Tomcat 255

@

@ C

New member
Hi all:
We have just enjoyed a wonderful summer on our new to us TC 255.
I imagine this will be the first time this boat has been winterized for a northern winter, as it has spent all of its life in FL.
I am in need of advice on where to buy maintenance supplies - ie. filters, pump impellers, etc. for my Honda BF 150 4 strokes.
I'd also like to know where to get a replacement swim step ladder which has gone missing from my Armstrong bracket.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill
 
Hi Bill, I get Honda parts from Boats.net, some discount off the high retail and no tax.

The Armstrong ladder is from http://www.armstrongnautical.com/Ladders.htm

I took mine to West Marine and swedged on a safety cable and stainless snap hook. It keeps it from falling off and a padlock can be used through the loops to secure it from theft. As you'll find out, they're expensive.

I won't go into winterizing as there are guys on here more experienced than I regarding really cold weather.
 
As far as winterizing goes we change engine oil and filter,change oil in your lower unit, remove prop grease prop shaft. Change all fuel filters. Grease all fittings on motor and steering. We pump rv antifreeze into our raw water system and then from there right into our water tank and make sure it has all the lines protected by pumping through until you see the red antifreeze coming out the sink etc. make sure the fuel has been treated with a fuel stabilizer that has been run into the motor. Start up your motors with a water supply and use engine fogging oil as directed. Remove your engines cowling spray your motor down with what ever Honda recommends. We use WD-40. Get anything that can freeze out of the boat. We leave our boat plugged into our home via shore power cord. We leave the shore power on all winter with battery charger on and the outlets turned on with a heater plugged into one of the outlets to keep the interior of the boat dry and mold free. It's our fifth year no problems yet. We use a full winter cover once we are done boating for the season which is pictured in our album. I'm sure I forgot something but this will get you started. Or just do it the easy way and head down to Florida for the whole winter. Oh yeah replace the wheel seals on your trailer and repack the wheel bearings replace brake pads or shoes as required.
D.D.
 
I prefer Corrosion Block spray over WD 40. It is more viscous, and leaves a much better coating to prevent corrosion.

Be sure that the water heater is either filled with drinking safe antifreeze or completely drained. Also be sure the shower sump and if there is a cockpit shower, or wash down that it is drained. Cycle all thru hull sea cocks, and grease them as necessary. I would be sure that the cushions are off the glass, or taken home for the winter.

Also either take the batteries home, or if you leave them on the boat, have a trickle charger on them--also consider a Pulse Power desolator for the winter.

I just checked out a friends "winterized boat" for him, and found a number of electrical safety issues. He will correct those during the winter. So this is a good time to review all systems in the boat.
 
I'll add my .02. I would wait until the Spring to change the fuel filters. I prefer to add them fresh before I fire it up in the Spring. I run my engines in a fresh water tub for 30 minutes for a good clean out. I do this after I change the impeller pumps to make sure all is working as expected. I also inspect my plugs and spray engine fog directly into the cylinders. Turn the engine over a few times to circulate it.

I remove my electronics, open all the cabinets and fridge, and open a bucket damp away.

Oil and filter of course. I too use Corrosion Block on the engines and steering. Grease all the grease points. Drain water tank, setup water tank bypass (run the non-tox antifreeze through every hose), and save some antifreeze to run through the fish box pumps as well as the bilge pumps.

Good luck with the project. It must be warmer in MD! I used to extend my season into November but I got sick of power washing and using my tools in the freezing cold.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Matt, I feel for you. And thanks Bob and Will-C, and Roger.
I have done most of what has been suggested, the boat gets put on the hard Friday. Can't get the generator started, so we ran rv
antifreeze through it with the starter at 10 second intervals, and we got pink out the exhaust. I will work on that more when on the hard.
One thing I can't find is the ball valve for the wash down.
I think it is raw water, correct? The manual says it is behind the inspection port on the port side below the wash down. Looked and looked,
and had a buddy look, and we can't find it. Any clues?
I would love to write, print, and distribute a users manual for this boat written by owners.
There are so few of them, this website has been excellent, as usual.
Holding tank emptied. Water system filled with antifreeze and pink coming out all faucets. Toilet filled with pink.
What do you do with the fish wells?
I'm thinking of putting af in them and running the macerators to fill the pumps and let tanks fill up with rain and snow.
Which brings up another question. I've wintered boats here for 35 years, but every winter brings up new questions.
Would a slant back cover made from sunbrella be good protection for the winter. Unknown as it is, I've been through rain,
blizzards, and hardly anything. I dislike the idea of spending $599 on shrink wrap every year.
Thanks for all your help and thoughts.
 
I think that the shrink wrap is a good investment. The slant back would keep snow out of the cockpit---but still you will have water/snow/ice on the decks, and that is hard on the boat.

The sea cock for the wash down was under the port aft hanging/storage locker. There may be a floor there. You should see the thru hull pickup on the inside of the pontoon on the port side--the thru hull is just inside of that...

One of the problems with a manual is that each of the boats is a little different. Those of us who have owned many boats find systems are all similar. But wiring and plumbing may differ from boat to boat.
 
Thanks Bob. My manual says the water tank is on the port side when it is really on starboard.
The hanging locker has has shelves put in it, and they were not readily removable, so thanks for the tip.
I know you have great knowledge about a 2006, so I really appreciate your input.
Thanks. I should have stopped by when bringing the boat from Apalachicola.
Best oysters I've ever had.
As far I can figure out. I am the fourth owner of Lucky Enough, and there have been plenty of mods made
which I am still trying to figure out.
Thanks for your continued help.
Bill
 
Why not buy a custom made winter cover with a zippered opening in the cockpit area to allow you to board the boat without having to undo the cover. If shrink wrap gets thrown away every year would seem to be putting money down the drain from my perspective. Everyone has their own way of doing things. We have a strong cover that is supported by 2x2's to prevent snow build up etc. See pictures in our album listed in a sub album entitled Winter Cover. Just a thought.
D.D.
 
Bill, am about to winterize my TC255, have done so on this TC for one year so far, and my previous TC255 for about 5. I am installing a bypass on the water heater this year so I don't need to fill it with pink stuff. Then I turn on hot and cold water and run the water tank totally dry (mine is on the port side BTW). I put about 5 gallons of pink stuff in the water tank, turn on the water heater bypass to bypass that 6 gallon beast. Drain the water heater into the bilge box (it pumps out). Then I open each water thingy: Sink, hot and cold until I get pink and shut it down, shower hot and cold ditto, toilet foot pedal ditto, cockpit H/C shower ditto. That winterizes all the water lines that are pressurized.

I then put about a half gallon in each fish box and bump the macerator pumps until pink comes out of the overboard, ditto in each bilge and manually run each pump until I get pink. About a gallon goes into the shower drain which runs into the aforementioned bilge box and make sure it turns on and pink comes out the overboard. That puts antifreeze into that box and the pump. I put about a half gallon directly into the toilet to protect it and the small holding tank (which is empty). I top off both gas tanks with fresh non ethanol fuel, treat them as directed with blue stabil and Yamaha Ring Free (Marc's recommendation (Wefings)) and on the way back from the marina (15 minutes) the engines get a good dose of good stuff. I don't do anything else to them except to be sure that the bowls on the Racor and the LP filter under the hood of each engine don't have water in them but just gas.

That pretty well does it. In the spring, I put a hose in the water fill pipe and run everything until things are clear and good smelling. Never had a problem. I do change Racor Filters in the spring.

The boat stays on my lift under a roof year round, I only haul it to change oil and if anything else needs maintenance that I cant do on the lift or in the water.

Good luck with your first winter, it isn't hard! We use the boat in the winter, on the lift as a cocktail lounge sometimes (with the wallas running).

If I were putting it on a trailer, I'd put it under a roof or cover it somehow. I have big garages but they aren't long enough to get them all the way inside and close the door! :sad

Charlie
 
Matt,
I'm not sure why waiting till spring to change fuel filters would be better. If any water was present in the filter it would seem better to get that out of the fuel system rather than corrode or worse yet freeze and split something.
D.D.
 
Will-C":3aqvtr55 said:
Matt,
I'm not sure why waiting till spring to change fuel filters would be better. If any water was present in the filter it would seem better to get that out of the fuel system rather than corrode or worse yet freeze and split something.
D.D.
Click to expand...

If you have Racors and run the engines for a time before shutting down for the winter, any water present should be in the clear bowl, not in the filter which is metal. Drain it. If the metal filter splits over the winter, so be it, it's not pressurized and should do no harm. If the gas freezes, youve got bigger problems than the fuel system...The freezing point is pretty far down, -72 by one MSDS I found but chances are very good that if you're anywhere you're likely to encounter temperatures that low, the chemistry of the fuel you're buying has been jiggered to lower its freezing point even further. "Gasoline" is a generic name that really covers a witch's brew of hydrocarbon constituents. There's a lot of funky chemistry inside that fuel tank.

Best (IMHO) to do it in the spring for that type filter.
 
Charlie,
I don't know if the original poster has Racor filters or not which was why I questioned about waiting till spring to change a fuel filter. Water freezes at 32 degrees. Someone with an enclosed metal canister like what came with our boat which was set up by from Wefings is a Yamaha 10 micron metal canister type fuel filter. Not a see through type. That is why I would recommend changing fuel filters before winter lay up if I have no idea of what filter types are out there in the C-Brat nation. :) I have since purchased a spin on Racor replacement that fits the same head so it was an easy fix. Now we have a spin on clear bowl with a water drain on the bottom of the spin on filter element I posted some pictures on page six of our album if anyone elses boat came with a similar type Yamaha 10 micron filter and they wanted to upgrade to the Racor type.
D.D.
 
Hi Will,
I have the solid Racor canisters mounted on the outside transom. I run my engines for 30 minutes each in a tub at the end of the season. Whatever junk may be in my fuel filters can sit there all winter with no consequence. Also, the metal fuel filters have a shelf life on exterior corrosion and I prefer them clean and white for the spring.

I forgot to mention this in the post above to the original poster but I also add Stabil to the remaining fuel in the tanks. Shrink wrap is expensive down your way. I pay $350 just outside of Boston and this includes a zippered window for access to the cockpit and wrapped engines.
 
Did my TC255 winterization today. First installed The bypass on the water heater that was pretty straightforward with a few problems. I took pictures and as soon as I figure out how to get them off the iPad I'll post them in the album and put a link to them here.

Then I turn on hot and cold water and run the water tank totally dry (mine is on the port side BTW). I put about 3 gallons of pink stuff in the water tank, turn on the water heater bypass to bypass that 6 gallon beast. Drain the water heater into the bilge box (it pumps out). Then I open each water thingy: Sink, hot and cold until I get pink and shut it down, shower hot and cold ditto, toilet foot pedal ditto, cockpit H/C shower ditto. That winterizes all the water lines that are pressurized.

I then put about a half gallon in each fish box and bump the macerator pumps until pink comes out of the overboard, ditto in each bilge and manually run each pump until I get pink. About a gallon goes into the shower drain which runs into the aforementioned bilge box and make sure it turns on and pink comes out the overboard. That puts antifreeze into that box and the pump. I put about a half gallon directly into the toilet to protect it and the small holding tank which Had been previously pumped out and flushed. i then bump the holding tank macerator pump until i get pink at the overboard. It took a total of 7 gallons.

I top off both gas tanks with fresh non ethanol fuel, treat them as directed with blue stabil and Yamaha Ring Free (Marc's recommendation (Wefings)) and on the way back from the marina (15 minutes) the engines get a good dose of good stuff. I don't do anything else to them except to be sure that the bowls on the Racor and the LP filter under the hood of each engine don't have water in them but just gas.

The boat is on a lift under cover and we use it in the winter (Wallas heat) but don't have fresh water until dewinterization in the Spring. If I use a significant amount of gas, I repeat the above procedure on the fuel systems. 64 degrees here today, expecting 75 tomorrow!:roll:

I guess without water on board, We'll just have to drink something else.. :beer :cocktail :thup If the Wallas quits then :hug :love :hug2 .. :mrgreen:
 
Charlie description, but I am confused by "Then I turn on hot and cold water and run the water tank totally dry (mine is on the port side BTW)"

On Thataway, the water tank, and the hot water heater were both on the Starboard side as I recollect. The water heater under the helm seat, and the water tank below the floor boards of the hull. I sent along a second tank, which could be put on the port side, but was never installed.
 
Another item for winterization that some recommend that carbureted engines be to run dry fuel and then drain whats left in the float bowls on the carburetors. On fuel injected motors (at least Yamaha) they recommend draining the float tank which is there as a reserve of fuel to feed all of the fuel injectors. On our engine features a phillips head screw and a handy little drain hose It holds a little less than a pint.
And yes some just treat their fuel with fuel Stabilizer and don't drain it. :)
D.D.
 
Will-C, et all;
I did take your advice, and others, by draining my carb'd HONDA 90s on Sea Angel for the first time. I did not do this last year and did not run the OBs enough to keep fresh fuel running thru them - I paid a big price for the 8 carb cleanings and rework because of that. (All the great intensions of running the OBs did NOT work out as planned.)

Charlie (I think) suggested getting a water heater bypass kit, which I did< but I found that I could not break free the hose fittings. Seems that the 2005 CD25 has what looks like a 3M 4000/5200 sealant on the threads/barbs of all water hoses. They sure won't leak there, especially with the 2X clamps. I still have the unused bypass kit and can't break those fittings loose.

I found that I do not have to drain all the hot water out. I do run the water pump and drain the cold water via the sink till I have the first indication of air in the line. I add abt 7 gals of antifreeze to the main tank. I then run only the sink cold till it shows some pink fluid. I then run the shower cold water the same way. I then repeat the same process with the hot at the sink and then shower. The shower hose reaches to the galley sink for all this.

The above does take more antifreeze, but it is simpler for my situation. I also dump abt a gal of antifreeze into the holding tank.

The air conditioner has been drained and no need for antifreeze. I do hope to add a fresh water flush setup inside the cabin where I can do this in the future.

We occassionally do have some periods of freezing in Va. Beach that extends several weeks a year, but nothing like you folks farther north.

So I keep bottled water available to make coffee/tea while underway, thanks to the WALLAS, in the colder periods.

I leave my electronics and batteries aboard since the boat is in a dry storage building year round. I put the boat on a work rack every other week and charge the batteries while getting my"fix" as I charge the batteries and I do little projects.

Sure love these simple C-Dorys!

Art
 
Art, I couldn't break the brass nipples out of the water heater either until I put a torch on them. Found If I was careful, heated it evenly for quite awhile, I broke them loose with a teeny pipe wrench and some big channel locks. I meant to post pictures, will try to get to it asap. I was worried about setting something on fire with the torch but found that the insulation around the heating coils between them and the outside stainless skin is some kind of either fire proof or fire retardant at worst and it smoked a little but didn't ignite. Once broken free, they came out easily.

Not sure if you want to try it again now that you're apparently done for the season but next year for sure, you can get 'er done! If I get down that way on business, I'll bring my torch. It was hard getting the hoses off the plastic nipples, they were really tight too but with a heat gun (not the torch :cry ) they softened up enough to slide off.

Charlie
 
Art, Sea Angel--the "sealant" on the Tom Cats (and some other boats of that era is "Bostic" sealant. They smeared it on every thing, including some threads which didn't match. It is easier to remove than 5200--fortunately!
 
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