Greetings,
Some photos for you. We have lived on Westsail 32, at Saugatuck Yacht Services, Saugatuck, Michigan for the past five winters.
The Kalamazoo River freezes hard in January and I keep one P500 Ice Eater, on the stern, to keep the ice at bay. My engine room is winterized, but I like to keep it warm as a buffer to the harsh temperatures found at these latitudes.
Right now, it is 22 degrees F outside, we sit in a cradle of ice, listening to the crunching sound of 4 inch thick ice rubbing against my fiberglass hull as the winds drive us to port.
Westsail 32 with Xtreme HeaterThe rising and falling of the river constantly changes the level of the water. The engine room reports 42.7 degrees as the mast hallards rattle in the 20 knot wind. Down below we are warm at 70 degrees thanks to the Refleks Ships stove.
From time to time the boat will lurch forward and bash into the ice found at the bow to my Westsail. Only the movement of the boat keeps the ice free from solidifying and fixing the hull in a permanent position. I am glad to count on the Xtreme Heat to maintain a constant heat in my engine room. This is special. Good Day.
- Bruce. T
