Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

The claims dept at BoatU.S. cites the six most common winterizing
screw-ups that result in an insured loss.......

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864,
Date: October 3, 2007

HOW TO AVOID THE SIX MOST COMMON WINTERIZING MISTAKES
Free BoatU.S. Winterizing Guide Available

With winter approaching, BoatU.S. Marine Insurance has reviewed its
claim files and reports the following six most common mistakes made
when winterizing a boat:

1. Failure to winterize the engine: Freezing temperatures occur in all
50 states and while they are taken seriously up north, it's the balmy
states of California, Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia where
boaters are most likely to have freeze-related damage to engine
blocks. It routinely occurs to boats stored ashore here. Boats left in
a slip are less susceptible to sudden freezing as the surrounding
water retains heat longer than air.

2. Failure to drain water from sea strainer: If your winterizing plan
calls for draining the engine, the seawater strainer must be
winterized or residual water could freeze and rupture the watertight
seal. Sometimes you won't know it's damaged until spring launching and
water begins to trickle in.

3. Failure to close seacocks: For boats left in the water, leaving
seacocks open over the winter is like going on extended vacation
without locking the house. If a thru-hull cannot be closed the vessel
must be stored ashore - the sole exception are cockpit drains. Heavy
snow loads can also force your boat under, allowing water to enter
thru-hulls normally well above the water line.

4. Clogged petcocks: Engine cooling system petcocks clogged by rust or
other debris can prevent water from fully draining. If one is plugged,
try using a coat hanger to clear the blockage or use the engine's
intake hose to flush anti-freeze through the system.

5. Leaving open boats in the water over winter: Boats with large open
cockpits or low freeboard can easily be pushed underwater by the
weight of accumulated ice and snow. Always store them ashore.

6. Using bimini covers as winter storage covers: A cover that protects
the crew from the sun does a lousy job protecting the boat from
freezing rain and snow. Unlike a bonafide winter cover, biminis tend
to rip apart and age prematurely by the effects of winter weather.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Oct 3, 5:24 pm, Chuck Gould wrote:
The claims dept at BoatU.S. cites the six most common winterizing
screw-ups that result in an insured loss.......

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864,
Date: October 3, 2007

HOW TO AVOID THE SIX MOST COMMON WINTERIZING MISTAKES
Free BoatU.S. Winterizing Guide Available

With winter approaching, BoatU.S. Marine Insurance has reviewed its
claim files and reports the following six most common mistakes made
when winterizing a boat:

1. Failure to winterize the engine: Freezing temperatures occur in all
50 states and while they are taken seriously up north, it's the balmy
states of California, Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia where
boaters are most likely to have freeze-related damage to engine
blocks. It routinely occurs to boats stored ashore here. Boats left in
a slip are less susceptible to sudden freezing as the surrounding
water retains heat longer than air.

2. Failure to drain water from sea strainer: If your winterizing plan
calls for draining the engine, the seawater strainer must be
winterized or residual water could freeze and rupture the watertight
seal. Sometimes you won't know it's damaged until spring launching and
water begins to trickle in.

3. Failure to close seacocks: For boats left in the water, leaving
seacocks open over the winter is like going on extended vacation
without locking the house. If a thru-hull cannot be closed the vessel
must be stored ashore - the sole exception are cockpit drains. Heavy
snow loads can also force your boat under, allowing water to enter
thru-hulls normally well above the water line.

4. Clogged petcocks: Engine cooling system petcocks clogged by rust or
other debris can prevent water from fully draining. If one is plugged,
try using a coat hanger to clear the blockage or use the engine's
intake hose to flush anti-freeze through the system.

5. Leaving open boats in the water over winter: Boats with large open
cockpits or low freeboard can easily be pushed underwater by the
weight of accumulated ice and snow. Always store them ashore.

6. Using bimini covers as winter storage covers: A cover that protects
the crew from the sun does a lousy job protecting the boat from
freezing rain and snow. Unlike a bonafide winter cover, biminis tend
to rip apart and age prematurely by the effects of winter weather.

thanks Chuck, its articles like this that puts *news* back into
*NewsGroups*

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

All 50 states have freezing temps?
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...
The claims dept at BoatU.S. cites the six most common winterizing
screw-ups that result in an insured loss.......

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864,
Date: October 3, 2007

HOW TO AVOID THE SIX MOST COMMON WINTERIZING MISTAKES
Free BoatU.S. Winterizing Guide Available

With winter approaching, BoatU.S. Marine Insurance has reviewed its
claim files and reports the following six most common mistakes made
when winterizing a boat:

1. Failure to winterize the engine: Freezing temperatures occur in all
50 states and while they are taken seriously up north, it's the balmy
states of California, Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia where
boaters are most likely to have freeze-related damage to engine
blocks. It routinely occurs to boats stored ashore here. Boats left in
a slip are less susceptible to sudden freezing as the surrounding
water retains heat longer than air.

2. Failure to drain water from sea strainer: If your winterizing plan
calls for draining the engine, the seawater strainer must be
winterized or residual water could freeze and rupture the watertight
seal. Sometimes you won't know it's damaged until spring launching and
water begins to trickle in.

3. Failure to close seacocks: For boats left in the water, leaving
seacocks open over the winter is like going on extended vacation
without locking the house. If a thru-hull cannot be closed the vessel
must be stored ashore - the sole exception are cockpit drains. Heavy
snow loads can also force your boat under, allowing water to enter
thru-hulls normally well above the water line.

4. Clogged petcocks: Engine cooling system petcocks clogged by rust or
other debris can prevent water from fully draining. If one is plugged,
try using a coat hanger to clear the blockage or use the engine's
intake hose to flush anti-freeze through the system.

5. Leaving open boats in the water over winter: Boats with large open
cockpits or low freeboard can easily be pushed underwater by the
weight of accumulated ice and snow. Always store them ashore.

6. Using bimini covers as winter storage covers: A cover that protects
the crew from the sun does a lousy job protecting the boat from
freezing rain and snow. Unlike a bonafide winter cover, biminis tend
to rip apart and age prematurely by the effects of winter weather.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Oct 3, 4:58?pm, "Jim" wrote:
All 50 states have freezing temps?"Chuck Gould" wrote in message


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

Yup. It has been down to as low as 12-degrees above zero in HI.
In fact, Hawaii is the only state that has never recorded a sub-zero
temperature- 32 or more degrees F below the freezing point of fresh
water.

Now, are all of those low temperatures occuring in places that would
require a boat to be winterized? No.

However, the statement by BoatU.S. is quite literally true; all 50
states experience freezing temperatures.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

Man! 2 degrees F in Florida. I'm going to go out and buy a pair of long
pants..........Just in case.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Oct 3, 4:58?pm, "Jim" wrote:
All 50 states have freezing temps?"Chuck Gould"
wrote in message


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

Yup. It has been down to as low as 12-degrees above zero in HI.
In fact, Hawaii is the only state that has never recorded a sub-zero
temperature- 32 or more degrees F below the freezing point of fresh
water.

Now, are all of those low temperatures occuring in places that would
require a boat to be winterized? No.

However, the statement by BoatU.S. is quite literally true; all 50
states experience freezing temperatures.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

Jim wrote:
Man! 2 degrees F in Florida. I'm going to go out and buy a pair of long
pants..........Just in case.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Oct 3, 4:58?pm, "Jim" wrote:
All 50 states have freezing temps?"Chuck Gould"
wrote in message


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

Yup. It has been down to as low as 12-degrees above zero in HI.
In fact, Hawaii is the only state that has never recorded a sub-zero
temperature- 32 or more degrees F below the freezing point of fresh
water.

Now, are all of those low temperatures occuring in places that would
require a boat to be winterized? No.

However, the statement by BoatU.S. is quite literally true; all 50
states experience freezing temperatures.





It snowed once or twice in NE Florida when we lived there. Overnight
temps in the 30s and once in a while in the 20s were not rare in
December and January.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Oct 4, 7:14?am, "Jim" wrote:
Man! 2 degrees F in Florida. I'm going to go out and buy a pair of long
pants..........Just in case.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message

ups.com...





On Oct 3, 4:58?pm, "Jim" wrote:
All 50 states have freezing temps?"Chuck Gould"
wrote in message

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

Yup. It has been down to as low as 12-degrees above zero in HI.
In fact, Hawaii is the only state that has never recorded a sub-zero
temperature- 32 or more degrees F below the freezing point of fresh
water.

Now, are all of those low temperatures occuring in places that would
require a boat to be winterized? No.

However, the statement by BoatU.S. is quite literally true; all 50
states experience freezing temperatures.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Don't some of the Florida citrus growers have to run "smudge pot"
heaters, sometimes, to prevent freeze damage to crops?

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Oct 4, 8:54?am, Gene Kearns
wrote:
On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:24:14 -0700, Chuck Gould penned the following
well considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

The claims dept at BoatU.S. cites the six most common winterizing
screw-ups that result in an insured loss.......

Please tell me you are not trolling for a return to the news group of
our mentally deranged rip and dip guru.....

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepagehttp://pamandgene.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguidehttp://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats


I had to stop and try to think of just you meant.....

Winterizing was one of the few boating topics he used to post about,
wasn't it?

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:14:49 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

On Oct 4, 7:14?am, "Jim" wrote:
Man! 2 degrees F in Florida. I'm going to go out and buy a pair of long
pants..........Just in case.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message

ups.com...





On Oct 3, 4:58?pm, "Jim" wrote:
All 50 states have freezing temps?"Chuck Gould"
wrote in message

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

Yup. It has been down to as low as 12-degrees above zero in HI.
In fact, Hawaii is the only state that has never recorded a sub-zero
temperature- 32 or more degrees F below the freezing point of fresh
water.

Now, are all of those low temperatures occuring in places that would
require a boat to be winterized? No.

However, the statement by BoatU.S. is quite literally true; all 50
states experience freezing temperatures.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Don't some of the Florida citrus growers have to run "smudge pot"
heaters, sometimes, to prevent freeze damage to crops?

Especially a few years back when we had global cooling!

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

Chuck Gould wrote:
On Oct 4, 8:54?am, Gene Kearns
wrote:
On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:24:14 -0700, Chuck Gould penned the following
well considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

The claims dept at BoatU.S. cites the six most common winterizing
screw-ups that result in an insured loss.......

Please tell me you are not trolling for a return to the news group of
our mentally deranged rip and dip guru.....

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepagehttp://pamandgene.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguidehttp://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats


I had to stop and try to think of just you meant.....

Winterizing was one of the few boating topics he used to post about,
wasn't it?


When my dad had graduated from highschool, he went to Tampa Fl. to
work in McClowsky (?) shipyard building ships from "Fullers earth"
That was in March of '43.

When he got off the train in Tampa, it was ... snowing!

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

"HK" wrote in message
. ..


It snowed once or twice in NE Florida when we lived there. Overnight temps
in the 30s and once in a while in the 20s were not rare in December and
January.


Snow is unheard of further south in Jupiter where we were. In the three
winters we spent there, I recall *one* unusually cold morning that left very
light frost on the windshield of my car ... until about 8 am. A few "cold"
nights in mid winter with temps in the mid 40's were more the norm, warming
back up to 70 degrees by 10 am.

Chuck's Boat US report citing that all 50 states can have below freezing
temps is no doubt correct, but I don't know of anyone in the southern parts
of Florida that winterize a boat.

In fact, I think you would be considered nuts.


Eisboch

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Thu, 4 Oct 2007 20:23:56 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

Chuck's Boat US report citing that all 50 states can have below freezing
temps is no doubt correct, but I don't know of anyone in the southern parts
of Florida that winterize a boat.

In fact, I think you would be considered nuts.

That's true but there was a hard freeze in Palm Beach back in the mid
80s. I had friends living there at the time and a lot of landscaping
was damaged. That could have potentially damaged a non-winterized
boat stored out of the water. The Tampa area gets freezing weather at
least several times every winter.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:14:49 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Don't some of the Florida citrus growers have to run "smudge pot"
heaters, sometimes, to prevent freeze damage to crops?

Most of them are now using the large circulating fans similar to the
California vineyards. They keep cold pockets from forming in the
hollows.

Central Florida gets freezing weather down as far as Lake Okeechobee
and a bit beyond.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:49:12 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:


That's true but there was a hard freeze in Palm Beach back in the mid
80s. I had friends living there at the time and a lot of landscaping
was damaged. That could have potentially damaged a non-winterized boat
stored out of the water. The Tampa area gets freezing weather at least
several times every winter.

Yeah, Tampa's record cold day was 18 degrees. That's cold enough that it could cause
damage.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...recordlow.html

What surprises me more about Florida's weather, isn't the cold, it's the heat. I lived in Miami a
couple of years, and it would be in the low nineties almost daily in the summer, or at least it
seemed so, but Miami has *never* reached 100 degrees. That just seems odd to me.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...ecordhigh.html

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

thunder wrote:
On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:49:12 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:


That's true but there was a hard freeze in Palm Beach back in the mid
80s. I had friends living there at the time and a lot of landscaping
was damaged. That could have potentially damaged a non-winterized boat
stored out of the water. The Tampa area gets freezing weather at least
several times every winter.

Yeah, Tampa's record cold day was 18 degrees. That's cold enough that it could cause
damage.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...recordlow.html

What surprises me more about Florida's weather, isn't the cold, it's the heat. I lived in Miami a
couple of years, and it would be in the low nineties almost daily in the summer, or at least it
seemed so, but Miami has *never* reached 100 degrees. That just seems odd to me.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...ecordhigh.html


It's the proximity of the ocean. It absorbs an incredible amount of
heat. And in the winter, releases it.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:50:13 -0400, HK wrote:


What surprises me more about Florida's weather, isn't the cold, it's
the heat. I lived in Miami a couple of years, and it would be in the
low nineties almost daily in the summer, or at least it seemed so, but
Miami has *never* reached 100 degrees. That just seems odd to me.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...ecordhigh.html


It's the proximity of the ocean. It absorbs an incredible amount of
heat. And in the winter, releases it.

Yeah, I understand that. It's just that it's 91-93 every damn day. You would think that just
once in history, it would hit 100. :-)

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:31:56 -0000, thunder
wrote:

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:50:13 -0400, HK wrote:


What surprises me more about Florida's weather, isn't the cold, it's
the heat. I lived in Miami a couple of years, and it would be in the
low nineties almost daily in the summer, or at least it seemed so, but
Miami has *never* reached 100 degrees. That just seems odd to me.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...ecordhigh.html


It's the proximity of the ocean. It absorbs an incredible amount of
heat. And in the winter, releases it.

Yeah, I understand that. It's just that it's 91-93 every damn day. You would think that just
once in history, it would hit 100. :-)

Miami gets a sea breeze off the ocean every afternoon in the summer
and the water temperature rarely get above 85 or so.

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

Wayne.B wrote:
On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:14:49 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Don't some of the Florida citrus growers have to run "smudge pot"
heaters, sometimes, to prevent freeze damage to crops?

Most of them are now using the large circulating fans similar to the
California vineyards. They keep cold pockets from forming in the
hollows.

Central Florida gets freezing weather down as far as Lake Okeechobee
and a bit beyond.

What does that have to do with global warming? :)

Dan

Six most common winterizing screw-ups
 

Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:31:56 -0000, thunder
wrote:

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:50:13 -0400, HK wrote:


What surprises me more about Florida's weather, isn't the cold, it's
the heat. I lived in Miami a couple of years, and it would be in the
low nineties almost daily in the summer, or at least it seemed so, but
Miami has *never* reached 100 degrees. That just seems odd to me.

http://radar.meas.ncsu.edu/climatein...ecordhigh.html

It's the proximity of the ocean. It absorbs an incredible amount of
heat. And in the winter, releases it.
Yeah, I understand that. It's just that it's 91-93 every damn day. You would think that just
once in history, it would hit 100. :-)

Miami gets a sea breeze off the ocean every afternoon in the summer
and the water temperature rarely get above 85 or so.

The humidity has a lot to do with it. The air, and the water in the
air, have to be heated.

Dan