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Whaler Frozen In Ice
bigmike0601	#1  Posted on 02/12/10 - 10:09 AM
Member Posts: 50 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/29/09	I have a 1964 16'-7" Whaler. I took it duck hunting the last day of the season two weeks ago. It was during a blizzard and a fantastic closing day. However, my battery was dead when I was leaving and I had to leave the whaler at the duck blind. Now it's locked in ice and I can't get it home. Boat is filled with ice and snow. I'm leaving for a week and am getting worried. It's a CC with a Yamaha 70 and 10 gallons of fuel toward the bow. My question is: Will the boat be safer if I pull the transom plug rather than letting it fill with potentially more snow and water? Logic tells me to pull it and it will equalize will a certain level of water, but not risk submersion while I'm gone if it fills more. Comments? Edited by Tom W Clark on 02/12/10 - 7:14 PM 1984 Outrage 22' w/ 225hp Yamaha
brikyrd912	#2  Posted on 02/12/10 - 10:20 AM
Member Posts: 11 Comments: 1 Joined: 09/06/07	I'd take out a new battery, fire the engine, pull the fuelhose and let the engine run itself out of gas. Pull the battery(s) and the fuel tank out, and leave the plug in. It'll be fine until spring. Janis
kamie	#3  Posted on 02/12/10 - 10:57 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	I would pull the plug so that as the temps warm, the water has a chance to drain if the drain opens up. The boat will float even filled with water, so she may sit low, but don't worry too much about it. Can you get to it to remove the gas tank? I would be more worried about leaving 10 gallons of gas floating around in my boat.
bigmike0601	#4  Posted on 02/12/10 - 11:03 AM
Member Posts: 50 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/29/09	I can't get a battery there, it's over a 1.5 miles through woods, marsh, and fields. I can see it across the creek with binoculars, but can't get there with canoe since frozen over. I will walk thre to shoovel snow out and/or pull the plug. I basically should pull the plug or leave it in risking more rain/snow while im gone for a week...Will it reach a comfortable equilbrium with the plug out and snow melted? 1984 Outrage 22' w/ 225hp Yamaha
bigmike0601	#5  Posted on 02/12/10 - 11:56 AM
Member Posts: 50 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/29/09	It's up near the bow under the console front seat. My gut says at equilbrium there wouldnt be that much water to float it around near the bow. I guess that's what im asking though. How much water should i expect in the boat at equilbrium? Somone down south do it and take a pic and post it. 1984 Outrage 22' w/ 225hp Yamaha
tom blinstrub	#6  Posted on 02/12/10 - 12:00 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 369 Comments: 0 Joined: 12/14/09	Bring some rock salt and pour some over the drain plug area to melt ice enough to get plug out .I think you should get as much weight out as possible espesially the fuel. If you could get there with 5 gallons of hot water you could use a fuel hose to siphon the warm water against the ice to get to the drain plug. I have done that and it works like a blow torch melting the ice as it goes. LOL
bigmike0601	#7  Posted on 02/12/10 - 12:35 PM
Member Posts: 50 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/29/09	Getting plug out is not a problem. I don't have the interior one even in, just the exterior one. So, I plan to just break with a little axe to get it out. The boat's made of foam and I would think the potential of water retained inside would be worse than flowing in and out at equilbrium with no plug. Worse case is that it sinks due to water logged foam, but if that were so then it shouldn't haul ass like it does with a 70hp hangin' on it. 1984 Outrage 22' w/ 225hp Yamaha
Bake	#8  Posted on 02/12/10 - 12:44 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 902 Comments: 8 Joined: 01/30/06	I would pull the plug. That is how I leave my boats in the lake so I do not have to worry about checking after storms.
Joe Kriz	#9  Posted on 02/12/10 - 12:48 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	This may be too late if the surrounding water is frozen, BUT, doesn't your engine have an emergency pull rope for starting the engine should the battery happen to go dead? My 70hp Evinrude and my 150hp Evinrude have the emergency pull rope. I have used it many times on my prior 70hp Evinrude to start the engine when it had a dead battery. You might read your manual and let us know if your engine has the emergency pull rope.
bigmike0601	#10  Posted on 02/12/10 - 2:10 PM
Member Posts: 50 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/29/09	It doesnt have the pull rope. It a pain to start in the cold too, i'm not in shape to pull start that thing. However, you got me thinking. What about a battery powered impact driver to start it? That should work shouldnt it? 1984 Outrage 22' w/ 225hp Yamaha
kamie	#11  Posted on 02/12/10 - 3:25 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	Mike, at this point, if she hasn't sunk under the weigth, don't sweat it. We aren't supposed to get that much more snow/ice and maybe temps will be a bit warmer when you get back.
bigmike0601	#12  Posted on 02/12/10 - 3:44 PM
Member Posts: 50 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/29/09	yeah, im making the hike to pull the plug tomorrow. I'll rock it free and it should drain some im hoping. I'll deal with it when I get back. Thanks guys! 1984 Outrage 22' w/ 225hp Yamaha
HarleyFXDL	#13  Posted on 02/12/10 - 4:22 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 917 Comments: 30 Joined: 07/24/07	You could bring a charger pack to start the engine. How thick is the ice? I think i would be more concerned with ice around the outside of my hull. If the ice shifts it would crush your hull. Kevin 1988 11' Super Sport, 1987 Johnson 15hp. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance "Vegetarian - old Indian word for bad fisherman."
Bake	#14  Posted on 02/12/10 - 6:22 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 902 Comments: 8 Joined: 01/30/06	Do you know any one with one of those jump start packs? they hold a lot of juice and would not be a load to carry in.
Tom W Clark	#15  Posted on 02/12/10 - 7:15 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	Pull the plug and don't worry about the battery. It will be fine.
Harvey Boysen	#16  Posted on 02/12/10 - 8:46 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 103 Comments: 0 Joined: 11/03/08	We had a problem with a boat in a small lake in Wisconsin. When we could we pulled it up on the ice. We kept pulling it up as the ice melted. Trickey. You don't want the ice to chrush the hull and you don't want to fall thru the ice. Spring finally arrived and the boat was OK. Good luck. Respect thin ice.
DWinter	#17  Posted on 02/13/10 - 5:36 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 252 Comments: 0 Joined: 01/02/10	You don't mention what year motor it is, but if its fuel injected, do not run it dry (out of gas). You may damage an injector by doing so. Duane G Winter 1984 BW Sport 15 Center Console
TommyWhaler	#18  Posted on 02/13/10 - 10:03 AM
Member Posts: 69 Comments: 0 Joined: 12/02/09	Please post pictures. Thanks
CES	#19  Posted on 02/13/10 - 7:16 PM
Member Personal Page Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 2681 Comments: 7 Joined: 04/27/07	Ya, I agree with Tommy. It would be pretty cool to see your Whaler in the ice like you describe. Cliff 1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker