we are scheduled for an annual family outing this weekend on Whidbey Island, near Baby Island. We normally trailer the boad up and then leave it moored just off the beach. My question is to ask how this really cold weather affects my boat - which is normally stored in the garage. If we leave it out on land over night and it gets down to 12 as possibly forecast, will that cause a problem? If we put it in the water and it is down around 20 or less, will it cause a problem?

any advice on how to handle this?

thanks!

Inboard or Outboard? Freshwater cooled Inboard should be winterized. If raw water cooled maybe drain the manifolds by pulling the drain plugs. Outboards? I leave mine out all winter, just leave it down until all the water drains out after flushing and running. Might be easier just to leave boat on the trailer at night. A heat source next to the inboard would be nice.

As long as there's no water in the cooling system
you shouldn't have any problem leaving it on land...

if you leave it in the water near baby island the coolant will be salt water which has a freezing point substantially below 32F and it takes a lot more than a few hours of 12 degree weather to freeze salt water even if it's in the cooling system as the boat is parked out of the water, but if the boat's in the water the entire bay would need to freeze before you would have problems and that isn't going to happen this weekend........

on the other hand I can remember a picture from my youth of an adult "great white hunter" as he walked back over an ice covered skagit bay with a brace of snow geese he had snuck up on and terminated.........

but that kind of opportunity requires multiple days in the near zero or below zero range.....


so, as much as we all might feel an urge to blame the impending cold spell on "global warming", this kind of thing has happened before....

note: I'm assuming your boat has a conventional 2 or 4 stroke outboard motor....

thanks for the advice. I have a Honda 90 4-stroke. it has been in the garage and everything is drained out at the moment. so I will trailer it up there and leave it on land until the wind goes down enough. then put in the water.

looks like a tough weekend for fishing.

I'd be more worried about the Salt damage than the temperature damage.