What is the best way to store the sails? Any hints on taking the battens out? I have the Harken Batt system on the main and a roller reef jib. Is there a preferred way to drain the engine oil on the Yamar? How about the transmission? How many filters do you change? ex. fuel filters also? Do you change the fresh water coolant?
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Gary McNevin (Sea Shel)
Winter Storage
1. I inspect my sails for anything needing repair or attention. If required, send them to the loft and your storage problem is solved. Just be very sure to attach securely tags with your name to sails AND the sail bags. IF no sailmaker attention is required, I make sure they are dry, fold them neatly, bag 'em and then hang them from ceiling hooks (bicycle type) in either the garage or basement at home. Just so it is a cool dry location with air allowed to circulate. 2. The battens are fiberglass, so be very careful when handling them or wear gloves. I slip mine out with the sail still on the boom. In fact raise your sail and lower it one batten at a time for easy handling. I take mine below on my 29.5 and lay them along the port side as far into the v-berth as possible. They are a pain to work around and store, but I have not found a better solution yet. 3. I have tried a few methods of draining oil and the best so far is the Big Boy "Top Sider" a large can with a pump that pulls the oil out the dipstick hole (side door into engine compartment in your head) by means of a vacuum pump. You need to run the engine a few minutes to warm the oil and this is by far the cleanest system I have found. Be sure to add fresh oil, don't store with no oil in your engine. The only mess with the "Top Sider" is hanging the suction line for a while to drain the oil before it leaks where you don't want it. 4. I have not changed or touched my transmission fluid yet. In fact I have not changed any filter but the engine oil. I run my engine so little I have not worried about the fuel filter (although I do carry a spare and tools on the boat). But refer to the book, because I don't worry about the transmission does not make it right. There is a water filter (strainer actually) located next to the drive shaft under your aft berth. There is a drain plug or bolt under it. I am very careful to drain this strainer before I run potable anti-freeze into the engine heat exchanger. This is on your raw water intake. I drain my water heater (after I have emptied the main water tank) with a short piece of garden hose right into the bilge. Then I pump the bilge and soak up all I can with a sponge into a bucket. Now I add potable anti-freeze to the system. I even dump a gallon or two into the bilge and run it through the pump to be sure nothing can freeze in the pump ruining it. I use 10-12 gallons of anti-freeze, might be overkill, but I do the water lines, the bilge, the head and the engine. As far as changing the engine anti-freeze permanently in the system, how often do you change the anti-freeze in your car? ... I may check mine with a hydrometer, but will not change it very often. 5. I wipe down all the teak with Daly's Teak Oil before I close the boat. Stand my cushions up so air can circulate around them and triple check nothing is left on the boat than can freeze. 6. I remove my battries and store them on a piece of wood at home, (never on concrete) putting a 1 amp trickle charger on them from time to time. 7. I wax my hull when I put her away and again when I take the cover off in the spring. Overkill to some, but I figure it is easier to keep the gelcoat up then to try to bring it back. 8. Bottom paint in the spring. 9. I had a custom cover built for my 29.5 and it fits like a tent to keep snow off the top side and out of the cockpit. Covers the boat about to the blue stripe just above the waterline. I can email photos if you are interested. 10. Check halyards are tight and not banging all winter and blow her a kiss until spring. hunter@usinternet.com
1. I inspect my sails for anything needing repair or attention. If required, send them to the loft and your storage problem is solved. Just be very sure to attach securely tags with your name to sails AND the sail bags. IF no sailmaker attention is required, I make sure they are dry, fold them neatly, bag 'em and then hang them from ceiling hooks (bicycle type) in either the garage or basement at home. Just so it is a cool dry location with air allowed to circulate. 2. The battens are fiberglass, so be very careful when handling them or wear gloves. I slip mine out with the sail still on the boom. In fact raise your sail and lower it one batten at a time for easy handling. I take mine below on my 29.5 and lay them along the port side as far into the v-berth as possible. They are a pain to work around and store, but I have not found a better solution yet. 3. I have tried a few methods of draining oil and the best so far is the Big Boy "Top Sider" a large can with a pump that pulls the oil out the dipstick hole (side door into engine compartment in your head) by means of a vacuum pump. You need to run the engine a few minutes to warm the oil and this is by far the cleanest system I have found. Be sure to add fresh oil, don't store with no oil in your engine. The only mess with the "Top Sider" is hanging the suction line for a while to drain the oil before it leaks where you don't want it. 4. I have not changed or touched my transmission fluid yet. In fact I have not changed any filter but the engine oil. I run my engine so little I have not worried about the fuel filter (although I do carry a spare and tools on the boat). But refer to the book, because I don't worry about the transmission does not make it right. There is a water filter (strainer actually) located next to the drive shaft under your aft berth. There is a drain plug or bolt under it. I am very careful to drain this strainer before I run potable anti-freeze into the engine heat exchanger. This is on your raw water intake. I drain my water heater (after I have emptied the main water tank) with a short piece of garden hose right into the bilge. Then I pump the bilge and soak up all I can with a sponge into a bucket. Now I add potable anti-freeze to the system. I even dump a gallon or two into the bilge and run it through the pump to be sure nothing can freeze in the pump ruining it. I use 10-12 gallons of anti-freeze, might be overkill, but I do the water lines, the bilge, the head and the engine. As far as changing the engine anti-freeze permanently in the system, how often do you change the anti-freeze in your car? ... I may check mine with a hydrometer, but will not change it very often. 5. I wipe down all the teak with Daly's Teak Oil before I close the boat. Stand my cushions up so air can circulate around them and triple check nothing is left on the boat than can freeze. 6. I remove my battries and store them on a piece of wood at home, (never on concrete) putting a 1 amp trickle charger on them from time to time. 7. I wax my hull when I put her away and again when I take the cover off in the spring. Overkill to some, but I figure it is easier to keep the gelcoat up then to try to bring it back. 8. Bottom paint in the spring. 9. I had a custom cover built for my 29.5 and it fits like a tent to keep snow off the top side and out of the cockpit. Covers the boat about to the blue stripe just above the waterline. I can email photos if you are interested. 10. Check halyards are tight and not banging all winter and blow her a kiss until spring. hunter@usinternet.com
G
Gary
OOps, Fuel
The other delima is fuel. Cold temperatures have bad effects on diesel fuel. Cold weather causes parafin to seperate from the fuel and this "wax" will eventually plug your fuel filter. You need to add a fuel stabilzer and allow it to mix with your fuel so this will not happen. Any automotive department will have many to choose from. In my old boat (O'day 272LE) a full tank of fuel was 10 gallons. I would add stabilzer and top off the tank. This way no space was left for condensation to form. In the spring I would siphon off the fuel and dump it at any place like a auto dealership that recycled fuel. Then adding fresh fuel for the new season. The 29.5 with its 20 gallon system makes this not as easy. I try to run the tank low, stabilze what is left and siphon off the smaller amount in the spring before adding fresh fuel. I am sure the 20 gallon fuel tank is small for people who cruise, but I would far prefer a 5 gallon system that I could keep fresh fuel in.
The other delima is fuel. Cold temperatures have bad effects on diesel fuel. Cold weather causes parafin to seperate from the fuel and this "wax" will eventually plug your fuel filter. You need to add a fuel stabilzer and allow it to mix with your fuel so this will not happen. Any automotive department will have many to choose from. In my old boat (O'day 272LE) a full tank of fuel was 10 gallons. I would add stabilzer and top off the tank. This way no space was left for condensation to form. In the spring I would siphon off the fuel and dump it at any place like a auto dealership that recycled fuel. Then adding fresh fuel for the new season. The 29.5 with its 20 gallon system makes this not as easy. I try to run the tank low, stabilze what is left and siphon off the smaller amount in the spring before adding fresh fuel. I am sure the 20 gallon fuel tank is small for people who cruise, but I would far prefer a 5 gallon system that I could keep fresh fuel in.
D
Dan Palazuk
Storing your battens
The battens are always a pain to store below. You always have to work around them and they get in the way. I have a real simple solution now. Tie them to the boom. Obviously the boom is the right length and when the battens are tied to the boom they are out of the way. My boat cover fit right over the boom so I have the battens tied on the side. Works real slick.
The battens are always a pain to store below. You always have to work around them and they get in the way. I have a real simple solution now. Tie them to the boom. Obviously the boom is the right length and when the battens are tied to the boom they are out of the way. My boat cover fit right over the boom so I have the battens tied on the side. Works real slick.
J
Joan
Drain the permanent antifreeze
Drain it every other season. Surprising how dirty it becomes. Don't forget to check the strength 50-50.
Drain it every other season. Surprising how dirty it becomes. Don't forget to check the strength 50-50.
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