"Bryan" wrote in message
. net...
It's going to be below freezing tonight in an area where winterizing is
optional. I chose not to winterize so that I could use my boat on the
nice days during the winter.

My friend told me to put a 40 watt utility light in the engine compartment
for cold nights. So, I leave a 40 watt bulb burning in the engine
compartment of my Sea Ray 185. What do you think of this winterizing
solution?


I lost an engine to freezing quite a number of years ago using a 100 watt
trouble light on a timer in the engine compartment for heat. My situation
was a bit different than yours. My boat was 250 miles away from my home,
and a hard freeze would normally be a freak event where the boat was stored.
Well, the freak event happened, and I learned the hard way that the weakness
of light bulbs is that they have a finite life, and can burn out at any time
with no warning. Apparently, mine chose to burn out just before the rare
event of a hard freeze.

One of the upshots of this event was learning of a much better solution for
protecting a non-winterized boat. If you don't already own one, go down to
Wal-Mart or any such place and by the least expensive electric blanket you
can find. An electric blanket can be draped over the engine, thus spreading
the heat around the engine much better than a single light bulb can, and of
course the electric blanket won't burn out. Be sure and leave the
controller for the blanket outside of the engine compartment, because it is
not spark protected. The person who told me of this solution said that this
is what the Coast Guard does for their non-winterized boats, but they use
industrial-strength electric blankets special-made for the purpose. But
even a common household electric blanket is a much better solution than a
light bulb.