Laying up

[Chrisc]

I plan to leave my boat unattended (in the water) from mid July to mid September. This is over the NZ winter and where I am, minimum temperatures will be about 12 degree C. Does a three month period of inactivity require the engine to be properly laid up, and if so could someone kindly tell me how to do it or direct me to the relevant information source.
Thanks. Chris

[Alan Wheeler]

No you will be fine as is for three months. Just insure all seacocks are shut off and that you shore power is connected for battery charging and maintaining a bilge pump for the just incases.
Mate I wish it were a minimum of 12 deg here. It's freezing. We had a light dusting of snow around the hill tops this morning.

[delmarrey]

Ditto on what Alan said and boats actually stay warmer in the water then out, but wetter.

To add, I would say to hire someone to check on the boat weekly just to see if there are any problems like testing the bulge pump and batteries, it stays dry and if the weather turns that it doesn't get blown away. A good ole live-a-board on the docks makes a good watch..................._/)

[Chrisc]

Thanks for your replies.
I'm pretty well content to leave the engine as it is for the period - I will make sure the diesel tanks are full and with a moisture eating additive added. Batteries will be O.K for sulphation as the are hooked to a low wattage solar panel, but what about the water pump">raw water pump? I'm a bit worried that the rubber impeller will bind inside the casing and rip inself to pieces when I fire the beast up again after 3 months. Is this a valid concern?

Chris

[delmarrey]

If the impeller is not too old, less then a year, it should be OK. But you can drain the lines, pull the cover, and remove the impeller and spray it with a silicone for it's dry storage.

It might be better to drain the lines anyway to avoid the acid build up on the cast iron.

Mine sits on the hard for 6-8 months. I even drain the fresh water/anitfreeze cooling system..................._/)

[Alan Wheeler]

but what about the raw water pump?

Not an issue for 3 months. It won't bind. But as you want to inspect your impellor yearly anyway, I would suggest you shut the seacock, take the plate off the pump and inspect the impellor. Then smear some Lanocote inside the pump and then turn the engine just a little to ensure the lanocote is wiped under the blades and refit the plate.

I even drain the fresh water/anitfreeze cooling system..................._/)

Del, unless you are in extreme cold where the cooling could still freeze, you are better leaving that antifreeze mix in the engine. If it is a good anti-freeze as in, it has a good anti-corrosion inhibitor, it will do more good in than out. The moisture that is left inside will corrode far easier because it has plenty of air in there as well. Plus the circulation pump seals dry and the bearing can dry and corrode.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

Del, unless you are in extreme cold where the cooling could still freeze, you are better leaving that antifreeze mix in the engine. If it is a good anti-freeze as in, it has a good anti-corrosion inhibitor, it will do more good in than out. The moisture that is left inside will corrode far easier because it has plenty of air in there as well. Plus the circulation pump seals dry and the bearing can dry and corrode.

Yeah! You are probably right with the exception of MY motor, A VW convert. It has a lot of aluminum parts. You mix that with an iron block, you get galvonic reaction. I use the recommened antifreeze by the VW dealers but when it sits so long it still works on the aluminum.

I've done it this way for the pass couple years due to what I found during a spring start up.

The story:
I started up the motor after 7 months of sitting (with the coolant still in it) and it kicked right off after two revs :kissy: But during the warm up the fresh water pump started to leak. So I shut it down and proceeded to locate a new pump. That was a PITA trying to get the exact one. They look the same but they are not, by minor details.

So, I drained the coolant into clear plastic jugs and started the tear down. I discovered while pulling the hoses off that the ends of the hose flanges were eaten partly away and the inside of the pump wasn't looking too good either. And I'm saying to myself "What an idot" I bought this boat and didn't bother doing any liquid changes. The SOB, so called mechanic, that had installed a rebuilt head (that it didn't need) just before I bought it, had put regular dime store antifreeze in a VW motor.

A week later the plastic jugs that I had the coolant in, have a gray level at the bottom. I siphoned off the top all the antifreeze and what I found was liquid aluminum. All winter long that stuff had been eating away at the pump and the surrounding castings. I had to replace another casting up under the fuel pump too.

Now, I buy the best antifreeze I can get right from the VW dealers And drain the stuff for the winterization lay up. And I keep a heat lamp in the motor compartment all during the cold season. So it never really gets below 60º F and there is no moisture build up.


There are 3 different types of antifreeze for different types of motors! The phosphate-free antifreeze is what should have been in there!

Ref:

Description: The most common formulation of antifreeze is green in color and uses ethylene glycol as a base with anti-corrosion additives mixed in. The ethylene glycol part of the formula provides crucial anti-freezing characteristics and the additives deliver the anti-rust and anti-corrosion capabilities. Beginning with 1995 models, most GM vehicles started coming from the factory filled with an extended-life antifreeze, trademarked as DEX-COOL®. Distinctively different in appearance, DEX-COOL®, and its aftermarket equivalents, is an orange/amber color. It still uses ethylene glycol as a base, but contains a different additive package than standard green-colored antifreeze. This coolant is designed to protect cooling systems for up to 150,000 miles or five years. Other antifreeze formulations include silicate-free for Japanese cars and phosphate-free for European cars.

http://www.carcare.org/Cooling_System/antifreeze.shtml



As for corrosion and the seals? I haven't had any problem for the past two years. The residue from the dried out antifreeze should be taking care of the internal parts.