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Winterizing 40 open

Discussion in 'Luhrs Yacht' started by Joe McKairnes, Oct 20, 2020.

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  1. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    Curious how you all winterize. New owner of 40 open. My old boat, I would start the engine and pour antifreeze into the raw water intake strainers. Not sure how to do this with the deck up for engine access!
  2. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Congrats on your new boat. Can you provide more info? Type of boat, engines, access, and maybe some pictures of your salt water intake lines. Do you have strainers? etc.
  3. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    Sure! Twin yanmar 500hp diesels. Center deck hydrolically lifts up for engine room access. Problem is, with it up i can't reach the controls to start the engines. Yes, raw water strainers leading to the raw water pumps... I'll get pics asap...
  4. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Remote panel options are great at these times.
    A second set of hands that can poor antifreeze into the strainer or start/stop the key switch could be more fun..
  5. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    I'm thinking maybe disconnect the raw water pump hose and stuck it in 6 gallons of antifreeze, close the hatch then start it up......
  6. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Is there anything in the factory manual (boat or engine)?
    6 gallons may be a thin number.

    We are year round operators. Once Jacksonville had a hard freeze (December, 1989). Town and I-95 bridges were shut down. Best Christmas I have ever had. Nobody could travel. Iced everything. Snow (mostly ice) lasted on the ground for days. House lost electricity for days. Ferried people and supplies between the banks of the StJohns river. I ran a couple of 60w trouble lights in my bilges. When not running.
    Good Old 2860 Trophy hard top.

    So. I have never done this, in the back of my head I always figured this plan;
    I figure you storing on the hill. Flush the whole system with fresh (potable) water for several minutes first. Fog the engine and red tag the breakers and switches to the engines.
    Remove raw pump impeller, re-install cover. Attach pump hose to rinse adapter on strainer (sea cock closed) and hand pump 10 or more gallons thru everything.
    This ensures all gets antifreeze including the mufflers. Oh, your main mufflers may be near self draining, the gen-sets muffler is usually not.
    Run the antifreeze thru the gen set like your plan above. Manually pumping thru a non running gen-set will back flow water from the lift muffler into the engine.

    Hand pump antifreeze thru the A/C systems like the engines.

    Don't be cheap on the antifreeze.

    Shop vac the bilges dry.
    Shop vac all deck drains.

    Ad potable water antifreeze to holding tank low on water. Pump this thru all hose bibs, faucets and shower heads.
    Ensure the shower sump cycles a couple of times.

    Any ice makers, turn the water to them off after this but let the ice maker run for a few more hours. This will ensure the trays have dumped any ice and are dry.
    Dump ice buckets.
    Turn off and block door or hatch open. Same for the fridge.

    Shop vac all A/C condensate drain sumps, ice maker drain sumps, Sink drains (clear traps) and anything else that comes to your mind that may hold water.

    Wow, That is a lot of work. A trip to Florida sounds like less work and more fun.


    https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--manual-bilge-pumps--P011_330_003_501?recordNum=1
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2020
  7. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    Lol! Unfortunately I'm in NJ. Just bought the boat and ran it up from NC. To be honest, that might be cheaper! Run it south in the winter!!
  8. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    All, really appreciate the way you all help out. Hope I can be of assistance some day! At this point, only owned the boat 3 weeks!
  9. ChiTown

    ChiTown Member

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    Try heated storage, a lot less to winterize
  10. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    If you have groco strainers there is a cap with a garden hose fitting available that you can use with a length of hose to suck antifreeze from a tub as the engine runs. Just shut the thru hull valve. Also you can drain the salt water side, or blow it out with a compressor.
  11. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I like that idea.
    Is there indoor storage around you way? Available or long list?
    Your 6 easy days away from St Augustine. Where your boat was built. Come on down.
  12. alvareza

    alvareza Member

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    Really good winterizing list. Everything that has a water hose of any kind needs to be winterized.

    Even with heated storage good to winterize in case the building loses power.

    If you winterize engines while in the water, have the lift driver tilt the boat down on back a little after hauling it. Drains any left over water out of exhausts.

    I plug the exhausts with a ball of discarded shrink wrap to keep animals out.
  13. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    i'll look for hose fittings, that would be awesome! Thx!
  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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  15. Joe McKairnes

    Joe McKairnes Member

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    It's diesel, and I usually fill the tanks. Fuel is treated so no chance of fungus...