How cold does it have to get outside

[dellsboater]

Still looking for a boat found another, but they still have it on there lift and not winterized. In Northern IL and wondering should I be concerned? We have had a couple of nights below freezing, daytime highs in the 40's...

[VetteLT193]

length of time freezing is generally what does it. Down here in N. Fl it gets like you describe, freezing nights, 40's for a high, in Winter and all I usually do is put a 60 watt light bulb in the bilge and it is fine. That is all the way down to the teens in temperature at night too.

It takes more than you might think to actually freeze the water in the block.

[dellsboater]

We cracked the block in our first boat, but it was not found untill march....did not get all the water out.....that was 16 years ago, so get a little paranoid concidering it cost 2000 back then....

[MOP]

Go for a run in it then check the sides of the block and the lower halves of the manifolds if everything is nice and dry it should be fine.

[mrfixxall]

If the drive is still in the water it will be fine,,we havnt had anything freeze yet,i have a jugg of water at the outside the back of my shop,it has not froze yet,i do this so i know if a customer brings his boat in late i mark down the date on the jugg so i know what night it froze..this way i also know which route to go when i do the winterizing..I also still have a customer that still has his boat in his slip in lake michigan,40' searay,no issues..

[Marlin275]

Still looking for a boat found another, but they still have it on there lift and not winterized. In Northern IL and wondering should I be concerned? We have had a couple of nights below freezing, daytime highs in the 40's...

I heard it had to be 26 degrees for about 4 hours to damage the engine
something like that . . .

[MOP]

The boat is on a lift with full exposure to the weather, if it was in the water it would have the benefit of the water temp to help to keep it from freezing. I still think my idea is the way to go, darn sure you don't want a pig in a poke!!

[Planetwarmer]

The length of time depends on the temperature. Obviously if the boat sat out all winter and the temp never got above 32 degrees, then the water in the block would freeze, causing damage. If the temp suddenly dropped from 75 to 20 degrees below zero, then it wouldn't take very long to cause the water in the block to freeze, causing damage.

There are many factors that go into figuring what the time/temp ratio is before the water in a block freezes.

Your best bet is to winterize the block. You wouldn't want to run the boat in really cold water anyway.

[Pismo]

The length of time depends on the temperature. Obviously if the boat sat out all winter and the temp never got above 32 degrees, then the water in the block would freeze, causing damage. If the temp suddenly dropped from 75 to 20 degrees below zero, then it wouldn't take very long to cause the water in the block to freeze, causing damage.

There are many factors that go into figuring what the time/temp ratio is before the water in a block freezes.

Your best bet is to winterize the block. You wouldn't want to run the boat in really cold water anyway.

Hear, hear - - I agree, 31.9 degrees for long enough will crack it up but it would need far more than 8-10 hours.

[Planetwarmer]

I usually winterize late in the season, because the water is still warm. In Oklahoma, we may have 2 days of 85 degree weather followed by 25 degree weather in late November. (ex: I wore shorts and a T today, and it is supposed to be in the 20s on thurs).

I keep an old-timey aluminum drop light with a heat lamp in the bilge for the cold nights. That way I can protect the block if the temp drops below freezing at night.

PS- I winterized the boat a week ago.

[Donzi Vol]

I freaking hate winter