is going through, shut the seacock. Gravity helps, so I will sometimes raise up one end of the hose and pour thru a funnel. If the hose is not long enough, attach a temporary hose to the seacock. I'm not worried about using too much antifreeze; it's cheap.

Another thing you can do is blow air through the hose and seacock and while doing so, shut the seacock. Mostly lung power is enough but you can also jam the hose into a typical air horn. And if you like the belt and suspenders approach, use both the antifreeze and air pressure techniques in that order.

 

[Monheganlover]

Thanks! Feel free to email me sometime at Islandme1996@gmail.com if you might like to compare notes on sailing the Ches Bay and Catalina 310s

 

[Capt Robbie]

most of the boats that stay in the water here in nj have engine room heaters, run heat lamps near seacock, blow out the seacock with air compressor until bubbles are apparent, then and run concentrated pink stuff through the rest of the lines.

 

[jssailem]

I’ve used my vacuum on blow mode to empty lines and thru hulls. Works surprisingly well.