More Winterizing Questions

[scarlet]

I've done some searches, and haven't found exactly what I'm looking for.

So, we live in Kansas, but our Lagoon 450 is in Delaware. We've only owned her for 2 months. We will be leaving her in the water over the winter. We've already made an extensive checklist for winterizing all of our systems, (engines, watermakers, water tanks, holding tanks, air conditioners, etc. )however, I have a few odds and ends that I'm not sure about.

1. We have a large, soft Bimini over the fly bridge. It has 4 solar panels mounted on it. Do I need to remove the solar panels, and the soft Bimini? or can that be left on over the winter?

2. We also have a whole surround for the fly bridge, as well as a full cockpit surround. Do you recommend putting those on over the winter? or is it better to leave them off?

3. What should I do with the refrigerators? just leave them on as they are charged by the solar?

4. here is a big one for us... What do I do with our liquids? canned goods and other sealed food items? What about cleaning products, and system "consumables" such as oils, etc? Ideally we would take everything off and bring it home... but we will have limited space in our car, and based on a preliminary survey, there are HUNDREDS of dollars worth of these types of items. So, doubt we can transport them home... and I hate to throw them all, as it will cost us a fortune to replace those things. What kinds of these items can I keep on board? or, is there a good method of storage?

5. We have solar panels on our davits covering our dinghy... would it be ok to leave the dinghy on the davits? or should it be removed and stored on shore? What about just removing the engine?

6. We will close up the boat in November, and won't be back until March.. (yes, I know.. not ideal, but it is our situation for the next 18 months)… We won't be able to check on her every week. We do keep it in a nice marina and have talked to them about checking on her, but the marina staff has proven to be a bit unreliable..... so we want to be extra safe... any other words of wisdom?

[Sailmonkey]

Keep in mind we don’t winterize where I sail, but I did grow up in Montana!

1. I would remove this, if for no other reason to prevent wear and tear for the period that you’re not present.

2. Again, I’d remove them so they’re in the Sam condition as when you left.

3. Off, you shouldn’t leave any perishables in there, no reason to run them when they’re not needed. Clean them well and leave the doors open. Your batteries will thank you as well.

4. Oils won’t be a problem. Cleaning products may freeze, but again depends on what there is. I would buy some big cheap storage bins and heap the canned food into one, the cleaning products into another. What freezes and bursts only makes a mess in the bin.

5. Dinghy, engine off dinghy upside down on the foredeck/trampoline. No possibility to fill with ice/snow/leaves-water.

[S/V Illusion]

One way of answering your own questions is to visualize the scenario, albeit unlikely, that the area gets hit with an ice storm or a foot of wet (heavy) snow.

The dinghy fills, the Bimini rips, any food containing water freezes, the power goes out creating mold inside the refrigerator (cloudy days affect solar panels), etc...

[Pelican_38]

I'm just a bit south of you in Reedville, Virginia, here's my input: Take off the canvas - it will only deteriorate in the winter - and it will deteriorate quite a bit.

You WILL get hit with a foot or more of wet, heavy snow. So you'll need to be prepared for that by removing things that can fill with snow and be damaged. I always take the dinghy off, there's no logic in leaving it hanging and unattended for months. Your marina probably has dinghy storage for just this reason.

I leave things like soap, cleaning supplies, etc in the boat. They will freeze but won't be seriously harmed. Make sure they are in a tub of some type so if the bottle cracks the mess is contained. Anything in cans can be ruptured when it freezes, so remove those items. Perishables will perish...hence the name.

Good luck.