Late Season skiing- keeping your block safe

[ReggieO]

Hey Ballers,

 

Looking for suggestions on how to keep the block from freezing in order to get in some late season skiing? I know we can drain it, anything else you ballers do? Our boat is up on a lift with power....

 

Thanks

 

Reggie

[BraceMaker]

Block heater can be magnetic. I'd just dump it.

[skihacker]

I've never had power at my dock, takes me less than 5 minutes to drain the block, manifolds and heater core. I think i sleep a little better at night this way.

[liquid d]

I would suggest putting the block about 1000 miles south.

[Razorskier1]

Put in a mechanics light bulb under rhe motor box when it is on the lift.

[BraceMaker]

@Razorskier1 in theory but I find that just too risky, bulbs burn out and really produce fairly low amounts of heat if windy so to me either a UL rated block heater or drain it. Even the block heater has risks if the power goes out.

[DavidN]

Install a quick drain fitting to the block.

[Lars]

How cold are we talking? I ski well into fall when it gets below freezing as well; I usually do the bulb as @Razorskier1 suggests and/or lower the lift so the boat is sitting in the (relatively) warm water overnight.

 

[gregy]

I have two work lights I use. Just in case one goes out there will be a backup. In Texas we rarely see anything below mid 20's if was going to get much lower I go ahead and drain everything. I ran a hose off of each exhaust drain with a quick disconnect between them. The block has knock sensors so I remove them. I tried some different ideas on the block but finally just went back to putting the knock sensors directly into the block and they're really not that hard to remove. .

[mikegile]

@RichardDoane installed a drain system in my boat. Run the shower, drain the block, and blow out the heater. Takes 5 minutes and we ski all year with no worries.

 

[gregy]

@RichardDoane what all did you do. Sounds like a nice setup.

[ReggieO]

Hey Ballers,

 

Thanks for your comments, temp wise maybe high 20's f, other then that I will pull it in late Oct.

 

Cheers Reggie

[Razorskier1]

@RichardDoane is way more skilled than me! Maybe I can pay him to fly to MN and install a drain system for me! I have never frozen a block, but did freeze a heater core once - darn near sunk the boat!

[Garn]

Easy and simple solution. I replaced the block plugs in my boat with a ball joint. Now if I'm worried about freezing I just reach down and open the ball joint on each side. It takes about 1 second. And then the block drains. Simple as that.

[UWSkier]

@Garn that doesn't work if your block plug doubles as a knock sensor.

 

Could always install a flush kit and a gravity feed RV Antifreeze setup on your hoist. Connect flush kit to Antifreeze source and suck it up. Do so at higher RPM to push through the heater core.

 

Or just drain it down and blow (with your lungs) out the heater core manually. Don't use compressed air.

[6balls]

Boot heaters work too. Basically resistance coils the size of a thin flashlight that u plug in.

I use em to dry the boots of my waders if I got too deep n filled em.

They work in the motor box too. U don't need a lot of heat production it's a small space with an insulated box.

I run it before bed too so beginning at ops temp then put the heaters in.

[LeonL]

Like @gregy said., put in two. If you're worried about a bulb burning out you've got a backup. As for heat, an incandescent 100w bulb puts a good amount of heat in an enclosed insulated place. If you can still find an incandescent. Mid 20's should be not problem with bulbs. Cheap, easy.

[gregy]

They make incandescent bulbs that are specifically for work lights that much more robust than the standard bulbs.

[ReggieO]

You guys rock, appreciate the options!

[RichardDoane]

When the engine has a knock sensor we install a tee fitting for the drain valve on each side so the sensors don't have to be removed. Drain valves on the manifolds if you don't have a cross flow hose to open/drain, and a pair of flush tees with caps for the heater hoses. Just pinch the hose so when you blow out the heater core it gets good and clear since heater cores are pretty fragile. Like @mikegile said, very simple.

[thager]

I have been using a magnetic block heater for 15-20 years. Ski into Nov. in MN.

[shyskier]

+1 magnetic block heater 10 yrs with temps as low as 15f. will put a blanket on top of engine when real cold ( I'm at 7300ft )

Big concern would be if you have a heater, it will freeze first.

I would not be to concerned if temps above 25f unless it is sustained ( more than just overnight low.)

Have a friend who said if the dogs water bowl skimmed over your o.k. if it is solid your done.

Mechanics light bulb is called rough service bulb.

[BraceMaker]

If serious about cold weather skiing I'd probably winterize and shut off the heater once - then use a heated blanket or heated seat to keep the body warm.

[sunvalleylaw]

I got a work flood style light and one of those metal salad bowl looking reflectors yesterday, and put it under the hood near the front of the motor, with the hood supported by a chunk of 4x4. Will replace with 2x4 and close it a bit more. We were supposed to get down right to freezing plus or minus last night (ended up being mid to high 30's) and may get a few days of that before we usually warm up again for a couple/few weeks. Not done yet, and want to keep it simple. Unlikely we will get any hard freezes. Also, my boat is on a trailer in our lean to, covered with a boat cover.

[Patrick Hardy]

Also had @RichardDoane install a drain system in my boat. Fast and efficient. I also use a Small Xtreme Heater - 300Watt model. It takes minutes to disconnect the hose from the trans cooler to the raw water pump, slip the heater in under the engine, reconnect the hose and plugin the heater. Not only does it keep the engine warm, it warms most of the whole boat from the bilge up. I have been using this heater for over a decade with no problems. A little expensive, but no where near the cost of a new engine block.

xtremeheaters.com/buy/spec/XHEAT

 

[BraceMaker]

That's a beast of a heater - probably dries the bilge.

[Patrick Hardy]

@BraceMaker, yes it is. I have never had a problem with it over drying a single thing though. Not a hose, connector, fitting, wiring, carpeting, etc. I use it from early Nov. to mid march every year. The Seattle area is not the coldest place, but during those months we get a lot of freezing temps., ice and snow.

 

[BraceMaker]

I mean it in a good way - if you worry about hoses drying out you spray them with 303.

 

But having a damp bilge all year is gross

[eleeski]

And I thought you were talking about fin blocks.

 

I love snow skiing. But the overlap with waterskiing is just wrong. I'm so lucky that it never freezes in the desert.

 

Eric