winter electronics storage?

[chowder]

Do most people remove gps/depth raider, etc monitors on a boat that is shed stored in a secure situation?

[Tim Bromund]

yes, from what I understand, freezing isn't very good for LCD displays. Bring em in the house for the winter. Maybe the cold won't hurt em, maybe it will, with the cost of marine electronics, it's cheap insurance to bring em indoors for the winter.

Tim

[Billy V]

I always take my electronics off the boat and store them indoors. Like Tim says, it's cheap insurance!

[Jeff J]

Mine are always off and in the basement for the winter. Not worth the risk and simple enough to do.

Jeff

[dukhnter8]

What about liquid filled compasses? Should they be removed for winter?

[carpedium]

I'm not sure, but i think they are filled with some kind of glycerin or glycol solution which doesn't freeze at as high of a temp as water

[waterlogged]

Prior to the last few years we had always stored our boat outside. We have a liquid filled compass referenced in the earlier post and never had any freezing issue. Don't know what is in there but never cracked, leaked, etc. and it got mighty cold some of those winters.

Clarke

[jimski2]

Your manual, which we do not read till something goes wrong, will give you the operating temperatures for safe operation of your electronics. WNY is not good for LCD in our winters, take them inside. We do not use LCD's for icefishing for this reason. Light Emitting Diode displays are OK, flashers, like in the old days.

[Yankee Clipper]

Over last winter I left my Lowrance GPS/fish finder combo in the boat :roll: . Toast ... Lowrance did replace the head unit and you can bet it will be pulled and on my shelf in the closet. :? this winter.

[Fishtails]

What abour Radar scanners....same deal? Do you take them In for the winter?

[dieselhp]

Here is my outlook on the winter storage thing for what it’s worth.

Keep in mind when the manual gives you safe operating temperatures it means, operating.

This stuff is shipped all over the world and not kept in cooled or heated trailers or shipping containers. So if it is not in use should not matter. With that said I prefer to take it off and put it in the house if can be removed with a few plugs and screws. If it’s more work to remove it, I will cover it to make sure water can’t get in a freeze to break it.

Same thing for the batteries, they sit in you car all winter so why not in the boat. I leave them in the boat, hook a charger to them and plug them once a month for a day and seems to make them last just as long.

[Yankee Clipper]

Fishtails, when my head unit was toasted (actually frosted ) I talked with more then few tecks about this. Dieselhp is also correct but what I learned the hard way is there are certain acceptable operating ranges (temperatures) and if the unit is toasted (or frosted) it gives the MFG too mch opportunity to not help you out or not replace it. As dieselhp states, they should work and hold together but they don't. Lets not foget where these things are made and what level 9if any) of QC they go through.

For me, I'm pulling everything off. Even though I did get replacement it's a huge hassle, In the case of my Lowrance I had to wait weeks for the replacement head to get to me, after growing old being on hold trying to get to a human at Lowarance to talk to me. So for weeks I had to fish "old school" - line up off that point and that landmark etc.. Out of habit I can't count the number of times I caught myself looking at the whole in the helm wher the head unit used to be. Then when I got the new head unit the realization hit me that I lost all of my favorite waypoints, marked spots, and trolling tracks when I turned it on ..

Anything electronic that does require a PHD to pull off the boat is spending the winter with me in warm quarters ....

[jimski2]

Marcum has come up with LCD screens for their underwater cameras for ice fishing. They have a heating element for the screen to enhance their viewing.

[Misty IV]

I agree it's worth the extra time spent to remove all the electronics. I always have and never had to worry about an issue in the spring. My dad once forgot to take out his depthfinder before winter storage - he never forgot again. It was done come spring...or frosted, as mentioned above.

[InTheBox]

I also take everything off. It also gives me something to do in the winter. which cleaning and inspecting the units. I cant wait to go fishing!!

[big easy]

The liquid in marine compasses,is mineral oil based.It will not freeze,and you can safely leave it in the boat during the winter.

[lavarock64]

Interesting subject.

Knock wood, I have never had an issue. I have 2 cheap Eagle 320's. I also fish in the middle of winter with the boat, so regardless they are going to see freezing temps.

[HPORT]

Modern LCD display's can operate as low as -5 degrees F and can be stored at temperatures even lower. Electronic response times and contacts are usually another story.

If an modern LCD display fails due to cold temperatures, it may have had moisture between the panels or in the circuitry, or it may have been a marginal display to start with.

I have seen many older LCD display's fail due to freezing, so I would do like everyone else and store it in a warm dry place.

Compasses use oil for dampening.