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Hatteras Winter Boat Use

  • Thread starter Thread starter Eddieclemons
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For years everywhere I docked the boat had flat rate power. I always kept everything cranking A/C on snow making mode tower lights cranking all night. After years of this I bought a house in Florida to dock the boat. First power bill was $1500. You don’t realize how much power these things suck until your tied to a meter.
 
Back in the day. This is very salty water at our summer house in Wildwood Nj. Home of the Howard Johnson clam fleet the Coast guard used to break the ice on a routine basis. Every once in a while the ice would pull out a pole.
 

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We moved our knockabout/liveaboard boat (1968 Chris Craft Commander 42) from DC to a well outside the Swamp in September. We generally used reverse cycle until water temps hit 45°F or so, then went to Rug Buddy radiant floor heaters under carpets and oil-filled heaters. We don't winterize and have taken the boat out for cruises if a warm day comes along. A Christmas Eve cruise up to Georgetown a few years ago was very nice.

And it looks like tomorrow will be sunny and 58°...might fire it up and go have lunch on the hook.
 
boatsb said:
theres 2 big cast iron heat generators in the er.

I stayed the night on board after hauling and was surprised it was warm (about 70 inside) when we got down to the low 30's. The next day the engines were still about 100 degrees. I had the center 2 x 2 hatch open and a little fan blowing across it.

I never have winterized my boat in florida but did live aboard a 33 pacemaker (woody) on long island and a pair of small heaters kept the little trunk cabin warm. I also used some old eskimo tricks back then.
Click to expand...

this.
 
I winter in Mystic for now. My reverse cycle is working pretty well and the current water temp is 43 deg F. It was down to the single digits at night and about low to mid 40 during the day.

I do have the oil heaters on board when/if the water temp gets down below 40. I use 4 on the boat and also have block hetaers on my Detroits.

Not sure about other style Hatteras designs, but my 1976 Hatteras 58 LRC DOES have ablut 1-inch of insulation in the salon area. It is not insulated on the hull. I also have block heaters on the engines and keep my engine room door open.

I also fabricated engine room air intake "plugs" out of 2" home insulation that work well to keep the heat the engine block heaters generate inside the boat.

I have a fixed monthly electric cost for my winter slip as well.

My boat stays more than comfortable in the winter.

Planning this to be my last winter above the Mason Dixson line.
 
davidwigler said:
I have lived aboard year around in Knoxville for nine years. I have taken beautiful cruises in the snow and run the boat whenever I want. The current keeps the water from freezing at my marina. Marinas in a cove will see the water freeze. The reverse cycle heat pumps work well except in the coldest winters when the water temp dips below 40 degrees. Then we have wall and portable heaters and I have a propane heater that I use only under direct supervision. It is true we have single pane windows and no insulation. I can only heat about 40 degrees above outside air temperature, so on those days when it goes down to zero it’s like camping with the Boy Scouts. But we have relatively few of those days here. One of the best improvements I made was block heaters for the Detroits. I can keep the engine rooms as warm as I want. All that said, if it ever dips down to 24 below zero again here, I would consider that an emergency.
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So in Knoxville with block heaters and Reverse air units heating you keep all systems operational or ?
 
Single pane windows can easily be augmented with Frost King 2-sided tape and shrink film plastic that keeps the cold on the right side of the living spaces. We use that on our Chris Craft 42 as well as using foam insulation to close off all outside vents during winter. On a recent cold morning, it was 31°F outside and 69°F inside. Even when temps dropped to 15°F, we never got colder than 55. On our Roamer, which is very well insulated, we'll be toasty even if the Green Nude Eel causes global climate to plunge.
 
Two oil filled radiators and 2 heat pumps are keeping us 68-70 and warmer in the salon. OAT in the high 20's at times. Water temp 40ºF Slowly winterizing as I need to be able to stray more than two hours away and not risk damage if we get a real cold spell. Middle Chesapeake.
 
Did you use that 55 gallons of RV antifreeze up yet? :)
 
Based on the responses I can run through the winter here in Tennessee with the following precautions?

1. Install a cut off and drain my cockpit fresh water and raw water washdown system.
2. Run block heaters in the engine room, which I already do year round.
3. Plug up air inlets to the engine room.
4. Run cruisair units for heat and or supplement with the discussed units.
5. Remove dock water supply and run on boats tanks, which I already do.
6. Be prepared to run generator and or have a supplemental power supply should I loose shorepower.

What I am missing and or have a flawed plan on?
 
If you have windshield washers don’t forget to drain them! Trust me.
You may need a bubbler as some insurance policy require them.
 
Eddieclemons said:
Based on the responses I can run through the winter here in Tennessee with the following precautions? 1. Install a cut off and drain my cockpit fresh water and raw water washdown system.2. Run block heaters in the engine room, which I already do year round.3. Plug up air inlets to the engine room.4. Run cruisair units for heat and or supplement with the discussed units.5. Remove dock water supply and run on boats tanks, which I already do.6. Be prepared to run generator and or have a supplemental power supply should I loose shorepower.What I am missing and or have a flawed plan on?
Click to expand...
Well it's going to be in the 70s this week so I see the insulation I stuffed in the openings between the ER and Lazarette coming out for a few days along with the tape covering my exhaust fan intakes. So far things have been going pretty good. I have been running the Crusairs on 60 with the block heaters going. I might try running the temp down a little lower. Remote monitoring power, temps, and humidity with a Marcella unit with an extra sensor for ER.
 
We have used our boat through the winter for the past 10 years on the Chesapeake. We use Boat Command to monitor the systems while away from the boat. Shore power, two temperature sensors, bilge pumps, and can turn on/off ac/heat remotely. Also nice in the summer to turn on the air before arriving for the weekend. I set parameters to receive notices when there is a problem. It also shows the boats location. Before we leave the boat, the waterlines are blown out with air. A mattress pad heater is also a nice touch.
 
Eddie, we're in Knoxville and it sounds like you are in good shape. We don't have any water lines in the cockpit. We use a bucket for our washdown when away from the dock just so it's worry free when the seasons change. I spend an hour or less winterizing the freshwater and head system on our center console. Then I put the foam in the ER vents on the 46. Done.

Years ago we had close to 1' of ice in the marina. Block heaters and 1 IR heater in the V berth facing down the passagway kept everything in good shape. Just make sure all of the doors are open and can't close themselves.

We also suffered a power outage during that weather pattern. I loaned out every drop cord I owned. The dock was littered with air cooled generators. It's amazing how many people don't have a plan. I went down to the boat and fired up the Onan. The 2 cruiseairs brought the temp up to the mid 60's pretty quick (with the IR heater and 2 toasty 8-71s).

And, pull out the foam and you're ready for a ride in the snow.
 
What is "winter" ?
 
Capt Chad said:
Eddie, we're in Knoxville and it sounds like you are in good shape. We don't have any water lines in the cockpit. We use a bucket for our washdown when away from the dock just so it's worry free when the seasons change. I spend an hour or less winterizing the freshwater and head system on our center console. Then I put the foam in the ER vents on the 46. Done.

Years ago we had close to 1' of ice in the marina. Block heaters and 1 IR heater in the V berth facing down the passagway kept everything in good shape. Just make sure all of the doors are open and can't close themselves.

We also suffered a power outage during that weather pattern. I loaned out every drop cord I owned. The dock was littered with air cooled generators. It's amazing how many people don't have a plan. I went down to the boat and fired up the Onan. The 2 cruiseairs brought the temp up to the mid 60's pretty quick (with the IR heater and 2 toasty 8-71s).

And, pull out the foam and you're ready for a ride in the snow.
Click to expand...

So you have a 46c in Knoxville? or?
 
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