If you’re wondering how to know if your boat has suffered freeze damage, there are some pretty major signs.
Experiencing unexpected freeze damage is a common issue among Texas boaters. With the temperatures staying above freezing most of the winter, it’s a common mistake to take the warm weather for granted.
Texas boaters often leave their boats in the water for winter because it’s…well, southern Texas and we technically can. Perhaps you’ve pulled it out and put it in personal dry storage in a garage or barn, but let the fluids sit as they were. Then an unexpected cold snap falls over the coast, and those three days it fell below freezing slip right by.
The weather warms, and soon enough you find yourself face to face with a blackish wet spot pooled under your boat’s drive that seems to be rapidly growing in size. This, and like many others, is a sign of freeze damage.
Firstly, what is vessel freeze damage?
Freeze damage is the result of improper boat winterization and occurs when liquids, such as freshwater, collect, freeze, and expand in various parts of your vessel. Pooled or trapped freshwater expands in volume by an estimated nine percent when it freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to its salt content, seawater freezes at a lower temperature of 28.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This expansion pushes outward at a force equivalent to tens of thousands of pounds per square inch, which can cause catastrophic damage.
Needless to say, but the single most common boater winterization mistake is not getting all the water out of the engine, hoses, and hull. A mistake like this can be expensive.
Hey, it happens to everyone — but if it hasn’t happened to you yet, or you need some context of what you should be looking for, check out these 10 signs your boat might have freeze damage.
Ten signs your vessel is suffering freeze damage
A Clear Lake marina on a frozen day in South Texas.
Vessel and engine damage from a freeze looks like a variety of boat issues — which, frankly, is what makes it so overwhelming. If your area just experienced a cold snap, without proper winterization and storage, vessel freeze damage is a possibility. So, how do you know if your boat is suffering freeze damage? Start looking for the following signs throughout your vessel to perform an evaluation.
1. Expansion and cracks in the drive exhaust housing
Upon first inspection, look at your drive exhaust. If water remained in the drive exhaust passage, it’s possible the water froze, expanded, and cracked the housing.
2. A clogged engine block
According to Boating Magazine, inboards and sterndrives with a lot of miles on them are most vulnerable to freeze damage. Unless properly cared for, over time rust flakes and debris can collect and clog engine block drains.
This means cleaning and emptying the drain until the very last drop of water is gone, to reduce the risk of water changing states of matter and ruining the engine block drain.
3. Cracked or destroyed water heaters and holding tanks
Another sign of freeze damage is a burst or cracked water heater and holding tank. It’s pertinent to completely drain and dry the water heater and holding tank because ice can cause some serious damage and result in you spending lots of time and money replacing each part.
4. Compromised freshwater system
Because a freshwater system is composed of many parts, it’s easy to overlook any amount of water left in the system during winterization. Water can collect and freeze in the drains, faucets, shower heads, and hoses resulting in expansion and cracking.
If unattended, due to the cracks the ice causes in the freshwater system, when it melts, it could leak, and inflict further damage to your vessel.
5. Damaged bilge and hull
So, you made the call to store your boat out of the water for winter. Did you store it properly? Did you tilt your boat bow-up in storage? If not, then you need to check for possible water in the bilge and hull. Pooled frozen water could be the cause of your freeze damage.
An easy way to avoid damage like this to your boat is by storing it properly with professionals. For example, Marina Bay Harbor Marina offers a fully enclosed dry dock boat storage facility and hurricane storage for boaters in Kemah, Galveston, Houston, Sugarland, and Clear Lake to utilize.
6. Battery damage and failed electrical systems
One really inconvenient sign of damage is cracked batteries and frozen electrical systems. If batteries are left uncharged in a freezing boat, there’s the potential for expansion and cracking, making them useless and in need of replacement.
7. Mold and mildew
Any moisture in the boat can develop and grow mold and mildew when Texas temperatures increase rapidly. Mold and mildew are stinky and can cause serious health problems if not addressed properly.
8. Cracked fuel lines and gas tank
Fluctuating temperatures can cause condensation to collect within the fuel tank and fuel lines. A BoatUS technical article commented that because the ethanol gas we use today is hydrophilic (meaning it absorbs water), if condensation, or water, is present in the line or tank, the ethanol will absorb it, igniting a process called “phase separation.”
Phase separation happens when ethanol-laden gasoline sits for a long time and becomes too water-saturated. The ethanol then separates from the gasoline creating two different solutions. The water-soaked ethanol solution then sinks to the bottom of the tank and corrodes everything you’ve ever loved.
Want to avoid this potential freeze damage issue? Ask Marina Bay Harbor Marina about ethanol-free gas.
9. Collapsed cover
Covering your boat with a tarp or shrink wrap is a common precaution against inclement weather in Texas. However, if you arrive at your slip and ice and snow have wreaked havoc on your cover and collapsed it, be prepared to expect some freeze damage.
10. Sunken boat
Photo credit: BoatUS
Arriving to find your boat sunk is a pretty obvious sign something is wrong. Our friends up north at the Brazos River Authority report that dock lines can be the culprits that sink your boat. This happens when strong winds push the boat under a dock or water that freezes.
What now?
If you’ve noticed a few of these signs of damage on your vessel, post-cold snap, there’s a pretty good chance your boat has suffered some freeze damage. Unfortunately, this can happen to anyone. Boat winterization is an extensive process that makes it easy to overlook something small that could cause massive damage.
Clear Lake boaters can learn more about winterizing in detail with BoatUS’s in-depth boat winterizing guide.
Winterize your Clear Lake boat at the Marina Bay Harbor Marina Service Center
A clear day at Marina Bay Harbor Marina
Regardless of the size of the damage, remember you’re always welcome to bring your most prized possession into the Marina Bay Harbor Marina service center for maintenance, winterization, or summerization.
Our team of experts is ready to help and support you in repairing your vessel’s freeze damage. As a certified Yamaha, Suzuki, and Mercury engine service center, we’ve seen and fixed it all.
Got away with no boat freeze damage? Then it’s time to start considering boat summerization as the Texas heat rises. Reach out to our expert staff at 281-535-2222 or complete a service request through our online form to begin the process.
For more boat prep tricks and tips, check out the Marina Bay Harbor Marina blog.