Iced In. Is it bad?

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rdehaan

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I'm not sure if this belongs here or in ATC. I'll try here first...

We've elected wet storage this winter -- for the first time. It started out great, but now the river is frozen over. The marina told me they use "Ice Eaters". Turns out, the Ice Eaters are aimed at the dock pilings (floating dock, just pilings at the finger pier ends). Our boat is now iced in.

Is this a bad thing? I plan on asking the marina about it, but I thought I should get some education first.

This is in the Shrewsbury River, NJ, so the water is quite brackish with about a 3-4 foot tide difference.

I've been chopping away at the ice I can reach, mostly at the stern and port side. The ice is at least a couple of inches thick now. The bow of the boat is frozen into a sheet that reaches to the slips across the fairway (at least 40 feet), so when the tide flows, I would imagine that there could be quite a bit of force on the lines. On the other hand, the whole river is frozen over, so maybe there is no additional force on the lines. The pilings are ice-free, so the boat and ice rise and fall freely with the tide.

I guess my question is, should I quit worrying about this, or could the ice cause damage to the hull (in which case I guess I need to make a stink at the marina office)? Thanks,
 
You could be in a very bad situation. The pressure that ice will put on your boat could cause severe damage - that might NOT be covered by your insurance!

What did your contract say about ice-eaters? If the marina was supposed to provide them, they have defaulted. If you were supposed to provide them, it could be a very expensive lesson.
 
Thanks Hogan. Unfortunately, my contract is for dry storage. In October when I told the marina I wanted to try wet storage, they said they would send me a new contract. But I never did get one; and I forgot all about it. I'll stop by the office this weekend and find out what they have to say. Meanwhile, I continue chop ice each night. A pain in the butt! The boat is free of ice now, except for the the bow area - the first 5 feet, where I can't reach.

When I went to chop ice last night, I found a new-looking ice-eater box on my swim platform. The box was empty, but the forward port "eater" was working much better than it ever did. I suspect they replaced it. Maybe that was part of the problem.
 
Does your insurance policy specify a layup period and do you have to notify them if you are not hauled out during the layup? My policy requires a layup and is written as dry storage unless I notify them of a change in plans.
Greg
 
This is a New Orleans thing, help yourself, you took a chance, you lost. Wake up.
 
Hey, Jim, when are you going to be less grumpy in your postings? You can say the same thing in a nice way. Or not post at all..........
 
You have to love him, he is so politically incorrect!

I was going to suggest you purchase something to do the job or risk some major damage but it seems you have that now. Even in our small bay the ice tears everything up when it shifts, certainly would not want my boat in that mess.
 
Can you purchase your own ice-eaters? I saw a boat that was left in the water over the winter and the ice just crushed the hull.
 
here is a video of our boat with minimal ice on, and around and inside.
http://media.putfile.com/Movie-0005-74

Well I thoughtI contribute to the post. made me go out again to the dock but i did not have the camcorder, so I went ahile ago. just one state over, and not worrying about moving water, our, I can say Our b/c I take more concern then some.
take a look at the video. and we'll be very happy to send some fridged Air down south. As it was in the 40's and even 30's last week in florida, I brought the weather with me there LOL.
The boat looks fine. but our next door boat has way more ice on his or her haul. And the swans did not mind coming up for a portrait shot either in this 0-15 degree weather.
 
I would try to get a hole in the ice and get either a ice eater or the largest pump you can get into the water as soon as possible. You need to try and get some of the warmer water from the bottom up to the surface as soon as possible to help get rid of the ice. Like Hogan said, you could be headed for some very serious damage.

Fishycomics, I was also going to suggest to you that you may want to consider the same thing. One of the things you have to worry about with in water storage is ice on the bellows. Its just like taking a knife and cutting them. More than one boat has sank due to this.
 
thanks Caryl-d, as my friend is the Owner, I shall mention this to him, bu salt water freezes a a different tempiture? but yes damage can be done quicker than we think. so far we're in good shape, as in that video you see the old Blue boat, no worries about Ice as if it sinks it sinks $$ is no object to some? for me If I owned the boat I be on it everyday and fixing everthing possable so I can assure a safe summer of 2007
 
Salt water freezes at 28*F, so you have a little more leeway than in freshwater but not much. Tell your friend that if it sinks, he better have insurance since not only will the boat be trashed (salt water ruins everything engine wise and electrical) but he could be liable for any oil and gas that leaks into the water, and the costs of cleaning that up. I have seen this happen, some know it all left an old wooden cabin crusier in the water here a number of years back, and the raising of it was a long expensive ordeal. Don't know if he had insurance for that or not, but it's something to think about.
 
yes it is a thought.
but there are other boats on the bay as well, for many years, never seen one yet to fail ?
 
Randy: Our marina provides eaters along the main piers, however I never feel that is enough, so my neighbor and I purchased one together, and we hang it between our bows to keep the other end clear. I plug into one of my external outlets, and use a thermostat, that turns it on at 32 degrees.
Keep checkin, cause if we get a heavy snowstorm, it could weigh you down further into the ice, and that could come next week for us folks here in Annapolis. I'll try and direct it away from NJ. Good Luck.
 
Dusty: Thanks for trying to keep the snow away! We'll see how you do in a day or two...

Since the marina replaced one of the ice-eaters -- and I removed the hunks of ice that I broke up -- we're floating clear now. Apparently the combination of really cold, blowy, weather and the crapped-out ice-eater caused the freeze up.

The ice was never around the hull for more than a day (other than the first 5 feet at the bow), since I broke it up every night. But the hunks would be refrozen the next day, although it was easy to break it up again. I can't see any obvious damage; I guess I'll find out in a couple of months.

We've been to Annapolis many times. Even during tropical storm Ernesto last fall we were visiting a boat there. We're considering buying a Selene from Selene Annapolis so every tme they get a boat we can touch and feel, we're there. Great place! But we've got to get to a place where the boat doesn't have to be winterized. Thus, the plan to retire on a Selene and become snowbirds.
 
Plows are out, when the sanatation has them on it is snow, and late Garbage pick up, 2 days late.
today is a look at the boat day for me. as the weather seemedwarmer, it is snow in the air for sure
on sean and on land keep it safe
 
I'm assuming you have power at the dock. If you can't get a few ice eaters today, go to the local homedepotlowes and get a couple of sump pumps. Tie a line to the top handle. Drop them to the floor of the slip. Lift them a couple of feet and tie them off to a cleat or the railing. Plug them in. It will get you through the season.
 
Read my comments it tne link:
http://www.boatered.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=96021

As long as the ice doesn't shift the pressure on your vessel will not be caused by the hole made by the vessel shrinking. When water freezes it anomalously expands (below 4 degrees C)--a hole in the ice will also get larger contrary to what many believe. The pressures on your vessel will be caused if the ice pack shifts.
 
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