marina ice safe for hull?

[shamblin]

sailors,

im planning on staying in the water all winter at a freshwater lake in north carolina.  i did it last winter with no problem but there is some chance the lake might freeze.  how bad would lake ice have to get around a compac hull  to damage the hull?

thanks,

bill in nc

[Koinonia]

if it freezes you realy need a bubbler, at least thats what we called them when I was little.  Ive seen them in the west marine catalog.  When I was little we lived on an Endeavour 37 and spent a winter on lake Barkley in Ky.  I clearly remember when the ice started to form and that night while eating dinner the whole boat tilted to one side a degree.  The ice was trying to squeeze in on a 20k lb boat.  Do whats needed to protect the boat!

[skip1930]

" marina ice safe for hull? "

NO!
Put the boat on the hard and be done with it.
Also keep the water off of the boat as water finds it way into tiny fissures and fiberglass cracks then freezes and expands breaking up the glass/gel coat even more.
You can't fool Mother nature.

skip.

[MacGyver]

I work at Carlyle Lake's West Access Marina.
We freeze now and then. If you have a agitator, that would be a good idea.

Some guys throw a sump pump (Not recommended) in and use that for a bubbler/Agitator.

I forget the brand we sell...... Kasco?

Anyway, the point is to utilize the warmer water at the bottom to stir up the water at the top. This will keep it from freezing.

What to watch out for it that it is not too close to the boat, During a really hard freeze, I have seen large Ice buildup on boats, weighting down the front, or back, as it builds on the boat.

Not enough to sink one, but I have seen it build from boat to dock, pretty cool....

We walk our docks and check boats EVERYDAY.
So If your marina does that, then you should be in GREAT shape as they will catch the build ups early, and should know how to adjust the agitators accordingly.

To be honest, I would have left mine in all winter, but I have a bottom job to do, and the wife has a huge list of other things to do as well.

Mac

[Koinonia]

Nice to have a marina where somebody walks the docks everyday.  Last marina i was at they NEVER did.  Im at a private sailing club now thats only 5 minutes from the house so if weather is rough Ill check things on a daily basis.

[Bob23]

I'd never risk leaving my boat in freezing water...just a personal thing..and I don't have the time to sail in the winter anyway.
I have an agitator...we'll be married 33 years on Saturday. Couldn't live without her.
bob23

[MacGyver]

Thanks Koinonia,
We used to walk them every shift, and had round the clock shifts.
Now we just walk more if bad weather. But we are sure to do it every day, 7 days,  a week 365 a year.

When we launch a boat, or know that work was done, etc, we extra check those, 99 percent of the time free of charge (with the slip fees... so not totally free I guess....)

Our boat slip rate comes out to be 2,000 bucks for a 20 foot boat (roughly figuring here) and that is from April 1st to March 31st.

We have set the standard for Core operated lake Marinas last I heard.

Like you though, I am 5 minutes from the marina...... quick trip to work

Mac

[ribbed_rotting_rusting]

To Bob, yeah 10/4 on the agitator, mine would stick me in the frozen water if I held still long enough. I have seem $20,000 dollar engines destroyed for not using $4 worth antifreeze. I would never recommend it but I have seen 1 quart of antifreeze keep a 7 gallon system from freezing in 0 degree F weather. I  in all good conscience could not leave a boat in the where ever you get a hard freeze.

To Koinonia , I know what we find different and exotic as adults kids can find to be an anchor around their necks due to brats at school finding that same exotic thing something to tease and ridicule a kid about. That being said I have looked at Endeavors thirty 35 and bigger and those boats are beautiful, graceful, and truly bluewater adventure yacht. MJC
To Mac, I have to admire a business where the owners can trust the employees to show up every shift where so much potential damage can occur at the same time it is  difficult to get to work. I know diesel can gel at 15 degrees and that is also the same temp. gas lines freeze in cars which have not had additive added to their tanks. Does the place have backup generators in case the power goes out? MJC

[brackish]

Nice to have a marina where somebody walks the docks everyday.  Last marina i was at they NEVER did.  Im at a private sailing club now thats only 5 minutes from the house so if weather is rough Ill check things on a daily basis.

I finally met the owner two slips down from me a couple of weeks ago.  He is a deputy sheriff for the county the marina is in.  Bay Springs Marina is actually on his patrol route so he goes by there every day, checks on all the boats on our pier.  Going to have to file a "float" plan from now on, I was out overnight and he was concerned, ask the Marina duty guy where my boat was.

no ice here, boat stays in the water, can usually find a few days every month during the winter warm and windy enough to sail.