Ice Out - Open Water

05 210 wrote: I hate Spring. I wish we could have 8 months of Summer and four months of Winter!    Mike

Fall is really what we need, warm water, no wind and nobody around. Good spring and summer days are few and far between, almost every day in the fall is great.

This was Squam Lake in NH yesterday. I walked right out from the shore, it was absolutely solid. We went for a hike to look down over the lake, and there is really no visible open water to speak of. It could be a record-breaking late ice-out this year (the latest on record is May 3). Nearby Winnipesaukee has been as late as May 12, but that was in the 1800's. It was as late as May 2 in 2001.

It's a little sad, considering I've been out on Squam as early as March 18, just a few years ago in fact. Tick tock...

storm34 wrote: Looks like the lawn is ready for a CCF get together

+1

Well pack it up, summers over---

Gary S wrote: Well pack it up, summers over---

I,m looking at the same thing out my window! Gary, You shouldn't have come north so early!

Ice is for margaritas

Are those the same nasty things they make me drink every time I go to Brazil?

Joe, is that your FJ? More pics!

David - I am on Owasco Lake, just south of Auburn on the west side, feel free to stop by some time.

Bret that is not my FJ it just lives in my garage or shop depending on the season and makes for a nice way to tranport the generator down to the water - my buddy Matt owns it He is a teacher with the summers off so he gets to spend all summer home with his girls (almost 4 and almost 2). Unfortunately it is not approved to transport his daughters due to the lack of doors, roof, or any seat belts other than lap belts in the front so since he doesnt go many places without them it falls to me to give it some exercise every now and then. I am pretty sure the next time it will get any regular usage is when his oldest turns 16 and paints it pink.

Joe, that's a pretty good deal for you! I remember as a kid in 1985 sitting in the passenger seat of a cherry used desert sand colored hard-top FJ on the showroom floor of a Mercury dealer. I begged my father to buy that thing and take it home. I ended up riding home in a wood-paneled '85 Mercury Colony Park wagon with my head slumped down below the windows.   

went up north to put the dock in last weekend...got 1/2 of it in. lake is still 90% covered with slushy ice...2nd year in a row that happened to us.

back to my home lake/boat erratic temp 1st time out...i think the fluctuations I observed make perfect sense. t-stat is a 150 ('99 SAN w/GT40)...so it opens when it reaches 150 degrees. now on my 1st run, one side of the stat has 35 or 40 degree water flowing past it while the other side is exposed to water circulating in the block...in order for the stat to maintain 150 degrees long enough to open, the water in the block (not the block itself or any other part of the engine) had to get up to 200 degrees...then, when the stat opened, the rush of 35-40 water quickly dropped the internal water temp down to 130 as the water was really cold and the block wasn't necessarily "warm"(i would also qualify the exhaust manifolds as "cool" to the touch). compare that to normal summer operating conditions where the raw water is 70-80 degrees and the water inside the block only needs to get to 160 for the stat to be at 150...and doesn't drop drastically (or noticeably at all) since the temperature difference is not as severe and the block is a toasty 160 (and exhaust manifolds are "warm" or "almost hot" to the touch)...who's with me??

how do you figure?? put one end of a copper pipe in ice water...how hot would you have to get the other end in order for the center of the pipe to reach 150?? should be same concept i think...

200 is not normal for operating in cold water. I do more of that than warm summer water. It's damn hard to get the gauge much past 160 with the 143 thermostat. The cooling system won't allow it.

Based on your observations I would have to say your thermostat is not operating correctly (plugged or not opening) for the engine to get to 200 and have cool exhaust manifolds. Or everything is fine with the engine except the gauge.

clarifications. '99 SAN with GT40. 150 stat. new impeller this season. air leaks doubtful due to everything tightened with 5/16" socket.
idle temp: 120-130
cruising temp: climb slowly till it would touch 200, then in ~ 2 seconds drop down to 130-140.
GT40 ECT is ~ 6" away from the stat. stat has 35-40 water running over top.
HW, when cruising, does your temp gauge fluctuate the same in april as it does in july??
i definitely respect your opinions...i'll let you know what happens as the water warms up.

yes, yes...assorted wonkiness...