Ice damage to aluminum hull?

[ricohman]

I forgot to cover my boat cover with a tarp last night and we had a rain that left a lot of water in my boat. As I was leaving for work I noticed water draining out of the transom and since it was cool I had a thought about ice.
Can water freeze and push apart the structure on the inside of an aluminum hull?
I know the damage this can do to fiberglass hulls with wooden stringers when they soak up water as I have seen boats that had the stringers pushed apart from wet wood freezing.
I do realize that the boat should be dry and I usually cover over top of my cover with a tarp.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

It's very doubtful that water freezing in the bottom of your boat could cause any damage to the aluminum hull....but probably a good idea to leave the transom plug out so it'll drain....

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

If it was full of water and froze solid it would do some damage - but I wouldn't worry about a small amount lying around for a short time.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

freeze worries in August? Yikers, say it ain't so.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

freeze worries in August? Yikers, say it ain't so.

Exactly. I live 9,000 feet above sea-level, and still won't be worrying about freezing temps until at least the first week of September!

Dang, that's almost here!!!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

the larger issue is an ice plug, where the water freezes and plugs the drain hole, allowing more water to build up, to a point where you might have problems. So keep an eye on the hole through the winter, at least when the temps fluctuate.

If concerned you can add a splash of RV antifreeze to take care of that pocket of water in front of the hole that never quite drains (or other pockets). That's what we do with moored boats that can't drain completely.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

Thats a good idea about a splash of rv antifreeze down there. I may just do that.
I leave a wick of cloth in the transom drain hole while the boat is parked so it can slowly drain/syphon out.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

9,000 ft. above sea level! I think I might be 9. LOL. Where do you live BobGinCO, Shang Ri La?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

water expands 8% during the freezing process. if the water is trapped somewhere, yes, it can expand and something can get damaged.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

Pretty sure water freezes from the surface down and yes it will push out 8% in every direction. There is a point where more water is better than less since the frozen cap is actually quite good at insulating the water below and keeping it just above freezing. Of course that's just crazy talk and we all know that nothing is safe after two or three day's of hard freeze.

Cover the boat and make sure you secure the cover and use poles to raise the center so the water drains off. If that's and outboard, trim it all the way down and raise the bow of the boat so water doesn't accumulate in the prop and lower unit. Last but not least, leave the plug out. A boat full of water will likely cost you a set of trailer tires.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

Forgot to pull the plug on my Tracker one year and the wind and snow load on the cover left my boat exposed to snow and freezing rain for about a month when I was working out of town. Came home to find a bilge full of ice and water and just knew my hull would be messed up. come to find out after it thawed the only thing it hurt was my livewell pump that froze and cracked the housing... boy was I relieved, and I haven't forgotten to take the plug out since.

 

[Part-time]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

I picked up a 15' heat trace cable for each boat (most heat trace cables have a built in thermostat).
I let it hang out the drain plug an inch and run it up the floor of the boat with the plug hanging out where it's easily accessible.
When snow drifts in under the tarp and then melts on mild days I don't get ice build up anymore.
I just plug it in for a day and have a clear passage for the water to drain from front to rear.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

I picked up a 15' heat trace cable for each boat (most heat trace cables have a built in thermostat).
I let it hang out the drain plug an inch and run it up the floor of the boat with the plug hanging out where it's easily accessible.
When snow drifts in under the tarp and then melts on mild days I don't get ice build up anymore.
I just plug it in for a day and have a clear passage for the water to drain from front to rear.

Great idea!

 

[Wecanoe]

Re: Ice damage to aluminum hull?

When my dad passed away, I ended up with a little 12' Sea Nymph he kept sitting upside down on sawhorses alongside my sister's garage. After I got it home, I noticed water must have run down and sat inside the aluminum gunwale and froze. There was a pair of splits in about the same place on each side from when it must have froze over the winter. No real structural damage, but it was there.

When water freezes, it expands by about 9% and with a force of about 14,000psi. So it's good to make sure everything is drained!