Cold Weather Questions Boat Storage

[BassCatKev]

I live in Southern Indiana. Keep boat in garage attached to house but garage is not climate controlled but has 2 common walls with the house. I don't know the exact temps the garage gets but it can get well below freezing. I have Flow-Rite remote bilge drain and livewell plugs. If I know really cold stuff is coming, I try to get a towel and get any of that standing water that can sit in very bottom of bilge area.
But every year I worry about water in my pumps hoses, and bilge. Is it best to keep the plug out or in? Is turning on pumps once out of the water good enough to get standing water out of them? What's the best practice?
I will fish every month of the year so this isn't for some multi month storage. We get mild weather to 10 below zero or colder occasionally.
Thanks as always.

[th365thli]

I believe the most common suggestion you will get is to use environmentally friendly RV anti freeze. Pour it in your livewells and/or bilge, run the pumps to get it circulated in the pumps/plumbing, and you should be good to go. The key is biodegradable or environmentally friendly, so when you take it out next season it can just flush it without harm. Not sure if you should flush into lake though.

[th365thli]

example:

https://www.fvpparts.com/products/fl...antifreeze-50f

• Safe for incidental contact with people, pets, and wildlife
• Readily biodegradable and non-toxic to aquatic life

[jarhead175]

As long as you open the drain before pulling it home any water in the hoses should come out. If you want you could raise the front of the trailer a couple feet higher then normal it will all run out.

[billius]

You should have no worries at all. Just drain the bilge and make sure your motor has all the water drained out of it. I would really doubt any water is in your live well, system by now, unless you just got back from fishing. Just make sure all the valves are open. I've never run any rv type antifreeze in any boat I've had. My boat sits in an unheated garage, which is detached. If you don't anticipate taking your rig out again, treat your fuel with something like Marine Stabil. I've not winterized my boat yet, probably will get Sherm to do it next week sometime. its going to be bitter cold here too the next few nights, I don't anticipate any issues.

[th365thli]

You should have no worries at all. Just drain the bilge and make sure your motor has all the water drained out of it. I would really doubt any water is in your live well, system by now, unless you just got back from fishing. Just make sure all the valves are open. I've never run any rv type antifreeze in any boat I've had. My boat sits in an unheated garage, which is detached. If you don't anticipate taking your rig out again, treat your fuel with something like Marine Stabil. I've not winterized my boat yet, probably will get Sherm to do it next week sometime. its going to be bitter cold here too the next few nights, I don't anticipate any issues.

I don't live in a super cold area and therefore I never had to do a full on winterization. This question is just for my curiousity. If it gets very cold, won't any water trapped in the pumps freeze and potentially damage the pumps? I used to live in California where they did livewell/bilge inspections, and it was so much of a pain to get all the water out from the plumbing. There would always be a trickle no matter how long you left the boat tilted. I had to use a shop vac sometimes and stick it on the drains.

[billius]

I don't live in a super cold area and therefore I never had to do a full on winterization. This question is just for my curiousity. If it gets very cold, won't any water trapped in the pumps freeze and potentially damage the pumps? I used to live in California where they did livewell/bilge inspections, and it was so much of a pain to get all the water out from the plumbing. There would always be a trickle no matter how long you left the boat tilted. I had to use a shop vac sometimes and stick it on the drains.

I guess maybe it could, but I've never had any issues with that. And, it gets VERY cold here sometimes in the winter.

[th365thli]

Good to know thanks

[BassCatKev]

You should have no worries at all. Just drain the bilge and make sure your motor has all the water drained out of it. I would really doubt any water is in your live well, system by now, unless you just got back from fishing. Just make sure all the valves are open. I've never run any rv type antifreeze in any boat I've had. My boat sits in an unheated garage, which is detached. If you don't anticipate taking your rig out again, treat your fuel with something like Marine Stabil. I've not winterized my boat yet, probably will get Sherm to do it next week sometime. its going to be bitter cold here too the next few nights, I don't anticipate any issues.

I did just get back from fishing. Regarding livewells, my valve switch has options of Empty or Auto. Which one leaves the valve "open"?

[Bob G.]

I don't live in a super cold area and therefore I never had to do a full on winterization. This question is just for my curiousity. If it gets very cold, won't any water trapped in the pumps freeze and potentially damage the pumps? I used to live in California where they did livewell/bilge inspections, and it was so much of a pain to get all the water out from the plumbing. There would always be a trickle no matter how long you left the boat tilted. I had to use a shop vac sometimes and stick it on the drains.

YES! The recirculating pumps and pumps out pumps are on the bottom of the livewells on my boat. I didn't give it any thought a few years ago and the pump housings broke. I had to replace 4 pumps in the Spring. Now I run RV antifreeze through all livewell pumps when I winterize the boat/motor.

[berudd]

Buy a cheap electric heater with a thermostat. Watch the forecast and if it going to be below freezing, turn it on to it lowest setting. Even if you just keep the garage in the low 40s, you won't need to worry about freezing.

[DrewFlu33]

I've got a Flow-Rite set up as well. I always open all the drains, remove the plug from the boat, jack the front up to make sure that any water laying in front of the plug or in the livewells makes its way out, then kick the livewell and bilge pumps on for a second or two just to make sure nothing is sitting in them. They must be set up not to hold water (and I'm sure that's in their literature somewhere) because I've never had any water come out of them, but I always do it to be sure. My boat sits every winter unheated in MN and I've never had the first issue. We get (real) temps down to -20 at least once every winter, and had them down closer to -40 last winter overnight during a particularly brutal stretch. No need for the RV antifreeze in the boat, though I do use the hell out of the stuff in my "cabin."

Bonus: If you charge up your batteries and unhook them completely, they'll be just fine over the winter. The unhooking part is big as it prevents any parasitic draw, but they won't freeze and won't lose their charge so long as they're not kept warm. My fully charged and unhooked batteries stay in my boat every winter and always are fully charged within an hour of plugging them in each spring. I tested voltage last spring after getting them out of storage just to see...they were all right at 13 volts, ranging from 13.01 to 13.03. I'm guessing this isn't a concern for you anyway as you keep your boat in your garage where power is easily accessible, but maybe it's valuable for someone else who stores their boat offsite. You're wasting time removing and hauling batteries!

See this battery chart from the Battery University for discharge rates in storage at different temps:

[mactlman]

my attached, insulated but unheated garage never gets below 35 and is usually in the low 40's unless very cold for many days or weeks? you should be fine with minimal precautions

[itsahog]

If you want to be safe, Put a trouble light in your boat compartment. Put it on a timer for the times you want it on, it won’t take much to keep it from freezing, a trouble light will put off enough heat. Safe, cheap and easy.

[Jeff Hahn]

Water that freezes while sitting in some areas of the boat is not a big issue AS LONG AS it has room to expand when it freezes. I doubt that the pumps and lines, and certainly the bilge area, have water trapped in such a way that it could not expand. However, the water pressure gauge is another matter. You should unhook it after a winter fishing trip or installed a "T" in the line to allow it to drain or else it will freeze and mess up your gauge.

[bassboat1]

My boats have always slept outside in NH (usually get a couple weeks below 0F). When I winterize, I pour some of the RV antifreeze in each livewell, with the drain valves open. Even when water/ice compromised my covers, I never suffered any damage to valves, plumbing or screens.

[twitch]

My boat sits outside under a double cover when it gets really cold but I do not winterize the motor because if it's a nice day in Jan and the waters open I'm going. I drain the livewells on the way home about a 15 minute trip usually ,I also have a T in my water pressure guage line to drain that when I get home and pull the plug on the hull. Trim motor all the way down and have never had a problem in over 25 years with my boats. Charge the batteries up and should be good to go. I always change my lower gear fluid in oct or nov and then I know it's water free for the winter.

[dstep0]

I did just get back from fishing. Regarding livewells, my valve switch has options of Empty or Auto. Which one leaves the valve "open"?

Empty.


You're over thinking it considering you have it in a garage. Turn everything to empty. Run pumps dry for a moment to purge water, leave plug out, head home and lower motor after you tuck it away. Ensure you have your fuel stabilized and lower unit oil changed. You're good to go.

[BassCatKev]

Thanks guys