Winterizing in Seattle

[Jek5068]

New to the forum!

Just bought a 26' tollycraft 1978. Single engine.

I have it moored north of seattle and I plan on using frequently over the winter. I live close to it so I will visit atleast weekly and hopefully will also take it out on the water weekly.

My question is do I need to do any winterization to my vessel?




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[Pelagic]

Short answer is YES!

Make a list of what can freeze and take steps to prevent it.

Practically speaking that means good antifreeze for engine cooling/ Fresh water pump off and taps left open.... Plus some form of safe cabin and bilge heat to keep things above freezing temps.

When living in Vancouver, I had the same situation and made regular safety visits during the really bad cold snaps to run the engine and heat up the bilges.

Using it during those times is the best precaution.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jek5068.

[IdoraKeeper]

All good advice. A little more. Leaks! Stop incursion of rain water... Anywhere. Mildew is the enemy...it will take much more heat than just a little bilge heat to keep mildew out of cushions and head liners. Remove all cushions etc and keep them at home. Don't allow condensation to accumulate on overheads or counters. Use up fresh water and fill up fuel prior to securing for winter. That said, a cold, calm day in February can be a treat on the Sound.

[Jek5068]

Awesome thanks for the advice.

Is my boat to small at 26 feet with a 10 foot beam to leave in the water? I called a marina about moving there in the winter and they said it would be a problem because most small boat betted hulled out.




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[wristwister]

I see no reason to haul out in the winter here. In fact, it seems to me keeping her in the water would prevent freezing better than on the hard, as the water insulates the hull above freezing.

Do you have electricity at your dock? One of those little dehumidifier heaters works wonders to keep the cabin condensation down and keep things from freezing down below.

And as mentioned above, we do get some great winter sailing days around here, so it's nice to have her ready to go.

[Jek5068]

Yes I have power at the dock.


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