What is the lowest temp. to not winterize?

[Levi]

Hi,

I purchased a nauty this past summer and plan on going out all winter w/ a dry suit. Most everyone I've talked to says they do not winterize their boats here in Northern California (CA Delta- Bethel Island). I was just checking the temps for where my boat is stored and it got down to 34 deg. last week there. What is the lowest possible temp before you must winterize. Is is just 32 deg. or can it go a couple degrees colder? My boat is stored under a covered roof, but w/ open sides. Any help will be appreciated!!

Thx,

levi

[skinautique]

You can let it go a few degrees below 32. I wouldn't push it further than 28 or 29. The biggest thing is how long it is going to stay below freezing. If it is just an hour or so, that isn't much time to freeze the block. I have seen them completly frozen before but not to the point of expanding. If you have a heater, you will want to drain that. You can crack the core real easy. The other crucial thing is to make sure that the lines haven't frozen the next time you start it up or else you won't get any water into your engine. Hope this helps a little bit.

[SGY]

A mechanic once told me that it takes 16 degrees and 6 hours to freeze a block.

[skinautique]

All that I can say is that because it is so easy to drain these motors, I would rather do that then take the risk of cracking anything.