Winterizing - When?

[Ken Daming]

I have a new 260, and sail on a lake in the midwest - I keep the boat in a slip. Does anyone have advice on how cold it has to be at night before it causes freezing problems? I would assume that the water temperature would keep the boat warm for short periods of time - like overnight and if it only gets a little below freezing. Will the fresh water system freeze easily? What about the water ballast?Naturally, I'd like to keep sailing as long as possible. When do other midwesterners give up and winterize their boats??Ken Daming

 

[Steve Dion]

That is sort of like playing with fire!

Ken:This is sort of like playing with fire. You can do it for a while and then it will smack you up the side of the head. If you freeze your ballast tanks and they break you are kind of screwed. I suppose that you could add anti-freeze to extent your window for a while.As far as your fresh water goes, you can probably just winterize it and not use it until next spring.Good luck, but don't push the envelope toooo far.

 

[Jerry Olivero]

Winterizing in Western Ky

Ken,General rule here on Ky Lake is no later than Nov 10th for fresh water system and Dec 1st for engine and fuel system. I would think that any later would be taking a pretty good gamble against long odds that an Alberta clipper doesn't catch you with temps in the teens and freezes up any unprotected plastic water lines or tanks. Last year I forgot and left a gallon of spring water in a plastic jug in the refrigerator only to discover Thanksgiving weekend that it had frozen and ruptured during the cold snap earlier in the week. I was lucky in that it didn't rupture the drain line to the bilge.

 

[Gus Elia]

Shouldn't be too much longer

Ken,You probably shouldn't keep it in to much longer. Last year I waited until Thanksgiving to get the most out of the season. The temperatures dipped and stayed there. It meant a cold day's work getting the boat ready (lowering the mast, etc). The next day was a cold motor ride down the Mississippi to Alton, Illinois for ramp out (good ramp there) and then the winterizing once the boat was in its winter spot.You can push it to the limit but you have to be ready to act quickly. This year I believe I will take it out earlier just to do it in an unrushed state. Good Luck and enjoy these pretty days.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Ken, The water ballast tank can't freeze unless

the water your boat is floating in freezes. The lake acts as a heat sink and will keep the ballast at the temp of the lake.The galley and head are another problem. We will use our boat deep into November and we are in NE Washington State on the Colubbia River and it gets cold big time. A friend dresses in his skiing clothes and sails all winter. It's usually warmer than up on the mountain.RayS/V Speedy

 

[Harvey Small]

Winterizing -- Soon!

We have a Hunter 26 on Alton Lake, just downstream from you. (For those of you not on the middle coast, Alton Lake is really the final dammed navigation pool on the upper Mississippi River.) We usually pull the boat in early November. Our rule of thumb is that once the leaves are off the trees, the esthetics of the sailing experience has dropped off too. If we have a particularly nice Indian summer we might wait till Thanksgiving weekend, but that's the absolute limit.BTW -- a set of chest waders can make the November launch ramp experience a lot more enjoyable.