Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & experts

[52CMY]

Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & experts

My redundant contingency plans for a historic Texas winter storm fell through.
My prior visions of being onboard to test and opcheck genset, inspect lines and remove liquids less than 80 proof from the aft deck & dockboxes didn't happen. But I'm stranded 300 miles away.
So when the ice storm hit Houston, and the TX power grid failed at 2am two nights ago, despite the great efforts of my boat neighbors and marina management, I ended up with total AC power failure (shorepower out & GenSet failure to start), ER vents not sealed, and all the through hulls open. 15degF with up to 20-25knots frigid wind on the bow, dock and steps covered in ice. Internet obviously down so Blink webcams w/temp sensors unavailable.
The only saving grace was 50deg seawater temp of (brackish) Galveston Bay, and that the 4 x HVACs had been warming the interior till total AC power failure...but that didn't keep my mind racing the last two nights of unprecedented crazy low wind chills and temps regarding level of risk and potential outcomes.
My guess is that a 68K lb Hatteras with full water and fuel tanks in 50 deg water with the interior warmed to 60 degs would take many days of 0deg temps in calm winds before something broke. Obviously frigid winds blowing into the engine room is bad and would cut that time down, but by how much?.
Anyone have a rule of thumb or experience they can share? What freezes and fails first? What's the weakest link? Any surprises?

(note: power came back on at boat this am and apparently there was no damage)

 

[Freeebird]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Is this still "a friend's" boat we're talking about?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Water is warm enough not to worry about thru hulls. The problem would be domestic water lines. The lines furthest away from the waterline would probably freeze first. If you have a fresh water washdown or an ice maker on the aft deck or something like that.

 

[52CMY]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Water is warm enough not to worry about thru hulls. The problem would be domestic water lines. The lines furthest away from the waterline would probably freeze first. If you have a fresh water washdown or an ice maker on the aft deck or something like that.

I got the neighbors to drain the Deck fresh water washdown lines but forgot about my transom hand shower (so it clearly perished in the hard freeze).

I agree that the thru hulls wont freeze but concerned that the exposed HVAC line fittings and pumps in the ER might freeze and pop, creating a flooding event when they thaw with the open thru hulls. I don't have good feel for how much ER ventilation occurs when there's 20-30knots of wind on the nose.
--my guess is that the 53deg (now 48deg) Galveston Bay SST trumps all during a 2 day deep freeze event and freeze damage is going to be limited to Aft deck (potable water lines & exploding soft drink/beer cans). I think I was lucky.

 

[Dan Mapes]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

It takes a couple of days of a hard freeze before one has to worry IMHO. So if it warms up during the day you are probably good to go. If you were on the hard it would certainly be a different story.

 

[oscarvan]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

There are (only) 7 through hulls on my 53 and it takes less than 2 minutes to close all of them, and really no time at all when I do them as I work my way through the boat for the "Leaving Ship" routine. Food for thought.

 

[SeaEric]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Water temp is everything IMHO. You're probably fine. "Wind chill" means nothing to inanimate objects.

 

[oscarvan]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

"Wind chill" means nothing to inanimate objects.

Correct. But a stiff breeze coming into the cracks will reduce the time it holds its heat after the heaters die.

 

[Photolomy]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

I find it hard to believe that anything "inside" a yacht like this floating in 50 deg water would freeze. Is that actually an issue?

 

[Captain Ralph]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

I find it hard to believe that anything "inside" a yacht like this floating in 50 deg water would freeze. Is that actually an issue?

I remember one of my boats caught unprepared in a freeze (December 1989). Snow-mostly ice covered the engine deck hatch in inches.
The surrounding river water that the boat was above (boat in lift), did not freeze.

Found no issues days later when I was able to access the boat.

If your boat is in the water, IMO; you should have no issues.

December 1989, I 95 was closed in Jacksonville FL. All bridges and over passes closed because of ICE from way up north to Daytona. Only time in history the area shopping malls were closed in Jax, cheapest Christmas in my life...

 

[Freeebird]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Sounds like the TX folks on inland lakes are really having issues as they’re freezing over.

 

[Finalee]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Hope you survive without lots of freeze damage. Every time we get a couple days below 25 here in Tidewater there are several calls regarding water loss due to frozen pipes. Wind exacerbate the issue. Surprisingly most thaw ok. My theory is the copper can handle a freeze cycle once. Plastic pipe seems to do fine. More stretch

 

[52CMY]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

There are (only) 7 through hulls on my 53 and it takes less than 2 minutes to close all of them, and really no time at all when I do them as I work my way through the boat for the "Leaving Ship" routine. Food for thought.

Agree with you in general if you plan to leave boat unattended for a long period. My decision tree was clearly not perfect. In hindsight, I should have closed the thru hulls and armed my electric space heater set to ~50degs.
I planned to cut my trip away from the boat short and return before the WX came, but got trapped Saturday by unforecast freezing rain/mist/fog in the TX hill country and am actually still stuck there now!. But I have attentive, experienced boat neighbors aboard in the next slip, as well as Harbormaster and Mechanic, all armed with general knowledge of my boat, HVAC, and GenSet. We failed to consider that the forecast ice storm would make the untreated docks impassable when the shore power failed--so boarding boats, pier, & ramps was impossible (without the rock salt and shovels that we don't know to have because we're from south TX). I also failed to consider that the whole texas power grid would fail so dramatically for so long. Power has been out since sunday. Utilities have advised that power may not be restored for another few days....

I know all you northern boaters are laughing at us in texas right now...who doesn't have bags of salt at their marinas, right?!?!

 

[jim rosenthal]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

We're not laughing, for what that's worth. Anyone can get caught holding the bag by bad weather. We've all been there in one way or another.

 

[Retired1]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

I remember one of my boats caught unprepared in a freeze (December 1989). Snow-mostly ice covered the engine deck hatch in inches.
The surrounding river water that the boat was above (boat in lift), did not freeze.

Found no issues days later when I was able to access the boat.

If your boat is in the water, IMO; you should have no issues.

December 1989, I 95 was closed in Jacksonville FL. All bridges and over passes closed because of ICE from way up north to Daytona. Only time in history the area shopping malls were closed in Jax, cheapest Christmas in my life...

I remember that. We had brownouts in Miami. It was freezing at the house, so we went to my houseboat at Maule Lake Marina to be warmer. Now, our (top floor) condo in Ft. Pierce has no heat at all (new central ac, but apparently ordered without a heat strip) but it’s never yet been cold enough to need it. Our house here had a real fireplace, but it had never been used. And as we all know coastal cold feels way colder than inland cold. Do not want a replay of 1989!

 

[JoshuaHall]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Mine is in Texas City. I've been out to it each of the last 4 days. Engine room has not been below 50 degrees, even with the wind blowing up her skirt.There was a thin layer of ice across the slip, but nothing to worry about.

 

[52CMY]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

We're not laughing, for what that's worth. Anyone can get caught holding the bag by bad weather. We've all been there in one way or another.

Thanks Jim, I'm laughing at myself--my last boat was a 44AC hunter sailboat in Inner Harbor Baltimore...always had bags of salt on the piers, bubblers in the ice water., and had whistles on lanyards around our necks in case someone slipped into the water..spend 2 years in Houston and that winter boating knowledge goes right out the window...

Thanks everyone for the inputs...I thought adding this thread would generate good info sharing and it worked.

 

[oscarvan]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Agree with you in general if you plan to leave boat unattended for a long period.

Every time I leave the boat and shut down HVAC etc..... 2 days or 14 days doesn't matter. Through hulls are only open when we are living on board, and then only the ones we are using.

 

[Photolomy]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

Every time I leave the boat and shut down HVAC etc..... 2 days or 14 days doesn't matter. Through hulls are only open when we are living on board, and then only the ones we are using.

All of them? There are like 7 or 8 of them. Engines, Generator, HVAC, Toilets, maybe a wash down pump.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Re: Unwinterized yacht in arctic Texas-Questions for my Yankee Hatteras friends & exp

One of the advantages of walk-in engine rooms.