Winterizing the Chris Craft S4 E9

[@kamoboko86]

I was surprised to see so much splitting and cracking on unbeknownst’s transom. Is that normal after one season? Also, why is the drain plug and bilge pump in the bow instead of the stern?

[@glassgoat9601]

We are discussing here why the split occurred. It is right at a joint where I probably made that piece of mahogany too tight when installing. Being in the water swelled that piece and caused the crack. I may run a thin kerf saw blade down the joint to widen it, then caulk the joint so when it swells it doesn’t cause pressure there. Due to the oak frame behind the joint it doesn’t leak, just looks bad. On those hulls, just in front of the driver’s seat is the lowest point when the boat is stationary. I also have a bilge pump aft in case it’s needed while underway as the water would flow toward the stern while moving but that pump has never come on. The front pump seldom comes on, I’ve only seen it happen the first time I get in the boat that day.

[@kamoboko86]

@@glassgoat9601 That makes sense. I'm just used to jacking the bow up as much as possible to flush everything down to the stern before pumping or draining so I was a little surprised.

[@tomjacobsen664]

Is it legal to dump antifreeze on the ground?

[@glassgoat9601]

Tom, the pink antifreeze is supposed to be biodegradable and relatively safe. It uses propylene glycol which is found in a lot of foods we eat. It is used here not only in boats and RVs but to protect the water systems of thousands of camps and summer houses in this area ending up flushed into septic systems in the spring. That being said, I am working on creating a system to capture and reuse some of this coolant each year but there is the issue of dilution as usually the antifreeze is displaced as water pushes it out of the engine. Due to the extreme climate here and the expensive engines I’m trying to protect, a mistake in this process can be costly.