South Enough to Avoid Winterizing the Boat?

[Aquabelle]

I am in the (very) early stages of planning a Down East Circle cruise: we'll take 14-16 weeks July-September to travel from NYC upstate, to Kingston, ON then on to Montreal, Quebec and out the St Lawrence Seaway, around Nova Scotia, down the Maine coast, LI Sound and back to, approx., NYC.

We're coming from Australia and at the end of this expedition, we will need to leave the boat somewhere for 2-4 months before returning for another 8-16 week expedition.

I'd like to avoid 'winterizing" the boat. How far south of NYC would we need to leave the boat to avoid 'winterizing'?

 

[Comodave]

We bought our current boat at a location on the Potomac River. They winterized the boats in the marina there, so further south than that.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. A. Our home port was in Camden, North Carolina for 5 years. The only winterizing I did was blow out the water lines (had one burst one year). No engine flush or that sort of thing. We spent New Years aboard on 2 or 3 occasions and it really didn't get below -5C for any appreciable length of time. VERY seldom ice in the harbor BUT it did happen occasionally.
Absolutely NO problems with the marina we kept her at. Reasonable rates and I would recommend the business. Lambs Marina

 

[NCheaven]

How far south?

I’m in coastal NC, and winterize 12/1 to 4/15.

 

[Aquabelle]

Greetings,
Mr. A. Our home port was in Camden, North Carolina for 5 years. The only winterizing I did was blow out the water lines (had one burst one year). No engine flush or that sort of thing. We spent New Years aboard on 2 or 3 occasions and it really didn't get below -5C for any appreciable length of time. VERY seldom ice in the harbor BUT it did happen occasionally.
Absolutely NO problems with the marina we kept her at. Reasonable rates and I would recommend the business. Lambs Marina

Thanks RT..but geez, -5C?! I can only get that here by putting my head in the freezer. Seriously, I've heard good things about Camden so I really appreciate the tip. Maybe we extend by a month & spend October dropping down from LI Sound and into the n. end of the Chesapeake via Delaware B. and leave the boat at Camden at end-October. Does that sound like a plan?

 

[Aquabelle]

I’m in coastal NC, and winterize 12/1 to 4/15.

OK thanks NCheaven...that's sobering but useful info. We have in mind to spend mid-April to mid-July in the Bahamas, so perhaps that's actually a fit.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. A. If your freezer is only -5C you have to set it colder mate. The Australian Food Safety Information Council recommends freezer temperatures in the -18C range.


foodsafety.asn.au » Freezer storage times

 

[Ejdakins]

Well with all the fuss about climate change and globe warming , and me from the Flat Earth Society, to prevent freeze up i think the equator should be just about south enough for freeze protection.
Have fun enjoy the coconuts.

 

[DavidM]

At least as far south as Wilmington, NC but maybe Charleston, SC. Both if in the water. Much further south if on the hard, Jacksonville maybe.

David

 

[BandB]

At least as far south as Wilmington, NC but maybe Charleston, SC. Both if in the water. Much further south if on the hard, Jacksonville maybe.

David

Well attended and watched, I'd choose Wilmington or Southport area. Otherwise, I'd go to at least Myrtle Beach and likely to Charleston.

 

[Aquabelle]

Well attended and watched, I'd choose Wilmington or Southport area. Otherwise, I'd go to at least Myrtle Beach and likely to Charleston.

OK, when in Rome....looks like I need to start learning about what's involved in winterizing a boat. I wouldn't like to have to run from LI Sound down that far just to park the boat for a 4-5 months. RTF's Camden, NC suggestion has appeal.

Thanks to all for helping my understanding of US geography and weather.

 

[boomerang]

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my boat in the winter months unattended & not pickled any farther north than Southport NC. Last year I remember people panicking as far south as Jacksonville Florida when a big cold snap came through.
Here's a picture of our creek on the lower Chesapeake last year. Gotta love the pink antifreeze!

 

[Comodave]

So I guess that you would be able to pull skiers behind your trawler then...

 

[SoWhat]

winterizing can be a simple process. anti-freeze through all water systems (I then drain the heat exchangers and coolers) Removal of all canned goods and anything else susceptible to freeze damage. Up north shrink wrap is advisable. Suspect it's not necessary from VB on down.

 

[Aquabelle]

Shawn...pictures worth a thousand words. I'm now thinking I leave LI Sound end-September and spend Oct & Nov getting down to Charleston, SC and leave her there until I return in March. Then down to Fort Pierce or thereabouts and over to Bahamas mid-April-mid-July. I'll start researching Charleston options...

 

[DavidM]

Winterizing for on the hard storage in New England takes about a hour or two and maybe 8 gallons of antifreeze for a single, genset, potable water, macerator, and a/c. In the water storage in sub zero conditions is tougher because you have to blow out all of the ball valve cavities.

Read the recent thread on winterizing a Swift Trawler.

David

 

[Rossland]

Myrtle Beach, on the South Carolina/North Carolina border is about as far north without winterizing. Some nights air temps will be below 0C, but the water doesn't get below 10C.

If you are going to leave your boat for a few months, I suggest a boat monitor, such as Siren Marine or similar.

 

[caltexflanc]

I don't know about the other locals, but I have never run across someone here in the New Bern through Morehead City areas of North Carolina who winterized their boat. We never did, but did use block heaters and took care to stuff insulation into the engine room intakes when the boat was at rest. Some others used various forms of heat. Our reverse cycle Cruise Air units produced heat, but according to a good tech, running them a lot, do to living aboard, helped with that. We had several times when the marina shut off dock water and blew the system out with air.

 

[psneeld]

The roll of the dice in more southern areas is stuff above the waterline and run close to the hull or in areas far from the bilge or heat...

Such as cockpit/ transom showers or sinks, flybridge sinks or ice makers, etc.

Often they have cheaper plastic parts and often don't survive even the mildest, shortest overnight freezes.

 

[BandB]

I don't know about the other locals, but I have never run across someone here in the New Bern through Morehead City areas of North Carolina who winterized their boat. We never did, but did use block heaters and took care to stuff insulation into the engine room intakes when the boat was at rest. Some others used various forms of heat. Our reverse cycle Cruise Air units produced heat, but according to a good tech, running them a lot, do to living aboard, helped with that. We had several times when the marina shut off dock water and blew the system out with air.

You hit the magic words though in "living aboard." Were I living aboard or near the boat and regularly checking on it, then I wouldn't winterize in that area. But when you're away for a month or two at a time, then it's a bit different. That's when I'd classify that area as borderline.

 

[diver dave]

A piece of ice has the same disastrous effect no matter the location. So, if ice forms in the engine, expensive things go bad.
My opinion, if we limit this to the Atlantic seaboard, is Jupiter Inlet. As a kid, we had 1/4" of ice on what was left of the water in the swimming pool when we moved in. And, thirty years of living in Central PB county, had no issues running no antifreeze in the engines year round. Only, anti-corrosion additives.

 

[Ski in NC]

Report from the Wilmington, NC area: Most winters, boats in the water do fine with only draining the fresh water taps. Sinks, showers, deck wash fittings. Those definitely can and do freeze. Engine room stuff generally has enough thermal inertia to survive the temp dips we get.

Except for last winter. We got a cold snap that was way worse than normal. I knew my boat (in the water) was at risk so I would go crank up the engine and genny to build heat. Creek got ice too.

Shower valve was drained, but apparently not well enough. Froze and broke. Otherwise my boat was ok.

Others no so lucky. I was personally involved in the investigation of two sinkings: A swift trawler 44 (I think) and a large sailboat. Both had freeze damage on sea water plumbing in engine room. Once freeze thawed, busted plumbing resulted in sinking.

So MOST WINTERS we need to do very little. But sometimes the cold fronts take our temps to the New England range and we get damage.

Can't just assume around here.

Way worse if boat is on the hill, those need the full winterization drill.

 

[dannc]

Report from the Wilmington, NC area:...

Except for last winter. We got a cold snap that was way worse than normal. ...

So MOST WINTERS we need to do very little. But sometimes the cold fronts take our temps to the New England range and we get damage.

Can't just assume around here.

Way worse if boat is on the hill, those need the full winterization drill.

We are a two-three hour drive west of Wilmington and in the country so we do not have a heat island affect keeping the temperature up. I see a 5-10F degree temperature difference between our house and the city.

Anywho, the last couple of winters have had some record low temperatures where we had 6F(-14C) and 9F(-13C) nights. Some of the lows temps lasted a night or two or three and we had to protect the plumbing in the house from freezing. Prior to the last couple of years, we had one 9F degree low temperature in about a decade.

Besides these wacky low temperatures, I would be concerned about an ice storm taking out power if the boat was depending on electric heaters to keep the boat warm. We have had several ice storms that knocked out power for a few days over the last five years or so.

I also remember it snowing when I lived in South Florida. :lol: Course the snow was only on cars and melted real quick but it snowed! Not so funny have been the historical freezes in Florida that have wiped out the citrus groves and driven the orchards further south but I don't know if those freezes damaged boats. Just remember freezing when those cold snaps wiped out the industry in Central Florida in the 80's.

Me thinks I would winterize a boat if leaving it during the winter, even in the South, just so I would not have to worry as much. Unless I was at or south of Lake Okeechobee.

Later,
Dan

 

[psneeld]

There is a difference in freezing temps and water freezing.

Put water in your freezer and as cold as it is....it does take a while to freeze solid and expand enough to do damage.

Thats why some think that you dont have to winterize because they got away with it on numetous occasions....cold nights but warm enough days that even ice in lines had not frozen hard enough.

Think through your boats systems and layout, ask around what most do and dont get away with and then weigh the possibilities....

Manage your risks and sleep tight.....listening to a bunch of people who may or may not have real experience with boats snd winterizing isnt an insurance policy I would buy.

 

[Aquabelle]

Thanks to all. Based on the advice here, I will try to get south enough to avoid the extremes BUT I will no longer try to avoid winterizing itself. I'll pay someone to do the job properly. I had planned a simple monitoring system but more importantly, I will hopefully find someone who will do a weekly in-person check on the boat. That would be easy/normal here in Oz; cannot believe it will be hard States-side either for a 3 month period.

 

[caltexflanc]

You hit the magic words though in "living aboard." Were I living aboard or near the boat and regularly checking on it, then I wouldn't winterize in that area. But when you're away for a month or two at a time, then it's a bit different. That's when I'd classify that area as borderline.

We were one of two or three liveaboards in a marina of maybe 100 boats during our two winters after we stopped cruising full time., many of them very high end sport fishers but a variety of others. Some had contracted with local services or paid one of the dock hands to check on the boat on some regular basis. The other marinas in both Morehead/Beaufort and the New Bern area were similar.


I grant you that boat design plays a role in terms of unprotected-from-cold plumbing, and that loss of power is a remote, but real possibility. Part of looking out after the boat is starting the generator if that happens. I can understand the paranoia if you cannot have someone look out after the boat, yourself, a friend or a hired hand. We had temps in the high teens both those winters, and the marina shutting off the water supply was a not infrequent occurrence.

To be clear, there is no reason not to act with an abundance of caution if you so wish, especially if the boat is being left unattended or unheated (including the engine(s).

 

[Tom.B]

We have wintered in New Bern for 10 years and we have never winterized once.

 

[Besslb]

We have wintered in New Bern for 10 years and we have never winterized once.

But we DO have portable heaters running in the cabin and in the engine room when needed. So we do some prepping for the cold weather....

 

[Landshark]

Has much to do with if the vessel is left in the water and does the water freeze. If you put the boat on the hard it will get as cold as the air. Likewise if you leave the boat in the water, and the water doesn't freeze, at least a third of the boat is in a medium warmer than the air. My trawler is in Seward, Alaska, and stays in the water year round. Seward harbor does not freeze and water temp stays about 40 degrees in the coldest months. I run antifreeze through the engine and genset raw water cooling, but more for corrosion protection than freezing. The water lines are drained, but that about it for winterization. All about location, location, location.

 

[Capt. Sea Fever]

We’ve got our Grand Banks at Little River and have not had to winterize.
Little River, SC is just north of North Myrtle Beach.