www.iFourWinns.com

I recently had my boat summerized and placed it in outdoor storage out at the lake with a cover on it. I figured it'd be warm from here on out down in Alabama. Well, I just checked the weather channel and it's supposed to get down to 30 and 31 degrees for each of the next 2 nights. Do I need to be worried about my block cracking or something? Thanks

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

I would worry if they ran water through it. Get it at least indoors. I know in my garage it stays at least 10-15 degrees warmer than outside temps.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Oh it's had water run through it because I ran it out at the lake last weekend. I haven't really got a choice about whether it's out there or not. I've got nowhere else to put it and I'm kinda stuck. I just want to know what the chances of it getting damaged are.

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

Disclaimer, I have no personal knowledge of this.... but

You would have to get in the low teens or lower to do damage. At 30-31 degrees, water would just barely be slushy, it would tak a hard freeze to crack an engine. You could put like a 100 watt lamp in your engine compartment, something to put alittle heat out.

You have to figure, you are in a body of water, that is not frozen, the motor is partly under the waterline, if it is only going to get to 30 degrees air temp, the motor will never see that in one night. JMHO.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

31 degrees for a few hours a night probably won't be bad as long as you get good warm ups in the day. If you're worried and there is power near by, hang a 150 watt light bulb or two in the engine compartment with the hatch closed over night. you'd be surprised how much heat they throw off. You can put them on a timer. Good luck!

Jeff, you're faster on the keyboard than me!

Weather update says 32 tonight and 30 tomorrow night. The highs for the days will be 52 and 50, then back to 66 on Wednesday with lows only reaching 40's and 50's from there on out supposedly. The boat is stored on the trailer about 500 feet from the lake only protected with a canvas cover. I don't think there are any power sources nearby. So, unless there is some sort of battery operated heating option I'm out of luck. It's only supposed to actually be freezing from 5-8 am tomorrow morning but from 1 am to 8 am Wednesday morning. Is this bad enough that I should worry? Thanks for the responses so far.

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

I would not worry, temps inside the motor must drop below 32 for some time for it to freeze, with day time temps and the sun hitting the canvas, the boat will warm up and hold some of the heat for some time. You will be fine.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

If you're really wooried and are going to be losing sleep over this then go get some Roxul insulation and some garbage bags and put insulation in a bag and place it over and beside the engine. This will add another layer that the cold will have to penetrate. The bags should mininmize the mess and the roxul is denser than pink insulation. We do this all the time on exposed water lines when there is a risk of it going below zero.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

When the boat is in the water it'll stay closer to the water temp. Up on land it'll get just as cold as outside.

Get an engine room heater, or at the very least a *pair* of 100 watt lights. Yes, the heaters are a bit expensive, but a lot less than a repower and the lost boating time. If you use lights, get the 'rough service' grade lightbulbs and use them in metal shoplight fixtures, NO PLASTIC. Make sure the lights, or more appropriately a heater, are securely fastened in place and not near anything that'll melt or catch fire. This includes any surface below them should it fall down (thus the point about securely fastening it).

It goes without saying but you can't use compact fluorescent bulbs for this, just old-school incandescent bulbs. It's the heat you need, not the light. But don't go using those food warmer IR bulbs either. This ain't Arby's here...

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I think Bill hit it. In the water you would have no problems. Can you dump it in the water at the marina for a couple days. I dont htink you would have any problems until at least 25 degrees, but that is just a guess. You have to sleep at night, so put it in the water to get it off you mind.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

If you really want to not worry, go down there and drain it, your owners manual should show where the engine drains are, put the drive down so it drains too. Once I get the back of the rear seats pulled out of the way, it takes me 20 min to drain the motor if I have too. Around here I try to wait till mid April before summerizing the boat just for that reason, now it's still sitting in the driveway with the engine full of -100 AF from last fall's winterization.

I see you have a late model Merc engine, does it have the single point drain? If you are in freshwater they probably work OK, so go down there with the manual and drain it. Anyone who owns a raw water cooled sterndrive boat should know how to drain the motor because you never know what the weather will do. If you can't do it yourself it's worth getting a marina mechanic to drain it for you, I don't think they'd charge much to do that.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Why not open the drain cocks and get the majority of water out of the engine block? Can't hurt, and would only take a few minutes.

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Thats what I did to mine. I also removed the hose from the bottom of the water pump and let that drain. 28-30 degrees won't worry me at all now. Even if the little bit thats in there freezes, there's not enough to do any damage. Now I wouldn't let it sit like that all winter though....

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2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

Thank you for the responses! I called down there and the marina mechanic is off until Wednesday. This is not a full service marina. It's a military rec center that lets us store our boats out there during the season while their own rental boats are wet slipped. It's about a 1.5 hour drive from my house so it looks like I'm going for a drive after work. I don't know how to drain it but I guess I'll just drop it in the water since I'll be needing it this weekend anyway. I don't think there are any power sources near where the boat storage area is located so the light bulb/heater isn't gonna work. Kinda sucks to drive all that way but I wouldn't sleep at all. Last weather update shows 32 degrees for a couple of hours tonight and then 31 degrees for 4 hours tomorrow night. What do you think?

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III