How do I keep my engine dry?

[DonziBuoy]

I noticed as the nights get colder, my engine is coated with dew :confused:. I have not been running it, in fact I noticed it in September but thought this would end when I put her away. SInce it has been winterized I have a slight amount of antifreeze in it.

I have opened up a shielld I have between the engine and the co-kpit, thinking that if the engine had more air, but this has not helped either. So, now I go out every day, and wipe it down, the bottom is bone dry, unless I miss a wipe. Does anyone else have this issue?

Thanks,

Jim

[gcarter]

Let me guess, it (the mass of the engine) gets cold soaked during the night and doesn't warm up quickly. With the warmer, moist air circulating around, the airborn moisture condenses on the colder engine.

[gcarter]

How to keep it dry?
Put a dehumidifier under the hatch.
Or a block heater in it.

[mrfixxall]

I noticed as the nights get colder, my engine is coated with dew :confused:. I have not been running it, in fact I noticed it in September but thought this would end when I put her away. SInce it has been winterized I have a slight amount of antifreeze in it.
I have opened up a shielld I have between the engine and the co-kpit, thinking that if the engine had more air, but this has not helped either. So, now I go out every day, and wipe it down, the bottom is bone dry, unless I miss a wipe. Does anyone else have this issue?
Thanks,
Jim


go to menards or home depot and get some damper bags and hang then in the boat..

[Dr. David Fleming]

Dude, you need to watch that show on TV - "Life after People" only in this case "life after Donzi" - the engine will gradually return to rust from the moisture. THis is why a good winterization includes "fogging the engine." This means they spray an oil based chemical inside the running engine to coat all the inside surfaces with a protective oil coating. This protects it for the year. Also storage in a heated enviornment is great as it cuts all the condensation. Outside storage is the worst - leaving the boat in the water over the winter is even harder. This same issue goes for storage of old cars, and Harleys etc. Even better is to run the engine every couple of months which is hard to do in a boat out of water.

Two stroke engines are even worse because the burned oil left in their piston rings can glue the rings into the pistons over time. Even the US Navy has a procedure for mothballing its unused ships and a procedure for returning them to duty.

I personally have brought back antique engines like old outboard motors and run them 50 - 60 years after they were build and used. THe people who built them, and the people who bought them, and the people who repaired them, have been dead for years. Mostly you just take them apart test everything and put them back together and they just keep running. Parts you can't fix you make - take WWII aircraft engines - need a piston call J&E send them the old one and they will make you another. Need a new crankshaft and you have a WWI aircraft engine - take it to Whitey at Moldex - Dearborn Crankshaft in Detroit and he will make you a new one out of billet steel. Got an antique magnito need winding - pirate a modern coil and epoxy it in a newly made plastic case. There are guys who will hand wind electric motor armatures - have all the stuff. One of the most important processes is use of hard chrome to plate worn shafts then have them OD ground to size - beats making new gearbox shafts. They do this to cylinders in antique engines - hard chrome the wear out fo them and use the old pistons - just use iron rings on the chrome. There is nothing you can't fix if you want it bad enough and have the money.

Dr. d

[gold-n-rod]

Put an electric box fan in the bilge. Dew hates moving air.

[jvcobra]

Spray it with a healthy dose of WD-40 or CRC.

[MOP]

Air circulation is key find a way to get some natural flow? If it is in a garage then the garage is damp, get it dry and the boat will be dry. I am not to keen on any electrical items in the bilge, many are a possible sources of ignition.

[smbarcelow]

I had the same problem until I replaced my boat cover. Once I was able to keep water out of the bilge, the condensation ceased. I'm not sure if this will hold true during cold weather. I haven't opened the hatch since the temperature dropped. I store my boat outside and, once covered well (leaving the ends open a bit for circulation), it seems to stay very dry inside.

[gold-n-rod]

Air circulation is key find a way to get some natural flow? If it is in a garage then the garage is damp, get it dry and the boat will be dry. I am not to keen on any electrical items in the bilge, many are are a possible sources of ignition.

If sparkage was one's concern, he could put the fan outside the boat and build some cardboard ductwork into the engine compartment. All of this ASSumes the boat is stored inside.

An outside storage alternative is one of those solar powered fans that mounts on the center pole holding the cover up.

Regardless of how you do it, get some air flowing in there. The whole boat will benefit.

[MOP]

I should have popped the hatch when you were out here my three year old salt bilge is dusty dry with -0- rust. Below is a link to my winter setup, I rely on both natural forced air and a solar fan.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=57112&highlight=covering+boat

[gcarter]

Move to Arizona :wink:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Let me guess, it (the mass of the engine) gets cold soaked during the night and doesn't warm up quickly. With the warmer, moist air circulating around, the airborn moisture condenses on the colder engine.

Years ago, I used to wonder why my boat engine would rust over the winter months after I had left it in a covered storage building. George has the answer here. In fact, I have seen boats in covered storage buildings get so wet with condensation that they actually form a pool of water on the concrete from dripping. If it has been cold and you get a relatively fast onslaught of warmer moist air, you get condensation. The only way I know to prevent this condensation is to keep the engine (if not the entire boat) warmer than it would normally be by heating it. I don't believe the air circulation method will prevent condensation on the engine if the warmer moist air hits fast enough that the air movement does not bring the engine temperature up fast enough. We just had one of those weather scenarios here in north Texas last week where the engines got fairly damp with condensation. The severity or speed of the weather change determines how badly it condenses. I like to spray my engines down with WD40 when it is dry to help prevent some of the damage from these condensation events, but it does not solve all the steel rusting or aluminum corrosion issues. Two cents, Bill

[silverghost]

I have a similar problem with my boats stored outside covered in PA.
Do not use a plastic tarp.
These are great condensation makers. Plastic traps moisture. Use canvas that will breathe Canvas lets moisture out. Add vents to boat cover, As mentioned earlier get air circulation any way you can.
You can buy low power goldenrod style heaters at West Marine . I strap one to my 454 crankcase.. JC Whitney, NAPA sell magnetic oil pan & block & dipstick style heaters.
A small safe electric ceramic heater with a fan & thermostat set on low also works but can be costly from a power use standpoint.
In short Don't use plastic tarps or cacoon shrink wrap without some form of venting!

[VetteLT193]

A single 60 Watt light bulb in a work light housing does wonders. keep it right near the engine block. It basically helps neutralize the temperature swings. I plugged my air vents last year too, with just towels, to keep the heat in the engine bay.

[TXDONZI]

I use a 350 watt magnetic block heater on one manifold and a 100 watt bulb in a drop light by the other with a full sided fabric cover. Get those chunks of iron warm and they hold good heat. I spray everything with product called Corrosion Block. You can also see the light glowing out of the vents to tell the system is working without looking in all the time. I ALWAYS check it before bed time on freezing nights reguardless of putting antifreeze in the system. Heat and air flow is the key...at least here in Texas where you have a below freezing night and then it could be 70deg's during the day.

[DonziBuoy]

That is what I like about this board! Great ideas and experience! Thanks ALL!

Jim