Re: cold weather procedure

[Bob Schimmel <bschimme@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob Spencer wrote:

> My boat has only one through-hull fitting, that for the sink drain. It is
> in the starboard settee locker, and there is a cut-off valve about one foot
> from the hull. I sail in an area where it is a rare thing for the lake to
> freeze, but we do get overnight temperatures well below freezing. How much
> danger is there of the  water standing in the lower end of the line
> freezing and causing damage? Is there anything I should do to minimize the
> risk, if any?
>
> Bob
>
> Bob
> Sail #619
> http://members.aye.net/~bspen/sail.html
>
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We had this problem not long ago on wabamun Lake.  Here is the basic jest of
it.  I suggest you get her out of the water ASAP.

About Sailboats Floating in Winter - Several years ago tons of snow dropped
              overnight in the Vancouver area. Then there was a daytime thaw
followed by an
              overnight freeze and several boats sank in their slips the
following morning. The cause
              was fresh water runoff from the hills flowing on top of the salt
water. The fresh water
              was deep enough to enter a through hull fitting that was left
open. At night the air
              temperature dropped below freezing and the cabin temperature
followed shortly after.
              Any fresh water in a pipe then froze, ultimately splitting it. As
the daytime heating
              warmed the cabins, it also melted the ice in the pipes, letting
in sea water and sinking
              the boat. Now wouldn't that ruin your day!
              The point is, we boaters on fresh water lakes are not that far
from this scenario with the
              current weather. You are less likely to have this happen at a
mooring because the
              movement of the boat should prevent ice from freezing around the
hull. On the other
              hand, boats huddled together at a dock might trap warm air. In
any case, it is wise to
              close all your through hull fittings, especially in this cold
weather.


--
Best Regards

Bob Schimmel
Spruce Grove, Alberta
Canada



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