Engine compartment heaters instead of winterizing

[Jeff Stickles]

Whats the best engine heater for a ar210? I live in South Georgia so it doesn't get cold but a few days. First winter living on the lake didn't want to winterize her hope to be cruising all winter.

 

[Scottintexas]

never heard of anyone on the board use a heater,
you don't really need to do anything except maybe fog the cylinders and many members don't do that,
We have members in Canada that don't do anything as far as winterizing for several years with no issues.

 

[Ancient canoe]

It's not about keeping your engines warm as much as it's keeping it protected from the elements as it sits for a long period of time. If you were going to let your boat sit for 6 months in warm months you do the same winterize steps. If you plan on running it year round there's not really much you need to different. Fuel stabilizer and take care of your battery.

 

[swatski]

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--air-dryer-with-fan-dehumidifier-120v-ac--7867518?recordNum=5

https://www.amazon.com/Goldenrod-725731-GoldenRod-Original-Dehumidifier/dp/B00D1WYZ1Y/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1506833862&sr=8-5&keywords=safe+heater&th=1&psc=1

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[Dfred]

Team - I wanted to report in on our use of engine heater. Of course it all depends... on your goals for its use, climate, etc. @Jeff Stickles - yes - use it for peace of mind and extra engine protection, and definitely extend the season. Here in VA we used it for just that and to not have to run the whole antifreeze and fogging more than once. We got more use of the boat when otherwise it would be put away for the winter.
I choose the insurance of this Twin Hornet marine rated heater. Parked boat next to house - so power access was easy. The heater nestled perfectly between the engines in our 09 AR210, and gave good peace of mind on those fall freezes. Allowed us to take the boat out on the water into Nov when weather gave us some nice days. And I’m not worried about taking her out of winterization “early”, so we can enjoy the spring sooner.
I did not get around to install a thermometer remote to monitor how cold it got and how effective the heater was in keeping the bay/engines temp up out of the danger zone. However- I would bet the exhaust/water box compartment would get little of the heat and would suffer damage freezing. So, I did get extra cautious to “winterize” when it was time, and ran a whole antifreeze flush and fogging of the engines. In addition to using the heater for the winter. Probably overkill from what folks report, but engine replacement cost far outweighed this little insurance expense.

 

[212s]

I thought about it, then realized that if the heater fails for any reason, I could have a problem with freezing, and even if it doesn't fail it still might freeze since there's no thermal insulation to keep the heat in the compartment and at 0F it takes a lot of heat to maintain. So I did the recommended blow out of water and air through the flush lines to clear as much as possible and fire up the engines to blow it out. In warmer climates to extend boating season it makes sense, but up here it gets way too cold to rely on heaters.

 

[adamncincy]

We actually got 3 rounds of snow last Thurs on 4/01 (didn't stick, but started to), and then it dropped to 27 degrees on Friday night. Out of abundant caution, I threw 20 Hot Hands, hand warmers in, and work light with a 40W bulb in the engine compartment.

Are you guys sure this is unecassary with below 32 temps?

 

[biffdotorg]

We actually got 3 rounds of snow last Thurs on 4/01 (didn't stick, but started to), and then it dropped to 27 degrees on Friday night. Out of abundant caution, I threw 20 Hot Hands, hand warmers in, and work light with a 40W bulb in the engine compartment.

Are you guys sure this is unecassary with below 32 temps?

Don't take this the wrong way, as I am not making light of your question, as it is legitimate. But my 242 is sitting out in the pole building laughing it's jet pumps off!

Seriously, it came from South Carolina and was shocked at -30f for the past few winters. And we are just sure to rev the engines at the landing. Sitting in cold is not the issue. Sitting in -30 with the engine block full of water is. Since it's near impossible to stop the water from draining out when fired up on the landing, you have little to worry about. Snow at 27 degrees is far from the temps to cause ice to form and cause damage either.

I saw someone post a photo of their boat sitting in a marina near the Twin Cities, MN, and he felt he would leave it in the water, as the ice formed around it, as the temps below water were warmer than the air. He's not wrong. But the water in the engine was well above the surface of the water. Still not cold enough to cause damage. Keep in mind, this was temporary, and the ice was due to be gone in a day anyway.

 

[adamncincy]

@biffdotorg Oh no, not at all ... that's what I wanted to find out! Thank you sir

 

[Julian]

Absolutely ZERO need for an engine heater in a Yamaha. Zero. Spend the money on something else....like a GPS unit or beer.

 

[Mully262]

For the record: The BIGGEST reason I moved on from an inboard to jet drive was over this very issue. I have cracked an engine block because I didn't get it winterized in time, up here in the Twin Cities. It is a nightmare!!

That said, my game plan is early/late boating season, when I pull out and trailer, I will fire up and rev the engines on land just to force out whatever major water there might be.

Maybe I am naïve. Correct me if I am wrong. But my understanding is that cracked engine blocks rarely happen in the Yammies in comparison to inboards.

 

[biffdotorg]

Maybe I am naïve. Correct me if I am wrong. But my understanding is that cracked engine blocks rarely happen in the Yammies in comparison to inboards.

Not naive, they are self draining, and dry firing the engine ensures that. Some just don’t believe it..

 

[ChrisM]

For climates like GA , and here in SC the focus is mainly to keep the dew point up to prevent condensation. I'm never concerned about freeze damage to any of my water craft, but I have witnessed a sort of flash rust on a spark plug or 2 if I haven't fogged for the 4-6 month winter we see. We have many nights that we drop to freezing and as low as 19 on occasion, and rise to 60's or greater by day. With an already humid climate this really adds to the condensation factor. I have the air drier heater listed above for the camper on occasion, which is parked outside under a carport. I insulated and heated the garage. There are some really good silicone bilge heater pads that are effective in keeping the dew point up to prevent condensation, which the OP may consider.

 

[adamncincy]

@Mully262 I'm from Cincy, but moved to Minne for a few years, so I can attest! ... Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are both very humid river valleys, so even though our temps read 25 or 13 degrees, with the humidity the "real feel" is more like -5 or less (frozen air moisture). MPLS was very humid in the summer, but it seemed to clear out in the winter.

Great city, btw ... I love Minneapolis and still go back to visit good friends1-3 times a year.