have you thought about winter yet ?

[Guest]

Winter is approaching and now is the time to think about getting a few boat jobs sorted out Before it’s too late.

Last winter the first job we got at Snuggtopz® was a new frame and canopy to make for a customer who had not winterized his boat at all.

Snow had accumulated on top of his canopy and the shear weight of the snow made his frame collapse !! Because of this his canopy also shredded with the weight of the snow.

A lesson to be learned from this is do not expect a standard canopy frame to support a loading of winter snow, some kind of props will make a huge difference if your pride and joy does get covered in snow this winter.

If winterizing with a tarp cover or similar then remove your normal canopy, you’d be surprised how quickly a flapping tarp can rub right through a canvas canopy. Also the gap between a tarp and canopy can be a really nice breeding ground for mold when the spring sun warms the cover a little.

Get any canvas or upholstery repairs booked in to avoid disappointment in the spring, the first two jobs we had this spring were cushion covering. The cushions had been sitting idle in the customers boats all winter and just had to be done ‘URGENTLY’ as soon as the sun started shining again. But of course everyone wants their jobs doing first so very quickly in the spring we can build up a 6 week waiting list.

I hope this is useful information for you ? Obviously it can’t be as comprehensive as we would like because there are so many different boat styles but hopefully it has given you something to think about and maybe avoid a disaster this winter and an easier start to the new season.

And remember, even if we are too far away from you to be your personal canvas guys we do sell products in our shop at Snuggtopz.com that may be helpful to you such as canopy fittings/fabrics and cleaning/waterproofing products.

Best Regards

Richard @ Snuggtopz

[Swordfish]

Hi Rich,

All pressure washed and wrapped for the winter, but lots of work planned ! Regards, Paul

[MBA Marine]

Hi Rich,

All pressure washed and wrapped for the winter, but lots of work planned ! Regards, Paul

Thats a nice looking trailer, where do you keep it when the boats in the water?! :

[Swordfish]

I have a workshop just outside Norwich, it's too low to get the boat inside, but plenty of room outside.

[Guest]

hiya paul.

Keep us informed of the work you are doing your workmanship is first class

Has your cover got any support between the flybridge and the bow rail ?

If we get the snow New York is getting at the mo, that spot right there

could turn into a snow collector and then a swimming pool Most often

the bow rails get bent under the weight.

The other option is sew a fabric funnel into that area so any water can drain overboard.

Rich

[Swordfish]

Hi Rich,

I did learn last winter what the snow load can do. I have the twin rail on the flybridge, ( the ones that will support your new front cover later ) and a new support rail I bent in the centre of the fore deck, all the rails are linked with 2" webbing. Hopefully it will stay in place if we have severe weather.

This cover is the one I bought from the USA.

Paul

[mjt]

If winterizing with a tarp cover or similar then remove your normal canopy, you’d be surprised how quickly a flapping tarp can rub right through a canvas canopy. Also the gap between a tarp and canopy can be a really nice breeding ground for mold when the spring sun warms the cover a little.

I normally lay some old thick curtains over the top of our vinyl canopy, both to prevent the tarp from chafing and to provide a bit of insulation. With moisture traps left in the cabin and cockpit I haven't had any problems.

[Guest]

hiya

Yes that makes a lot of sense Mike , I have just completed this week

cotton under covers for a well known wooden boatbuilder to put under

his tarps.

Rich

[Oddfellow]

Having had a remarkably mild autumn so far, there may be people who have put off winterising their boat.

DON'T.

We salvaged one boat in January from the depths due to it not being winterised and, frankly, the cushions and cover were the least of that owner's concerns once she was raised.

If you can't do it yourself, ask a boat yard to do it for you. Freedom would be happy to carry out such work.

[MBA Marine]

Having had a remarkably mild autumn so far, there may be people who have put off winterising their boat.

DON'T.

We salvaged one boat in January from the depths due to it not being winterised and, frankly, the cushions and cover were the least of that owner's concerns once she was raised.

If you can't do it yourself, ask a boat yard to do it for you. Freedom would be happy to carry out such work.

Nice advertising.

[Guest]

True,

But good to keep reminding some people that when it suddenly comes, a freeze can instantly do a lot of damage to an unprepared boat.

[Guest]

has anybody made a how to winterise your boat vid for those who only know the basics

Jonny

[Oddfellow]

Johnny,

This is a good idea. I might get something together on this.

ON the note of winter, it's getting pretty cold around these parts now and there's a predicted -2 overnight on Friday.

As a quick reminder:

Drain your water tanks.

Pump our your toilet tanks.

Disconnect all water pumps.

Turn off all sea-cocks.

Leave ALL taps open

Remove all water from inverted loops / pipes likley to have water in them (or put antifreeze through)

Remove drinking water filters

Check antifreeze in engine coolant

Run Anti-freeze through raw water cooling systems

Ideally, fog your engines inside and out.

Ideally, clean down all surfaces, especially finished wood

Spray finished wood with good quality furniture polish

Remove curtains and soft furnishings

Position moisture traps

[Guest]

As Anatares has just mentioned on a parallel current thread, there's already plenty on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... 46l0.3l3l0

[Antares_9]

I did post a missive a few years ago but couldn't find the thread so here it is again.

When storing a boat for winter, one has an excellent opportunity to check on the health of a vessel's engine and related systems. Some procedures described below are fairly obvious, while others are often overlooked.

Diesel engines produce a number of harmful contaminants that are held in suspension by lubricating oil. If allowed to sit in an engine during winter months these contaminants may attack sensitive engine surfaces. To avoid trouble, the engine oil and filter must be changed at season's end rather than at the beginning of the next.

Before getting to work, the engine should be run until warm. This will ensure that all the old oil drains out. Motors with a turbocharger may have a separate in-line oil filter that must be replaced. Transmission oil also needs an annual oil change. After an oil change, the engine should be run once again for a few minutes, engaging both forward and reverse gears, to circulate the clean oil throughout the engine and transmission.

Consult the owner's manual to make sure that all grease points are covered. When all other winterizing procedures have been completed, it is a good idea to remove any air filters, squirt a couple of shots of oil into the inlet manifolds, and turn the engine over a few times (without starting it) to distribute this oil around the upper cylinders. Some diesel manufacturers recommend pulling the injectors to squirt proprietary oils into the cylinders, but unless the injectors need servicing, this is more work than most boat owners will want to get into. Air filters need cleaning or replacement, after which the air inlets (and also the exhaust) can be sealed to keep moisture out of the engine. Be sure to leave a conspicuous notice (perhaps on the ignition switch) to remind yourself to remove the covers when recommissioning the engines in the spring.

According to one estimate, 90% of all marine diesel engine problems stem from contaminated fuel. What makes this such an appalling statistic is that fuel contamination is so easily avoided. The primary and secondary fuel filter elements must be replaced at least annually, after which the fuel system will probably have to be "bled" (see the owner's manual).

When changing filter elements, check the bowl on the base of the primary fuel filter for both water and sediment. If it contains either, not only does it need cleaning, but the tank itself also needs to be drained or pumped down until free of all contamination. In many instances, a tank will have to be emptied and thoroughly flushed. As troublesome as this may seem, it is a fraction of the work and expense incurred as a result of even relatively minor fuel system repairs.

Once a fuel system is clean, the tank should be completely filled. This will cut down on water in the fuel due to condensation during the winter months. After refueling, try to give the tank an hour or two to settle and then draw a sample from its base. If any water or sediment is present, pump the tank down until the fuel comes out spotlessly clean. This eliminates almost all contamination before it can enter the fuel system. Many people like to add a bactericide (such as Soltron.) to the tank to prevent bacterial growth, but since the bacteria can only survive in the interface between water and diesel, if there is no water in the fuel, there will be no bacteria.The cooling system

Hoses and clamps are rarely given any attention until they fail. This is shortsighted since it takes only a few minutes to check them. Look for bulging, cracking, or softness in the hoses, particularly where hot water is carried, and damage to hose clamps. All clamps should be undone sufficiently to expose the section of the band inside the worm screw housing;this is a likely spot for hidden crevice corrosion. When corrosion is present, the clamp must be replaced, using an all-stainless clamp.

The valve elements should be removed from any anti-siphon valves (vented loops) and washed in fresh water. These valves can plug with salt, allowing water to siphon into the engine or spray over it (sometimes both). A better approach is to remove the valve element permanently, replacing it with a piece of hose attached to the top of the valve. The hose must be vented overboard above the waterline (at all angles of heel).

A freshwater-cooled engine should be drained and re-filled with a 50/50 water/anti-freeze solution. This needs to be done even if the existing coolant already contains anti-freeze. Anti-freeze contains various corrosion inhibitors that are depleted over time and need replacing. In addition, every few years, before refilling the system, it is recommended to flush it with a radiator cleaning compound (available from car accesory shops).

Draining requires particular attention to low spots. The flexible impeller is best removed from most raw water pumps, in order to stop one impeller blade from bending against the pump cam all winter long, which may give it a permanent "set." If the impeller is not taken out, it should at least be lubricated with dishwashing liquid, and its cover left loose (this will stop the impeller from sticking to its housing). The impeller should be checked for cracking of its vanes, or excessive wear (the tips will be flat instead of rounded). Once again, be sure to reinstall the impeller, or tighten down the pump cover, when recommissioning.

The engine should be run for a few seconds to drive residual water out of the exhaust system. Then remove the drain plug from any water-lift-type silencer. All engine & cooling system anodes must be inspected and replaced if more than half eaten away. The raw water strainer also needs cleaning. On an engine with a heat exchanger (or oil cooler) with removable end caps, these should be taken off to check for silting, scaling, or corrosion of the "tube stack." A fouled stack can be rodded out with an appropriately-sized wooden dowel (use caution, however - the tubes are easily damaged). A corroded heat exchanger or oil cooler needs replacing. Finding another heat exchanger, should one fail during the season, will probably be both difficult and expensive. And the failure of an oil cooler may cause extensive damage to the engine.

Rather than drain a raw-water system, there is a preferable approach. Close the raw-water seacock and make a routine inspection (as above) of any flexible pump impellers, all zinc anodes, raw-water strainer, and heat exchanger (if fitted). Then disconnect the engine suction line from its seacock and dip it into a bucket of 50/50 water/anti-freeze solution. Finally, run the engine until this solution emerges from the exhaust. The raw water system will then be fully protected against freezing. It should be noted, however, not to usepropylene glycol in anti-freeze (as opposed to ethylene glycol) as this may damage rubber impellers.

If a boat is left in the water, there must be no possibility of water backing up, or being driven up, the exhaust to flood the engine. If it is on the hard, the screen on the raw-water inlet should be cleaned of growth. This is also an excellent time to disassemble, grease, and reassemble all seacocks.

Engine exhaust

The exhaust is another area rarely given much thought. There are, however, one or two checks that are advisable. On an engine with a water-cooled exhaust, the hose should be taken off the water injection nipple on the exhaust elbow. Scale or debris in the raw water circuit sometimes forms a plug at this point. Next, the exhaust pipe or hose should be broken loose from the end of the exhaust elbow. There are two things to look for here: excessive carbon formation in the exhaust (it should be basically clean) and corrosion of the elbow, particularly on the bend immediately below the water injection point. (The combination of hot gases, salt water and a relatively sharp bend is a potent troublemaker.)

When heavy soot deposits are present in the exhaust, not only must they be cleaned out, but the engine operation must also be reviewed to find and eliminate the source of the soot. There may be a clogged air filter, or problems with the fuel system, but as often as not on a voyaging boat the soot results from improper use (typically, repeated running at low loads to charge batteries and run refrigeration while moored or mudweighted). An exhaust elbow that is at all eaten away needs replacing. If a new one is fabricated, make sure it is welded together, rather than brazed, and that all components, including welding rods, are of the same metal.

Finally, on an engine equipped with a turbocharger, it would be a good idea to remove the exhaust and inlet ducting to expose the turbine (exhaust side) and compressor (inlet side) wheels. These should be clean and free-spinning, with no rubbing on the turbocharger housing. If not, a mechanic will be needed to fix the problem.

Engine and transmission remote-control cables are a common source of operating difficulties. The cables need a thorough inspection. Things to look for are any of the following: corrosion at the end fittings; bending of actuating rods; seizure of the swivels at the transmission or engine; cracks, cuts, burns or melted spots in the conduit sheath; corrosion under the sheath (it will swell up); and excessively tight curves or kinks (the minimum radius of any bend should be eight inches).

It is a good idea to disconnect cables at the engine and transmission. The free movement of both the cable(s) (over the full operating range of the remote controls) and also the engine or transmission lever can then be independently checked. When the cable is reattached, it is essential to ensure that the neutral position on the remote control corresponds with the neutral on the transmission, and that the transmission lever is moving fully into forward or reverse. (Hurth transmissions, in particular, are susceptible to damage if the operating lever at the transmission does not move through an arc of 30 degrees or more in either direction.)

It is quite remarkable how often one sees a boat laid-up afloat on which the bilge pump throws out a steady stream of water every few hours. In almost all cases the source of the leak is the stuffing box. If the battery should die or the pump fail, the boat will sink.

The packing can be pinched up to stop any water ingress. However, if this is done, when the engine is put back in service and first started it is important to engage the transmission at the dock for a couple of minutes and to then shut the engine down and immediately feel the packing gland. If the gland is more than slightly warm, the packing is too tight—the shaft is in danger of being scored. The packing must be loosened again. When a leak through the stern tube cannot be sealed without tightening the packing to the point at which it heats the shaft, the packing needs to be replaced. This should, in any case, be done every year since old packing tends to go hard. It may as well be done at winterizing time on boats that are hauled.

Electrical considerations

A battery left in a partially discharged state for a period of months will suffer a permanent loss of capability. Thus, there are two aspects to battery lay-up: achieving a full charge before lay-up, and maintaining this charge during lay-up.

Since the charge acceptance rate (the ability of a battery to take a charge) tapers off quite sharply the nearer it approaches a full charge, if an engine-driven alternator is used to recharge the battery, regardless of alternator size, the engine will have to be run for several hours before the battery is fully charged. A battery charger (depending on type) will most likely require a day or two of operation to fully charge the batteries.

Once a battery is charged, its fluid level must be topped off (unless it is a sealed battery). The battery top needs cleaning (using a solution of baking soda, followed by a wipe with a rag dipped in fresh water) and drying (to avoid electrical leaks across the case). Finally, the battery should be stored in a cool, dry place the cooler the better, since this slows the rate of internal self-discharge. Depending on battery type, there will still be some internal self-discharge: 'wet-type' batteries (those that need topping off) should be put back on a charge once a month; most gel-cell (sealed) batteries can be safely left for several months.

The electrical harness could do with an inspection, especially the starting circuit and, in particular, the engine ground strap or cable (which runs to the battery negative post). Corroded terminals and connections need to be undone, cleaned, re-tightened, and preferably sprayed with a sealant or smeared with petroleum jelly. If a high-output alternator has been installed, make sure the cables are not working loose. In a particularly damp environment, the starter motor (especially its pinion, if accessible) and alternator should be sprayed with WD-40 or something similar. Drive belts need loosening.Reversing the process

Come springtime, many essential tasks will already have been carried out, but there are always one or two more to add to any list. It would be a good idea to separate the propeller shaft coupling halves to check the alignment (but only after the boat has been back in the water a few days if it was hauled for winter storage). Make a close inspection of flexible engine mounts for loose retaining bolts and undue softening of the rubber.

When extended voyaging is planned, the batteries should be given a capacity test to make sure they will not fail at some inconvenient moment - this can be done either with a capacity test meter (an item carried by most automotive parts stores) or by a carefully controlled discharge of the battery to see precisely what is its remaining capacity (unfortunately, this subject requires more space than is available here).

Any engine openings that were sealed at lay-up time will need to be uncovered, the raw-water pump impeller reinstalled (be sure to bend the vanes down in the right direction) and the pump cover tightened. If drained, the raw-water system will need priming. The stuffing box many need loosening. Some boats have the newer rubber-boot type shaft seals. In this case, any time the boat is hauled and then put back in the water, the boot may burn out if it is not primed by pulling it back until water squirts out. Alternator and other belts should be checked for proper tension.

Lastly, the engine needs to be cranked for ten to 15 seconds with the throttle closed so that it does not start. This should be repeated three or four times, or until the oil pressure gauge shows pressure, so as to relubricate the bearings. This is particularly important on motors with a turbocharger. When the engine is started, immediately check for oil pressure, and water discharge from a raw-water cooled exhaust. Idle the motor for several minutes to establish thorough lubrication of all internal surfaces - this will provide time to make a check for any oil or water leaks.

Last, after a brief lay-up, a local boater put his engine back in commission. He cranked the motor, and received a head-to-toe shower through the open engine-room door! The alternator, starter motor and electrical harness took a bath before he got the motor shut down. An inspection revealed that rust from the raw-water cooling system had blocked the water injection nozzle into the exhaust, causing the water pump to build up enough pressure to burst the hose.

As it was, the boater was extremely lucky. Not only did the hose blow at the mooring, but it also had the decency to do it while the boat was in fresh water, so no lasting damage was done to electrical parts. Others might not be so fortunate! By following suggested winterizing procedures, one may be able to avoid dangerous and expensive equipment failure. They will help both to discover many a common problem in the making and to enable corrective steps to be taken at leasure rather than in crisis. It will also keep your engine running sweetly for another year.

[Guest]

superb work there and quite comprehensive.

Just to add I have been talking to Colin at CC marine and he tells me people are still winterizing

engines when they really should have been done weeks ago.

This morning, Saturday 12th Dec was the sharpest frost so far so you really should have done those winter

jobs by now..

[Guest]

Just checked the boat this afternoon to make sure the shorepower was ok.

Ice in puddles in the Marina, but the water was clear (Horning).

The two 85 watt tube heaters were on (thermostat is set to 4 deg), and the lowest the engine bay had fallen to in the last three weeks was 5 deg C.

Even so, I did drain the blocks and manifolds last week as well, just in case the electric trips one night.

I have to admit, that was a big advantage of my previous boat's secondary cooling with permanent antifreeze.

[MBA Marine]

Just checked the boat this afternoon to make sure the shorepower was ok.

Ice in puddles in the Marina, but the water was clear (Horning).

The two 85 watt tube heaters were on (thermostat is set to 4 deg), and the lowest the engine bay had fallen to in the last three weeks was 5 deg C.

Even so, I did drain the blocks and manifolds last week as well, just in case the electric trips one night.

I have to admit, that was a big advantage of my previous boat's secondary cooling with permanent antifreeze.

The enging block may have had antifreeze but the heat exchanger and all the raw water water cooling side wouldnt have. not saying you would have missed this but some people think that antifreeze in block is all there is.

[Guest]

The engine block may have had antifreeze but the heat exchanger and all the raw water water cooling side wouldn't have. not saying you would have missed this but some people think that antifreeze in block is all there is.

Quite right MBA, I did use to run bio-friendly antifreeze into the raw circuit by pouring it into the Vetus remote strainer.

My double-safety in draining the blocks and manifolds now is that a cracked block would easily mean a complete new engine.

Whereas the consequences on the secondary cooling system boat would have just been the raw pump and maybe an exchanger, expensive, but nothing like a new engine, in time or parts.

My first line of defence now is the engine bay heating.

[Jim]

Ferry in Horning Strowager? or one of the others?

Jim

[Guest]

The Ferry's way too expensive for me now Jim !

South Quays....