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Qestion, I just purchased a boat and was wondering if its OK to leave boat on lift during winter. I keep in at the Delaware shore on the bay. I will still winterize 90 HP Johnson motor. Any thoughts from the boating community would be appriciated.
assuming no hurricanes and no freak hi tides, I can't think of a better way to keep a boat over winter in the mid atlantic states. Take the lift 25% higer than normal
1) canvas or shrink wrap
2) batteries left fully chargesd and watered - 3 stage charger on 24/7 (or conventional charger on twice a month for 6 hours)
3) sta bil in the tank, low amount of fuel left in there
4) drain plug out
5) every electrical array (dash, bilges) sprayed with crc 656
I don't leave the boat on the lift here over the winter. If the ice eater fails, which it always seems to do when the ice is the thickest, I don't need the additional worry of the piles being pulled up with the boat still on the lift.
I don't leave the boat on the lift here over the winter. If the ice eater fails, which it always seems to do when the ice is the thickest, I don't need the additional worry of the piles being pulled up with the boat still on the lift.
Ice on the Chessie ? enough to do harm and lasting more than over night ? I think I call Bull $hit . pictures please . This is the Royal River in Maine , 12/25/07
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I am sure that you folks up north, who really get ice, must think that I am some sort of a Susan. However, since my place is closed up for the winter, and I only go there every other weekend to check things, or when the temp alarms, or power alarms in the house go off, this is a reasonable way to mitigate any possible damage that may occur.
I also call the neighbors, and ask them if they see the ice eater working. I have it on a thermostat/timer. That thing works goofy.
Sorry, but I'm new to boating, what is an ice eater and what is it used for?
An iceeater is a electric motor, sealed and set in a oil "tank" with a propeller attached to it. It also comes with ropes. I attach the iceeater to the end of the pier, so that it is suspended off the bottom. The ropes on the iceeater are set so that when it comes on the iceeater will "fly." This way it will clear a teardrop pattern. Set this way I get approx a 100L by 60W area at the end of the pier opened up.This keeps the outboard piles and the smaller swimming pier in clear water, or with just skim ice .
I have a thermostat that is set at approx 29 degrees F. It also has a timer. This is the portion of the setup that can be problematic.
Google iceeater, or look on the West Marine site. They are not cheap.
An iceeater is a electric motor, sealed and set in a oil "tank" with a propeller attached to it. It also comes with ropes. I attach the iceeater to the end of the pier, so that it is suspended off the bottom. The ropes on the iceeater are set so that when it comes on the iceeater will "fly." This way it will clear a teardrop pattern. Set this way I get approx a 100L by 60W area at the end of the pier opened up.This keeps the outboard piles and the smaller swimming pier in clear water, or with just skim ice .
I have a thermostat that is set at approx 29 degrees F. It also has a timer. This is the portion of the setup that can be problematic.
Google iceeater, or look on the West Marine site. They are not cheap.
I do it differently, i have 82' of bulkhead with a dock, dual jet ski lift and a 4 pole 16,000 lb boat lift. instead of mounting the ice eater with rope, i purchased a mounting bracket with a 1 inck galvanized rod attached to the ice eater, which is mounted to the dock, this way you can direct the water in any direction [sideways] you want, plus i can use the boat in the winter without removing the ice eater, it just slides out of the way!
I keep my boat on the lift all winter, there's nothing better then going for a ride on a nice winter day.
An iceeater is a electric motor, sealed and set in a oil "tank" with a propeller attached to it. It also comes with ropes. I attach the iceeater to the end of the pier, so that it is suspended off the bottom. The ropes on the iceeater are set so that when it comes on the iceeater will "fly." This way it will clear a teardrop pattern. Set this way I get approx a 100L by 60W area at the end of the pier opened up.This keeps the outboard piles and the smaller swimming pier in clear water, or with just skim ice .
I have a thermostat that is set at approx 29 degrees F. It also has a timer. This is the portion of the setup that can be problematic.
Google iceeater, or look on the West Marine site. They are not cheap.
So the main concern for you is keeping the pilings from failing to hold the weight of your boat., which will cause extensive damage to your hull and boat.
My boat is only 17 foot and I am not to concerned with ice buildup, should I be, wouldn't the ice have to be real think to cause damage to pillings in DE shore area.
Hes not concerned with the weight of the ice, hes concerned that when the water freezes around his pilings and the ice flow shifts it will move the pilings causing his dock to collapse. I lived on the shores of Lake Erie for many years, I mean literally on the shores of. My second story deck stuck out over Presque Isle bay. Ive seen ice when it starts to move drag boulders the size of small cars, it can rip a dock apart in no time. Im not familiar with the upper Chesapeake but I cant imagine you get much of a freeze over. How thick does the ice get on the Chesapeake? I cant imagine it gets over an inch or two if that.
Well since global warming, the ice isn't that bad. Now in the winter of 76-'77 you could drive a car across the bay. All the docks without ice eaters/bubblers were pulled up by the tides vertically, flow not really a problem. Ice 7-10" thick on the inland creeks.
Don't really remember much ice damage to boats left in the water or docks in the last 10 years. Even with that, I wouldn't leave my boat in the lift over the winter if I had the option not too. Much rather have it on shore covered up so I can get to it.
Should I leave my boat on lift during winter? 
All the docks without ice eaters/bubblers were pulled up by the tides vertically, flow not really a problem. Ice 7-10" thick on the inland creeks. 
