Winterization To-Do List

I guess this is why they print manuals and handbooks and why there are service yards and mechanics.. I would not expect to be teached such things on a yacht forum..?

If you need help there are plenty of videos on youtube that show you what to do. Each boat is different so getting the exact and proper advice for members here is hard.

Do you have sea strainers on your motors and genset? if you do you can close the seacocks, open the top of the strainer and pour pink in the strainer until pink comes out of the exhaust. make sure you treat your fuel for storage too.

I blow my water lines and A/C lines with a compressor.

You've got several good yards right around the corner from you. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. It doesn't sound like you're a mechanic nor a plumber. If you were, you'd have the list. You need to run non-tox anti-freeze through everthing that carries or stores water. You need to stablize all fuel, fog the motors, pump out your holding and water tanks and leave anit-freeze in them. Then there's the spring commissioning. Changing zincs (including engine, hull and OD sincs, changing oil, filters impellers, etc. This stuff is just a partial list. There's a reason yards charge big bucks for this. It takes their skilled mechanics probably an entire day to do it right. It'll probably take you three. How much is your time worth? Then there's Murphy's law: The one thing you miss will be the thing that costs you a couple of thousand to replace.
My advise is for you to take care of the things the yard maybe won't do, i.e. open all cabinettes, prop up mattresses, polish your isinglass, empty your fridge, place Damp Rids any place moisture might collect, tape over holes in hull so rats and squirels can't climb in and eat their way through the hoses to get to the good stuff (like mattresses), clean, wax, lubricate hinges, zippers and snaps, cover your carpets and cockpit seats, get the struts under your swim platform cleaned up, change you external zincs. That'll keep you busy.

P.S. If you cut a yard out of their winterization money they're bound to get it back on your spring commissioning, etc. So it's kind of all or nothing.

P.S. I have a ton of acorns falling from my oak trees. That's generally a sign of a hard winter coming.

One last thing: Most yards will not let you do work on their property for insurance purposes. You can't winterize your motors and then drive it to them except on a trailer.

The way you winterize the first time yourself is to watch someone do their boat or your boat and then follow the process they used next time you want to do it.

Do you have an buddies in the marina that can show you what to do?

I would definitely say use a yard for the winterization. First, while the cost seems high to you, the cost of not doing the job completely is extremely high. Second, if they do fail somehow to do it right, then they are liable to fix any damage caused. In fact, that's one reason they do charge so much. You're paying for the job being done professionally plus the reassurance that they take responsibility.

There are certain things you can work on regarding your boat with limited experience and limited risk. I don't see winterization as being one of those. When I lived on a North Carolina lake I saw many people with problems and most were DIY'ers. The marina did fail to do one that they had contracted and committed and their insurance paid for new engines (boat was less than a year old).

Maybe instead of recommending a yard, I should have emphasized the right yard. Either I'm the luckiest person around or I've chosen well over the years. I think in all my years of boating, I've only had to take it back for something not fixed once. Now, can't say I've been that lucky with cars.

I do understand your financial restraints. Just not real sure how someone here can teach you without seeing your exact setup.

Sub-divide the overall idea into sub-systems:
- engines (including seacocks and strainers)
- genset (ditto)
- air conditioners (ditto)
- fresh water (including water pump, filter accumulator, hot water heater, faucets, overboard drain lines...)
- head and holding tank
- raw water (washdowns, bait wells, etc.)
- enclosures
- stuff (food, liquids, etc.)
- et cetera

Work through each "water" system with the right combination of empty it/drain it, potable antifreeze, compressed air, etc. (depending on system) so no untreated water lives anywhere on the boat. Make hoses as necessary so you'll have those for subsequent years (e.g., a short hose with the right connectors at each end to run compressed air through your fresh water system, a different hose/fittings maybe for your saltwater washdown system, etc.).

As you work, take notes on each system, develop yourself a checklist for future years, and edit that as necessary over time.

Winterizing most of the individual systems is usually relative easy, although sometimes access issues make it more difficult than it could be otherwise...

FWIW, I do everything EXCEPT our engines and genset (all diesel). Those are actually conceptually easy, but our yard has a portable antifreeze tank on a wagon... and they can do all three in about 45 mins or less... so I don't have to lift/carry/lift the several gallons needed for that part.

-Chris

Let me ask you one question. Does your insurance cover you for freeze damage? ie: cracked block. My policy only covers this form of claim if the vessel has been winterized by a LICENSED marine mechanic. I own a few boats, for this reason alone I never winterize my own boats. Not worth the risk.

That's the way mine have always read. Plus, if they feel it is negligence in some way on the part of the mechanic, then they're go after the mechanic and his insurance. Now my friend, whose boat got overlooked by the marina, found out since it hadn't been winterized his insurance wouldn't cover. Fortunately, the marina quickly admitted their mistake and their insurance did cover.

Even on those policies that don't spell it out, sometimes the insurer will try to prove negligence if you do it yourself. Now if you have the knowledge and experience you can fight that but fighting insurers is a long painful process.

Now still if the person feels confident that they can do it well, then insurance may not enter the equation in their mind.

I hear your frustration on the quality of marine service. Many moons ago I found it to be flaky at best...

It doesn't sound like you're very mechanical so I'm going to outline it for you. To most this is all common sense and this is why the other guys are recommending you let the yard do it because if you mess it up it'll cost you more than what you would have saved...

The principal is rather basic. Anywhere you have water you need to run antifreeze.
I'm not liable and there's no warranty for this but here it goes...

Everything but the engines and macerators can be done in the water.

1 - Add fuel stabilizer to your fuel tanks, fill them and run engines 10 - 15 minutes.
2 - Pump out all your waste tanks.

Fresh water system: (You can skip this if using compressed air but you better make sure you get all the water out). If I were you I'd use the antifreeze. By the right stuff for the fresh water system.

3 - Turn on your fresh water pump.
4 - Open ALL faucets until no fresh water is coming out and your water tank(s) are empty.
5 - At this point your water pump will keep running, shut it off.
6 - Close all faucets.
7 - Drain your water heater. If it has bypass valves, by pass it, if not, simply leave it alone and use more antifreeze (might be easier for you)
8 - Fill your water tank with 15 gallons of antifreeze (more if you're not bypassing water heater)
9 - Turn on water pump. If you're not bypassing water heater it'll fill the water heater and then pump will stop. If you are bypassing pump will pump for a few seconds and shut off.
10. Starting at the bow of the boat and working your way aft open each faucet (might have fresh water washdown in achor locker) until you see solid pink come out. Not diluted pink. It should look like what's in the bottle you poured in. Start with the hot first then the cold at each faucet. Make sure it's pink and close the faucet as you work your way back towards the stern. If you run out of antifreeze add more to the tank. If you didn't bypass water heater when you open the first hot water faucet it'll take a while for it to be solid pink. Don't forget the transom shower, etc.
11. If you have a city water hookup at the stern you will need to force some antifreeze through there. I have a fresh water washdown back there so I run a hose from that faucet into the regulator for the city water, run the pump and open a faucet until I see pink again.
11. When you've done all faucets turn of water pump and open all faucets. You leave the faucets open in case of expansion...
Fresh Water system is done.

Heads/Shower Drains:

12 - Pour 4 - 5 gallons in each head as you flush the head.
13 - Pour a gallon of antifreeze down the shower drain. Some drains use a pump in a box and you need to get some antifreeze in there.

AC units:

14 - Close the seacock and open the strainer.
15 - Have 3 - 4 gallons on antifreeze bottles open and ready to go.
16 - As your pour antifreeze down the strainer, have your wife start the AC unit and go look at where the unit discharges the water and keep adding antifreeze until she sees solid pink come out. DO NOT let the level of antifreeze drop in the strainer or it will loose it's prime.
17 - Turn off the AC unit, put the strainer lid on and AC is done. I'm assuming you have one AC pump. If you have multiple AC units the pump will push water through all AC units so they will all be winterized. If you have separate pumps and AC units you will need to repeat 14 - 17 for each unit.

Generator:

18 - Run the generator for 10 - 15 minutes to circulate fuel stabilizer through the fuel system.
19 - Shut off the generator
20 - Close the seacock
21 - Have 4 - 5 gallons of antifreeze ready to go. Open the strainer lid and have your wife start the generator and look at the exhaust until solid pink comes out while you pour antifreeze down the strainer. DO NOT let the level of antifreeze drop in the strainer. That's why you need to have all the bottles open and ready to go. You will need to be quick.
22 - Shutdown generator once she sees pink coming out and put the strainer lid back on.

Engines:

On Land:

23 - Same process as generator but you will probably use 5 -7 gallons per engine.

When you go to haul the boat, shut off engines and close engine seacocks.
After you winterize engines, briefly open each engine seacock, generator and AC pump to drain a bit of antifreeze in case some regular water stayed in the hose between the strainer and seacock and leave the seacocks closed. The reason for leaving it closed, at least on the engines is to that you don't drain all the antifreeze in the line to the seawater pump and leave the impeller dry for when you start the engines in the spring. Just don't forget to open the seacocks after the boat is splashed.

Macerators

On land:

24 - Open each macerator pump seacock, place a 5 gallon bucket under the thru hull and run your macerator until pink comes out in the bucket. You may need to add more antifreeze to the tank.
25 - Dispose of the waste appropriately at your marina - you can use the pumpout to suck it out of the bucket

Don't skimp on the antifreeze. Since it's your first time use more and make sure everything is solid pink. Next time around you will know exactly how much you need.

Take your time and good luck. It's not rocket science.

Or you can do as I do, i.e. learn what needs to be done, talk with the service manager and the mechanics so they know that you know what needs to be done, and check the work but leave the doing to the professionals. Most mechanics and service managers respect people who know the business but respect their abilities. I do maintenance and emergency repairs even though I know a lot more, but I'm smart enough to know that jobs will be done faster and probably better by the guy who does it every day. Just knowing what to do only gets you half way there. Experience rules.