How soon before get boat in the water

[natsgrampy]

I would like to get my boat in the water soon and was wondering if I do, when is the earliest to safely do so without having to "winterize" the engine after use.

I am living in northeast Connecticut and the temps will still go below freezing most every night. How cold does it have to get to freeze an engine block? And how long does it have to go below that temp?

This is a Mercruiser 3.0 I/O

 

[SkaterRace]

I normally say to wait till it reaches 5C for the daily low just to be safe but even just at freezing is okay ish if you get lucky.

 

[fhhuber]

You are essentially asking us to predict the weather...

 

[TyeeMan]

If the boat lives in a garage after every use I wouldn't worry about it, , unless a long cold snap is predicted and your garage isn't insulated.

If your boat lives outside, hopefully covered, if the nightly temps drop into the low thirties, high twenties and your worried about it, put your trouble shooting light or two in the engine compartment. Place it/them down low and away from fuel lines, close up the cover and it should be "reasonably" warm in the engine compartment.

If your really, really, worried about it even with the trouble shooting lights and don't want to drain your block and manifold, jump onto Amazon and for $50.00 purchase a remote temperature sensor for cooking, like this, https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Wi...5&keywords=remote+temperature+monitor+cooking

Then you place the remote probe in your engine housing and the head unit in your house. You could set a low temp alarm to go off and monitor it from bed if you wanted to, , if your close enough to the boat.

And then when your not using the temp sensor in the boat, you can use it when grilling and make sure your steaks are done to perfection. :joyous:

 

[southkogs]

Can you just drain the thing out after ya' go? My 3.0 is pretty simple to drain. As a wise sage of the nor-east tends to say, "air don't freeze."

 

[bruceb58]

Can you just drain the thing out after ya' go? My 3.0 is pretty simple to drain. As a wise sage of the nor-east tends to say, "air don't freeze."

Sorry...couldn't help myself
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=219

 

[southkogs]

LOL ... okay, outside of a localized cataclysmic weather event in which most of us would wind up dead ... "air don't 'typically' freeze" ...

 

[Bayou Dave]

Sorry...couldn't help myself
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=219

Learned something new. Never would have guessed that air could actually freeze.

 

[natsgrampy]

Can you just drain the thing out after ya' go? My 3.0 is pretty simple to drain. As a wise sage of the nor-east tends to say, "air don't freeze."

Thanks, this seems simple enuf. Although, I will probably go to Amazon for the sensor as I could use a new one for the BBQ

 

[Ned L]

With the spring we've been having I think I'd wait another couple of weeks to be safe (if you can).
........ I'm in N.E.CT too.

 

[josh_booth]

I had my boat out on lake Erie last weekend, 2.5 Mercruiser, I wasn't the only one, guys have been catching walleye for a few weeks now.