Winterizing

[Rowdy]

Being a new member here and all that I am, just getting around to reading more on the board here. This has been some good reading here as well as funny. A couple things I would like to share with you, I really like to see you grease the grease fittings on the motors as well as the trailer bearings. This will on the outboard motor force what water is always in the fittings out. The pivot shaft of the motor, which is the point of the motor where she truns from side to side always has quite a bit of water in it, by greasing this pivot shaft you will here the air and water squirt out as well as see some of this as you grease her up. The problem is not going to destroy anything if you don't, its just better to not leave the water in there as well as the surfaces without grease on them to rust and the water expands quite a bit as it freezes which will push even more of the unfrozen grease out. So of you may have to look behind the trailing bracket to find the grease fitting to grease the pivot shaft. Doesn't hurt to hit the fitting on the tilt shaft either.

Also mentioned here already was the live well...It is always better to not only drain the live well and bilge area, but leave the drain valves open or the plug out. Some of the older style livewell drains that are a remote mounted device in how they are designed even though you may have drained them, if closed the actual valve itself can freeze and crack open. So its best to leave open. The outboard should be left in the down position, its really a good idea to use some of the tin foil tape and tape the hub area of the prop or remove the prop and store inside, grease the prop shaft and wrap a old nasty rag around it and then tin foil tape the exhaust area on the motor where the prop was. This will help keep critters from winterizing them self up in this area. You just would not believe some of the nests I have removed from these areas on some of the motors that never ran the same the following spring or peroid of not using your rig. Its always a good idea to put a small strip of the tin foil tape over the upper exhaust holes in the mid section as well. The tin foil tape can be hard at the local hardware store in the insulation deptment, as they use this installing insulation...

Something else to look at will be the lights on the trailer, some of these I have seen with water in them. Even though they was a sealed light or I should say was suppose to be sealed LOL...Its better to replace the light or simply drill a small hole in the bottom of the light to drain it and one in the top side of the light to allow the vent to let drain. You can seal these holes off in the spring with silicone or just leave them open since the sealed light was not so sealed, this way it will not stand in water for long peroids of time.

Now it was already mentioned here, I just want to say that I like to fog the motors and no matter if they are carbed, EFI, DFI or whatever through the front of the motor. This gets the fogging oil on all the bearing surfaces to protect them from the elements. Then in the spring or when you are ready to pull her out of hibernation, I like to shoot her with a can of engine tuner to help get all the fogginbg oil out of her. This helps keep the carbon from building up in the motor. Which is very important if you plan on keeping the motor for a long time or in good shape for trade in on a new one. I also like to see guys decarbon your outboard at least once a season or every 65 hours. The amount of time to decarbon can go up or down from here depending on the quality of oil you use and if you use something like Carbon Guard or Ringfree in all your fuel as you use the motor. I have always liked to see the decarboning done in the fall or when you gfet ready to store her for any long lenght of time. Getting the carbon out then will not allow the carbon left behind to dry out so hard as it does once the motor is not used for long periods, plus the carbon is somewhat easier to remove when the motor has been used recently. Then after storage to remove the fogging oil just hose her down with a can of engine tuner or powertune to help get the fogging oil out and you are ready for the season.

Something else I see a bit excessive if not just down right anal, but I will admit I like to do this on the boats that have fuze blocks and/or inline fuze holders; pull the fuze out and lube the holder or contacts of the fuze with a electrical grease. For you that don't store your rig and go all season its a good thing to do this as well, at least once a season. Nice lubed up fuze holders has always been a good thing. Just make sure to spend the money and get the electrical grease to do so. This stuff is not cheap either for what it is, but radio shack has it. Bombardier sells the stuff in a syringe that if you cut off the tip so that you have this longer snout to shoot the grease from and keep the cap to cover the syringe is the handiest thing. You can get this at your local Johnson Evinrude dealer's and the part number for this #503243 which should sell for 12.95...

One other anal thing that is not a must but one I get to repair at least one boat from the lack of every year is to loosen the bow strap on the trailer once you have her parked. Now I will be the first to say you will always forget to pull her back up snug when you get ready to go fishing again, but its not going to be the end of the world as most of us see the bow bobbing up and down when we start down the road with her and think oh, shoot I forgot to snug that strap up and get out and do so on the side of the road LOL...

Now, I saved the most anal thing I have here for storage of a boat. Most of us was raised up to always keep the fuel tanks topped off with fuel to keep the condensation from having so much room to form. Now days with the fuel like it is and even fuel that has been treated with stabil or others, its best to leave as little fuel in the fuel tank as you can and safely get back to the trailer. This or as I do pump the fuel from the fuel cell and stick it in the wifes car. Sure you will have more condensation in the fuel cell but with one bottle of fuel system cleaner and fresh gas when ready to go, its far better to deal with what little water from the condensation than a entire tank of many months old fuel... Way better. The old bad stale fuel is a real issue that kills I don't know how many motors every time they are brought out of storage every year. Even those that had the fuel treated. Something else here once you do bring her out for the first time from storage stay off of WOT on the first tank of fuel. Might even just put enough fuel the first time out to go easy around the lake checking things out getting her all warmed up and cleaned out with the fuel system cleaner. Would not hurt to mix two bottles of fuel system cleaner in only 10 or 15 gals of fuel on the bigger motors and go run her around instead of filling off the 50 gallon tank. Then once you have done this first outting fill her up when your ready to go again and let her fly. I would leave the fuel cell empty or close to empty as possible and safe to get back to the trailer every time you go. Then only fill her or only put in only what you think you would use on that out when you go. Actually filling up on the way to the water...Now all this is just things I like to do or help people with and JMHO... You guys have a great weekend... Sorry to burn off so much of the paper here too...

[MotherNature]

Rowdy, welcome to the site and thank you for taking the time to let us know some of the important items to take care of when winterizing our boats. Being in the south Mike and I don't have to winterize our boat but there are times when it freezes and a lot of this information will come in handy. For those of you that live up north, you now have a complete list of things to check when you are taking care of your boat and storing it until the season opens again.

This cold snap we are having has me looking forward to Spring already

[Mike Cork]

Excellent post Rowdy, thank you very much. You have touched on some issues I hadn't even thought about. Great Post.

[alias left_turn56]

i was hoping for a list that said...park boat and forget until spring!!! Looks like I have some work to do! Rowdy, thanks toe the info and welcome!
Left_turn56

[JackpineRob]

Good stuff! 

I'd also add a few containers of moth balls inside the boat before covering for the winter.  Mice and squirrels can make one heck of a mess out your carpet and seats.      The moth ball smell will go away in about a week during the first open water of the season. 

I'll even pour RV antifreeze into the drains of the livewells.  It's not fun trying to replace those intake and drain lines. 

Also, charge those batteries once a month.  It will help them to last longer.

[MotherNature]

You are very right about the Moth Balls! I think that the smell would be worth it in the long run even if it didn't go away in the first week or so after the boat was uncovered