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Thread: Its time to start thinking about your boat. (Winterizing)

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    Scrapper's Avatar
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    Exclamation Its time to start thinking about your boat. (Winterizing)


    Figured I would post this on the main forum instead of the mechanics forum so more of you could find it.

    I know many of you have already winterized your boat...but as a reminder I thought we could start a thread with information on winterizing and just as a reminder.

    -Always store your engine in the down posistion. Do not leave up on transom saver. This does not allow all the water to drain from engine and could cost you a lower unit.

    -If you are setting your engine up for the winter...take the intake cover off and with the engine running spray some seafoam deep creep or comparable until it starts to stutter a bit and shut it off for the winter. This will protect the enternals of your engine and keep rings moist over the winter. They call this "fogging" the engine. You can also remove sparkplugs and spray into cylinders but isn't really a have to if its running when you spray it.

    -The fogging spray will also decarb your engine as you are getting ready to winterize. Thats a plus.

    -Flush the engine with muffs. You can fog the engine while you do this.

    -Put fresh grease on the prop shaft and the steering cable.

    -Run stabil for the instance where something happens and you have to put the boat up for the winter and you didn't get it in the tank...just keep some and run it through the winter so you do not have to remember.

    -I will get arguments out of this one...but thats okay. Either make sure you have stabil...and (my opinion only) some sea foam run (INTO) the engine. I like to leave it that way along with the fogging oil. Some will say to run fuel out of the engine...but remember if you mix your fuel/oil that when you kill the engine by running out of fuel...you also killed the engine by running out of oil. Doesn't hurt at shut down...but it will be a fairly dry start and not fun for your outboard.

    -Along with the above statement...TRY YOUR HARDEST to run some nonethanol fuel in before being setup. Ethanol fuel will separate...I have read even with "ethanol stabil"...so try to get the ethanol out and replace with some pure fuel..even if you have to drive to get it...not really important if you use the boat all winter though. When you do this try to top the tank/tanks off. This will help keep condensation to a minimum. Air in the tanks during winter=bad.

    -I always like to either drain or at least check the lower unit oil. Make sure its not milky. Milky means there is water intrusion and it will need seals. If this milky oil is left in over the winter condensation can form in the upper ends of the lower unit and cause rust...and its just not good for the rest of the lower unit.

    -Park your boat in an up hill posistion with the drain plug out if leaving boat in weather..."even under a cover"...that way any trapped water will leak out of the back and not form ice in the boat.

    -Plug a cheap battery minder in...not a charger unless it will float and maintain. You just need to maintain the battery over the winter...you'll see these little battery minders in stores that have batteries for sale...the'll be hooked up to a different battery everyday many times.

    -Clean your bilige...probably best to use is simple green...its biodegradable and easy on all components. Its also a great cleaner/degreaser.

    -Take care of that interior. There are many automotive products you can use...but probably the best for boats is a product call Bass Boat Saver...you can spray it on EVERYTHING...it smells good...and does a great job protecting everything...doesn't contain silicone either.

    -Check your battery connections if you are not removing the batteries. If they look good and clean, apply some "copper coat" spray. You can get this at the parts store. Its actually a copper based gasket maker. But works GREAT on battery terminals to protect and is a great conductor.

    -For your trailer...squirt some fresh grease in the hubs...put some grease up in the hitch...spray the latch with PB Blaster or comparable...and if you can jack the trailer up and block it in the air. This will keep the tires off the ground and psi off of them. Will keep tires from dry rotting as fast and help the life of your tires.

    -Undo your straps on the back of the boat. No need to keep psi on the boat all winter. Just put them somewhere you won't forget them in the spring.

    Guess thats a short list for you. Anyone that does anything else or something different please post. I'm sure I've missed some stuff. Hope this helps some of you out.
    "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 25:15

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    Thank you for posting this. I received the boat my father and I bought a few years ago this year. He passed away in June and had always handled this part of the maintenance for the boat.


    Bobo

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    I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure the memories that are contained in that boat are priceless. I'm glad I was able to help out you take care of her.
    "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 25:15

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    I sure am glad we don't worry about this down here, winterizing is done best by going to the lake and catching some slabs.
    Good thread tho, thanks for posting.
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    excellent post, I winterize mine every three or four day, that is I fish all winter long, well till the lake freezes over.

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    It's about time for me to start fishing, so I don't winterize. My boat sits in my shop when I'm not using it so no problems with freezing.

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    I fish all winter, so I don't have to winterize. But thanks for some good info...printed it out to save just in case I ever need to winterize my boat.
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    I'm with Dutch and the others. I fish year round so I don't really worry about winterizing. I always lower the foot when I put it on the trailer and let it drain good. Then when I get home I lower it until the next trip. Just so it don't collect water and freeze.

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    How often should you use the boat to not have to" winterize " ? once a month ? ever two weeks , etc. ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by eagle 1 View Post
    How often should you use the boat to not have to" winterize " ? once a month ? ever two weeks , etc. ?
    As long as you keep the engine in down posistion and water drained I would say every couple to few weeks. Just enough to keep the fuel from sitting very long. The fuel, fuel tank, and inner workings of the engine are the main things anyways if you keep the water drained out. Todays "E" fuels are nothing like our old fuels...and do not like to sit a long time....and 2 strokes REALLY don't like it when that fuel sits.
    "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 25:15

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