How cold is too cold?

[CHassmann]

This may be a dumb question, but I have never had my boat out of the garage this early in the season. My '02 196 is sitting on the lift and we are expecting near record cold low of 27F on Friday night. Do I need to bring the boat back into the garage or do I not have have to worry about one night that cold? The high temp on Friday will be 43.

[SilentSeven]

Assuming it's a one day thing....I'd start the boat about 6 or 7pm and warm it up. That should be sufficient for a night.

[gcam4]

3 options.

1. Put an incandescent light bulb inside the motor box. You will be fine with that.

2. Run the engine Friday night and get both the oil and water up to temp fully.

3. Do #2 and then #1.

I have done all of the above before with no issues.

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[DVskier]

Great advice by gcam4 above. ThT will definitely do it.

[hal2814]

I don’t think it’s a dumb question at all. On a 196 draining the block and transmission can’t be more than a 10 minute job. That’s what I would do personally. The other things mentioned here would work fine, too, but there would be less room for error. Like what if the light bulb went out or it got colder than forecasted? I’d personally sleep better knowing the block was drained.

[wtrskrs]

I ended up with hairline cracks in the head because my ski buddy that lived 10 minutes from where we stored the boat didn't think it was going to be a problem one night when they predicted it to get to around 26f (I live 45 minutes away and it rarely gets down to freezing here (northern calif)). Another time with a previous boat I put a lightbulb under the block but we had a hard freeze (down to around 20). Engine was okay,but ruined the heater core. I'd be more comfortable draining it, especially if you think you might have a repeat before the cold weather is truly over. But, I'd follow all the suggestions (run engine up to operating temperature, put light bulb under block). Another thing you can do is to lower it into the water. The water temp will keep the hull warmer and that 'heat' will radiate upward. Not much, but every bit helps.

[2001SAN]

I don’t think it’s a dumb question at all. On a 196 draining the block and transmission can’t be more than a 10 minute job. That’s what I would do personally. The other things mentioned here would work fine, too, but there would be less room for error. Like what if the light bulb went out or it got colder than forecasted? I’d personally sleep better knowing the block was drained.

+1. Also, the more times you drain, the easier and quicker it becomes.

[wtrskrs]

BTW, if you are draining, a wet/try vac helps, especially with the lines (when the heater core on my old boat cracked, the lines were frozen starting about 3 feet from the engine. Wet dry vac gets all the water out. Replacing the head was not cheap.

[CHassmann]

This is all great advice. Thank you! I did forget to mention the lake is not our permanent home yet and we live 45 minutes away. We will be there this evening, but not tomorrow evening. I think I am going to play it safe and pull it out and back it into the garage.

PS: had thought about a small space heater, but was concerned about gas fumes. Thoughts?

[bturner]

Never leave a heater with a flame unattended, bad idea. What we do here is start the boat and get it up to temp, let it cool down enough so you can drain the manifolds via the crossover garden hose connection then if you're lake is calm lower the boat into the water enough to get the hull wet but still fully and firmly supported by the bunks. The water will keep the hull and thus the engine "warm". If you've ever seen mist rising from the water in a cool morning you'll can understand the process that's taking place.

The manifolds will be the first to crack then the block. It doesn't take that much but it still has to reach freezing to occur. Pulling the boat and putting it in a garage is always the safest path. Add draining everything and you're about as safe as you can get without full winterization.

[gcam4]

If you will not be there tomorrow night, either drain it or pull it into garage. You will sleep well...

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[kylant]

or just drop it in the water overnight. the water temp should keep it warm enough to prevent any damage

[MTRBTR]

Just buy a little electric ceramic heater and run it all night in the garage. A lot cheaper than a cracked block and you will sleep better. I wouldn’t be able to sleep with any other option but that’s just me.

[CHassmann]

It's not an open flame heater. Thank you all for advice. All appreciated!

[SilentSeven]

Lots of good thoughts here. A couple to highlight.

- the heater core will almost always be the first thing to freeze. By design, it's a thermal transfer device.
- it's hard to drain the heater core completely and even a small amount of residual water can break the seal. I disconnect both ends, blow out the water and then dump a cup or two of anti freeze into the line and then blow again to mix.
- if you want a "safe heater", look at convection based air dryers like these - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=air+dryer...nb_sb_ss_i_2_9 . I run one all winter to prevent mildew. They are basically the same as running a light bulb.
- pulling the engine hoses to drain is a PITA when they are cold. Warm the boat up a bit and they tend to come right off.
- adding a few quick drains really speeds things - have these on my manifolds, they are awesome - https://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MCM003
- you can also add these to the bock - https://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MCM002
- for me, the hardest thing to drain is the shower. Only the kids us it and they don't ski at this time of year so I leave unconnected.