Winterization overkill????

[Panamax.]

As some might have read, I recently purchased a 36 Hunter which is docked in the Pacific NW. My plan is to sail her regularly, at least through the fall, and quite possibly into the winter. In order to prepare for winter, I have purchased two pancake dehumidifiers, a medium sized fan, a small space heater, and a small electric dehumidifier (which will soon be modified to drain into the sink). I also vacuum out the bilge after use to keep the moisture down (result of natural dripping of the shaft seal underway). Much of these procedures learned from documentation of the previous owner. All this being said, when I departed the boat and saw the oil' electric meter just spinning away it got me wondering. So...a couple of newbie questions.

1. Assuming basic NW weather, when do I really need (if ever) all of this stuff turned on?

2. Am I missing anything?

3. Any alternatives I might be overlooking?

Thanks in advance for your constructive comments.

[Panamax.]

Oh, and by the way, my question really deals simply with keeping the interior dry. Obviously lots of other winterization maintenance required.

[Panamax.]

No responses? Hmmmm.

[Glenn.Brooks]

Iam moored in Everett and use one small electric heater to keep the boat dry in winter. You probably don't need any more than one heater- just enough to keep air circulating. Return the dehumidifiers and get a refund if you can - trying to take moisture out of air in the PNW is a fools mission - not you but the nutcase who dreamed up the marketing campaign to sell these things!

BTW , a light bulb might work just as well as a heater with fan. We used a single heat lamp in winter in Alaska successfully for years before small marine heaters came on the market.

Regarding winterization, very important to drain your heat exchanger and pump out holding tank during januarary and December cold . Keep things from freezing and breaking


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[Panamax.]

How large is your boat?

[Glenn.Brooks]

Originally Posted by Panamax.

How large is your boat?

It's an alberg 30'. Previously, I've used single light bulbs on 36' sloop in Alaska in winter, in the water, with good results also.

[Panamax.]

Then I guess I am over killing quite a bit. Just hard to believe that in this crazy humid environment, that we would be safe with just a light bulb. In Everett, do you worry about pipes freezing?

[smac999]

you want the inside boat temp to be around water temp. which probably isn't that warm there. warmer and the hull will condensate. that is what causes condensation, 2 different temps on either side.

so the heaters should be on pretty low and not run too often.

basically you want to keep the boat above freezing and don't want the pipes to freeze. you're not trying to keep the boat at 85. for any cold snaps you may need a couple heaters up higher, and most of winter less.

the light bulb idea is stupid.. yes you get some heat but you also get light which is a waste of money. vs a heater which all power is heat.

keep bilge panels / engine covers / bathroom cupboards etc off so air flows and warms whole boat.

these are pretty common.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-m...er--P007867518

1 or 2 of those and 1 or 2 space heaters set low temp and low number would probably be good.

[Glenn.Brooks]

Originally Posted by Panamax.

Then I guess I am over killing quite a bit. Just hard to believe that in this crazy humid environment, that we would be safe with just a light bulb. In Everett, do you worry about pipes freezing?

Two biggest things I worry about in winter are keeping condensation off inside surfaces, and preventing any plumbing from freezing. Condensation leads to mold and discolors into or finishes. Most years temps will drop down to around 25 F or below, which can cause freezing. I've found a rule of thumb is you might be at risk for freezing when rim ice forms in the harbor. This is an El Niño year, so we may have warmer temps through the winter than normal - but a small marine space heater still is the optimal way to go these days.

You can always add or disconnect additional heat sources as you think best. In spite of what the other poster says, lights have worked very well on boats for decades. The point is, it only takes a minimal amount of heat to keep the boat dry. ask any commercial fisherman. Nevertheless, the new small marine heaters are an improvement. I run mine at the lowest fan speed and minimum heat setting I can, that keeps condensation out of the boat. You can always keep the boat warmer, just costs more electricity.

Also, something to think about, leave all the interior hatches and openings open for air flow and remove cushions, food stuffs, sails, etc and store at home in a nice warm dry place. I ususally take everything off the boat and put into dry storage, as any water or moisture that does show up inside will stay trapped underneath cushions and other sorts of stuff - causing all sorts of trouble over time - mildew, rust, paint blisters etc. mush easier to strip out the boat, if you can, and make it easy to clean up the interior in the spring.

Good luck.

[delmarrey]

I'm sure everyone has their own opinion, but my 40'er sat on the hard for 10 winters with just the use of (4) 250 watt heat lamps. One over the motor and the rest spread throughout the boat.

The only problem I had was a wash down pump right up next to the deck where the pressure sensor froze and cracked. The next year I flushed it out with the RV antifreeze.

But that Everett marina sure hits you up on electric bills!

[phipseml]

Originally Posted by smac999

the light bulb idea is stupid.. yes you get some heat but you also get light which is a waste of money. vs a heater which all power is heat.

.

I think the light bulb idea is more the other way around: You get more heat than light, hence it's stupid to run them for light only if you can't use the heat and have alternatives.

Here, people use a simple resistance based heater - quite similar to light bulbs but bigger with higher output and less light - set on 5degC which kicks in when temp at its thermistor is too low. Basically what the others here said just without a fan. I think a fan is awesome.

Cheers,
Phil