Winterizing Boat Motor and boat?

[Magspec]

How do you guys winterize your boat motors and boat?

[Ebrand]

Clean it up thoroughly.

Makes sure live wells and lines and pumps and the transom are dry (shop vac).

Change the leg oil.

Tarp it up for winter.

[catnthehat]

Staor oil gets check on the pump, oil injection tank topped up, fule filter water trap checked ,stabilizer in the gas( full tank) plugs checked and motor fogged.
Cat

[Team Beef]

Originally Posted by Ebrand

Clean it up thoroughly.

Makes sure live wells and lines and pumps and the transom are dry (shop vac).

Change the leg oil.

Tarp it up for winter.

Empty as much fuel as possible or treat with a fuel stabilizer (Stabil) and run the motor for a few minutes.
Take out any tackle or bait scents that you need for ice fishing.
Dream of next year open water.

[Kokanee9]

And put lots of mouse traps not only in the boat, but several around the tires and garage as well. Last thing you want is a couple nests and a chewed up interior. I always have several extra traps around the inside of the garage. If I catch any in those, then I start paying special attention to ones in the boat.

I also cover mine, even though it's in a garage. Keeps the dust off things.

[RavYak]

Are you asking in regard to your new Harbercraft?

It all depends on the boat. Outboard, inboard, jet etc all have different requirements. Live well, carpet, bilge pumps etc?

My boat is a little 12' tinner so all I do is change leg oil, grease prop, put stabilizer in fuel(I run it low and then top up in spring although some choose to fill it up) then run it for a bit(otherwise will have bad gas in the fuel line, carbs etc) and then I unplug gas and let it run dry(some people say this is not needed), fog engine, remove batteries(store somewhere warm if possible), remove water plug, cover and park.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by RavCanoe

not needed),
, remove batteries(store somewhere warm if possible), remove water plug, cover and park.

orgot about the battery thing!! I put ine of a piece of plywood in the garage and put them on charge halfway throgh the winter.....
Cat

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

orgot about the battery thing!! I put ine of a piece of plywood in the garage and put them on charge halfway throgh the winter.....
Cat

Yes, you should give them at least 1 charge as well.

[Pixel Shooter]

Marine shops say you dont fog 4-strokes. Only 2 strokes. But on 4 strokes change the motor oil, leg oil and use stabilizer. run it for 10 minutes with Stabil. I usually for last lake trip of year put it in so I dont have to worry about it after

- 2 stroke- fog treatment thru carbs, not spraying behind spark plugs. drop leg oil, fresh stuff in, new washers. Pull prop and grease splines

- check tires and grease trailer axles. Remove batteries / and a good clean up

- if ethonal treated , no need to remove gas from carb bowl. I always leave my hoses conected and carb full. if you dont treat your gas, well good idea to do it.

** in boards ** no idea, just know its more work and costly if you dont do it yourself LOL!!!

[the local angler]

wow thank for this post and the info cause i was about to take my new 4 stroke 5hp merc for one last run and fog it.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by the local angler

wow thank for this post and the info cause i was about to take my new 4 stroke 5hp merc for one last run and fog it.

I have seen discussions on this before and it seems the consensus is to follow your owners guide for your motor as all of them are different(whether you should do it and how to do it).

Most important thing is to put some fuel stabilizer through it.

[kevinhits]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

Marine shops say you dont fog 4-strokes. Only 2 strokes. But on 4 strokes change the motor oil, leg oil and use stabilizer. run it for 10 minutes with Stabil. I usually for last lake trip of year put it in so I dont have to worry about it after

- 2 stroke- fog treatment thru carbs, not spraying behind spark plugs. drop leg oil, fresh stuff in, new washers. Pull prop and grease splines

- check tires and grease trailer axles. Remove batteries / and a good clean up

- if ethonal treated , no need to remove gas from carb bowl. I always leave my hoses conected and carb full. if you dont treat your gas, well good idea to do it.

** in boards ** no idea, just know its more work and costly if you dont do it yourself LOL!!!

What exactly is fogging?

Thanks

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

What exactly is fogging?

Thanks

Coating intake and cylinders with oil to protect them from rust forming.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by RavCanoe

Yes, you should give them at least 1 charge as well.

I thought I said that!!
Cat

[58thecat]

Tarp it and stuff it away, engine is a Honda, fires up one pull every spring. Been doing this for 5 years now just too scared to show it any luvin than it will expect it every fall and start acting up. Kinda like a marriage

[Pixel Shooter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQTl_gJOcg

Originally Posted by kevinhits

What exactly is fogging?

Thanks

[mooseknuckle]

Back into the heated shop.

[lotw]

Change oil in foot
I only change engine oil/filter if there is about 100 hrs on the oil or the motor is starting to burn a little oil then it is ready to be changed.
Treat tank with seafoam and fill with premium gas not from husky or mohawk because it has ethanol
Dump out water seperator
Disconnect fuel line and run motor empty - I fogged and treated stabil once and will never use either again
Charge batteries and put them in a heated garage on a wood not cement and charge twice throughout the winter

[Simmer29]

I have an inboard and the guy at my marine shop recommended I run RV antifreeze through the leg, gonna just use a set of muffs, a sump pump, and a large bucket filled with the pink stuff until the cooler starts spitting pink back out. other than that he just said to fill the fuel tank full (premium) and add stabilizer also fog the engine....The boat is new to me and this is my first time.....does the above sound about right?

[RavYak]

I know little about inboards but make sure you run antifreeze through the block or else you are going to be looking for a new engine. If you google winterize inboard should be able to find more info on everything. Make sure you do any bilge or livewell pumps as well or you will need to replace them as well.

[Bigdad013]

On the inboard, we fog first. Then take out all drain plugs, should be 4-6 of them depending on the make of motor. Remove water hose on engine and pour rv antifreeze in. Oil change and leg oil change. For my boat, you have to be fairly short to do this, lucky my mechanic is vertically challenged. This year we found a bunch of sand in the block, that will require flushing, and it hooped my water pump, not sure why the motor never overheated, so that will be fixed next spring. For not taking that hose off and draining, we wouldn't have found that sand, could have been a costly repair in the future.
Just my 2 cents

[Simmer29]

Originally Posted by RavCanoe

I know little about inboards but make sure you run antifreeze through the block or else you are going to be looking for a new engine. If you google winterize inboard should be able to find more info on everything. Make sure you do any bilge or livewell pumps as well or you will need to replace them as well.

I believe if I run the antifreeze through the muffs into the intake, as long as I let it run until pink comes out the other end, It should cover the whole block....fingers crossed

Didn't even think of the bilge pump....wow thanks....you possibly just saved me a couple hundred bucks

[Mudslide]

Before you run the rv antifreeze through the muffs, pull your plugs and drain the water out of the block then put the plugs back and run it on the muffs. That way you don't end up diluting the antifreeze to a point where you have no idea what the concentration is.

[Kokanee9]

Originally Posted by Mudslide

Before you run the rv antifreeze through the muffs, pull your plugs and drain the water out of the block then put the plugs back and run it on the muffs. That way you don't end up diluting the antifreeze to a point where you have no idea what the concentration is.

Good advice.

[Bigdad013]

Originally Posted by Kokanee9

Good advice.

I have never heard of this before, putting the antifreeze through the leg. But I am by no means a mechanic. I am assuming you fog the engine first then drain the water, then add the antifreeze?

[dutchman]

Winterizing an Inboard engine. Besides oil+lube change, grease, fogging, I just want to make a comment on the Antifreeze.
It says this in every manual, the one thing that has to be done....Pull all the water jacket plugs and drain the water. Poke a wire in each hole to make sure it isn't plugged with crud. The leg needs to be in the full down position for the water to run out. If all the water is OUT, air cannot freeze.

For extra protection, you can use antifreeze but don't use RV antifreeze. It has methanol in it and designed for plastic and copper pipes. It won't freeze but won't help any with corrosion.
The proper pink is based on on ingredient "propylene glycol". Merc makes their own ($5/4L jug), which has corrosion inhibitors for metal.
Also sucking through the muffs is a poor way to insure total coverage. The thermostat needs to open before the pink will circulate throughout. If it don't open, there could be water hiding somewhere.
If you want pink AF for extra protection, the only way is to first drain the water. Then pull a few hoses off the top of the engine and pour the AF down the hoses until it comes out the other end.
Make sure the water is out, If in doubt, get some help Cause it gets real expensive if done incorectly.

[Bigdad013]

Nicely put.

[Kokanee9]

Originally Posted by Bigdad013

I have never heard of this before, putting the antifreeze through the leg. But I am by no means a mechanic. I am assuming you fog the engine first then drain the water, then add the antifreeze?

The point Mudslide made was to make sure the block had the water drained out prior to putting in A/F. If water remained in the block the A/F would be diluted and not provide the freeze protection that it is meant to.

Putting A/F through the leg may be how it is done in a shop (I don't know), but putting it in through some hoses at the top of the motor would accomplish the same thing via gravity. Have a pail ready under the leg to catch any when the motor is full so it doesn't go all over the garage floor.

I'm not convinced that it's necessary to fog an inboard motor.

[Kokanee9]

I like Dutchman's explanation on the different types of A/F. I wouldn't have thought of that.

I also wasn't aware that Merc. had A/F with rust inhibitors for a decent price.

[Simmer29]

Sounds like a pain ....anybody wanna buy an inboard????? lol