Winterizing.

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Ed Schenck

There have been several posts on many forums regarding the inevitable haulout(for some of us :( ). Sailnet's current article(Related Link) makes for some interesting reading on the subject. I am probably a rebel as I: 1) do not fill the fuel tank, 2) do not change the oil until Spring, 3) do leave the stick up, 4) do cover the boat.
 
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J. Tesoriero

I'm only half a rebel

or maybe I'm just lazy. I fill my tank before storage. It only holds 12 gals of diesel and I use stabilizer, bug killer and water disperser. I use up most of the fuel 3/4 way through the summer anyway. I change my oil in the fall so that that the engine parts don't sit in dirty oil with any acids that may have formed. I use a crankcase oil stabilizer as well. I leave my mast up for three years and then take a year off for inspection, bulbs and maintenance. I have not found a good cover and would rather leave the boat uncovered than have to chip blocks of ice or pump out the cover over the winter.
 
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Fred Ficarra

Hard to relate to you rebels

Most everyone I know,(myself included) do NOTHING. But hey, we're on Puget Sound. Hee, Hee. Let's hear it from you sun belt sailors too.
 
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Brent

Puget Sound Winterizing

I just started sailing this summer when I bought my columbia 26mkII and have seen a lot of similar posts about winterizing and wasn't sure what I should do. I'm on the Puget Sound and we have few days with freezing temperatures in the winter and looking and Fred's response it looks like there isn't much that needs to be done... is there something specific I should be doing to winterize? I know to bring the batteries home and keep em topped off, anything else?
 
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matt

Winter in Puget Sound

Yup, the Puget Sound is great. It's great to be able to sail one day and ski the next during the winter. ;-) I've been here for about 3 years now and the only thing I've done extra to account for the winter is to run two of those moisture combatting fans....you know, the ones that West Marine starts pushing this time of year. Works great and keeps the interior moisture level down. matt
 
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Trevor - SailboatOwners.com

Mild winters

From another Puget Sound sailor, I think the most important thing is to keep air flowing (run space saver heater on fan setting). Open cabinets to reduce stagnant air and maybe leave an AC bulb on on the coldest days. Oh, and run that engine once a month if you can! I'm almost done installing a central heating system on my boat and hope to enjoy some winter sailing. Trevor
 
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Eric Lorgus

Chesapeake Way

Hmmm, I've always heard is good to top off diesel tank and makes a lot of sense to me, to reduce condensation in tank. As for changing oil, I always try to at end of season -- don't care about the exact reasons to or not to, oil is cheap compared to cost of engine, and no one has ever argued that changing it is bad. If engine warm, takes only 15 minutes. Always a bonding experience between engine & me :) Leave the stick up & boat IN THE WATER. This year will be my second winter at Baltimore's Inner Harbor Marina (floating dock). This way, still get to use boat for occasional weekends in Baltimore (live 2 hrs. away). Eric Lorgus s/v Explorer 87H285
 
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Darrel

Winterizing

I know you guys have been waiting for this. Here in Florida what we do in the winter is untie the lines, go sailing and enjoy a beautiful sunny day on the water. One of the great reminders as to why I moved here comes each February when we come back in the inlet, its about 75 degrees, sun is shinning, the beach is full of people and you just had a great sail while getting a tan. Most of the sailing we do is in the winter, most of our major regattas take place in the winter, such as Key West Race Week. Good luck to all you guys that a preparing your boats for the long cold winter.
 
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Kevin

Hey, don't foget about us central Texas Folks too!

We are with you Florida!
 
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Stephen Ord

I only wish

We have to pull our boats out. Three feet of ice in the river and last year Lake Huron froze all the way across (50 plus miles). The spring break up with ice flows the size of houses travelling downstream and out to the lake would destroy our docks if we did not pull most of them also. The solution is for you guys and gals in the sunny climates to invite us down for a sail (or 2 o3 3) then maybe we would get smart and join you permanantly!
 
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Steve

Good Point

Ed, you've got a good point about the water in the fuel, you can't argue with experience on that one. However on the oil issue - we're not talking about the oil breaking down here. It really takes a long, long time for the oil to actually break down. However, it's the acids that the diesel engile will add to that oil that is the problem. And those short runs are the worst possible thing for the engine. It would be much better if you were putting 100 hours on the engine than only 10 hours. Just a few minutes to get away from and back to the dock never gets the engine up to full operating temp, and the problems begin. If you're going to change the oil anyway why not change it in the fall rather than in the spring? Just my humble opinion, but also backed up with experience.
 
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Bill lowe

Pull batteries?

Anyone know of a reason not to leave the batteries in and keep them on a trickle or solar charger?
 
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Ed Schenck

Good idea.

It just never made sense to me to change the oil at haulout and turn right around and dump it in the Spring. It is not the money although you all know how cheap I am. That is five quarts or more of unused oil. Where does it go when thousands of boat owners discard? Are you folks also using two filters? When do you change the filter if not using two?
 
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Steve

Oil Change

I don't change the oil again in the spring. There are some at the dock that do, but I don't really see the necessity in doing that. I live far enough south that I probably don't really have to winterize, but I do winterize the exhaust and my air conditioner. I change the oil and all filters when I do the winterizing. In the spring, I crank up with the clean oil from the fall and take off! Again - and this is my opinion - I don't really see a need to change the oil again in the spring.
 
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Paul McGhee

Leaving batteries on board

I can think of no reason why flooded batteries could not be left onboard connected to a solar charger--unless you are in such an ice-cold, godforsaken place that the electrolyte might freeze even if the batteries are kept charged. Gels (and AGMS, I think) don't even have to be left on a trickle charge. Gels self-discharge around 5% per month, so there's no reason to pull them. Paul
 
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Paul Akers

Oil Change?

If you have changed your oil in the fall for your winter layup, then you are don't have to change it again in the spring. The purpose of the fall oil change is to remove the deposits that have collected in the oil while under use. Sulfuric acid will accumulate and if left in the engine over the winter, could accellerate the wear on the internal engine bearings. Changing oil is a good and cheap insurance on the engine. So, Ed, don't consider yourself cheap. In the long run you could be saving yourself a bundle by doing an oil change. Whether you change your filter, or not, you know the saying..."You can pay me now..."
 
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Jay Meyer

Added Hot Chocolate Mix, all done

I'm with you Keven. We added some hot chocolate mix to the galley for the kiddos. Closed and drained the cockpit shower lines…. All winterized! Cheers! Jay & Kara Meyer S/V MyKarabbean - H380
 
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