Winterizing 53' Motoryacht

[mikedc]

Does anyone have some words of wisdom, checklists, detailed instructions for winterizing a 1985 53' Motoryacht. First time to do so and would love to start out a bit ahead

We have the original manual and there are some instructions in there. Have experience with other boats, but there is so much that needs to be done on the 53', thought I would ask to see what info folks had to share.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[jim rosenthal]

For starters, break it down into systems, and a checklist for each one. On my boat, the systems are main engines, generator set, fresh water system, head, AC system, bilge pumps. I also do some other things: defrost the fridge and leave it open, ventilate all the cabinets, store all the nav gear down below. I'm sure there are other things; I don't have the list in front of me. The last thing I do is take the radio mast and the bimini down, and then the canvas company comes over, puts up the wooden storage frame, and puts the cloth cover over that. I fog the engine areas with WD40, make sure all the through-hulls are open (they are closed for winterizing), and take the drydock plug out. I stuff the engine vents and the exhaust ports. I think that's pretty much it.

 

[MikeP]

The first time I winterized my 53, nine years ago, I used nearly 40 gallons of "pink" for the systems and it took me two full days to completely winterize the boat. Now I use 18-20 gal of pink and winterizing takes one day.

I made up a 3 page checklist which I use to be sure I don't miss anything. It's not as well organized as it should be but it covers everything that needs to be done. I recommend you develop some sort of checklist that works for you.

There are a lot of little things on a 53 that can cause you some angst and which are easy to overlook. That's why a checklist that covers each item is important. For example, in winterizing the FW system, it is important to ensure ALL the FW lines are clear/pinked. For example, it is REALLY easy to forget there is a FW water line running to the windshield washer and that line is one of the most susceptible to freezing.

There are probably a ton of posts re this if you do a search, including conflicting opinions on just about everything!