Winter boat use

[groomer1a]

I bought a new boat this year and I need to know how most of you winterize your boats. The manual tells me how to do it but I want to be able to use it this winter also. From what I understand I should drain the lower unit. The manual also says to run all of the fuel out of the carbs. I don't have a garage to keep it in so it will be subjected to freezing temps.

 

[Jmax]

I fish all winter. You just need to make sure there is no water in the lower unit. Let is sit a while and just barely open the lower unit screw. If water comes out then you need to drain it. If just oil comes out you are fine. When the engine sits a while the oil will go to the top and the water to the bottom. Get some styble and put in the gas. Run it a while after you do this so it gets in the engine. Do not leave the engine trimmed up or water might sit in the bottom. Main problem is water freezing, you can really mess one up if you have water that freezes in it. emoAngel Jmax

 

[groomer1a]

Thanks! I knew water could be a problem. I was afraid I was going to have to drain and refill the lower evertime I wanted to go out (which did not make any sense to me!). Now I just have to worry about MY motor freezing up when going accross the lake in the early morning.

 

[Guest]

In my opinion you don't need to do anything in the winter if you use the boat regularly just as Jmax stated but if you put the boat up and don't use it at all in the winter do as your manual tells you. The biggest problem in the winter is the foot freezing with accumulated water either in the wter pump or in the foot oil as Jmax stated. Trim the motor all the way down and any water that is pooled in the water pump will drain out. Adding staybil or other gas conditioners to the gas won't hurt a thing, it just keeps the gas from breaking down in cold weather or from lack of use.

 

[rodbuilder2]

IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE IT OUTSIDE TAKE AN OLD TROUBLE LIGHT WITH ABOUT 60 WATT BULB AND HANG IT AGAINST THE LOWER UNIT AND IT WILL KEEP IT FROM FREEZING JUST LIKE AN OLD WATER PUMP HOUSE

 

[yellburt]

i fish year round an at times i have backed the ole bandit in the water at 19 degrees.when it is this cold sometimes i have to wait 15 minutes before it will pump water.the eng starts fine but there is some water somewhere that freezes up just enough to keep the water pump from working properly.once i found this out ,i just sit at the dock an get my gear arranged an before you know it .the motor gets accumated to the lake water an i fire it up an it works an pumps great.the reason i know this is a friend had a 200johnson an one morning we went to mudcreek an i told him about this an he said that he already started it up at the house before he picked me up .i said we will still have to wait 15 minutes.he told me i was crazy,to just go park the truck an he would have it warmed up an ready by the time i walked back from the parking lot.when i got back from the parking lot he was just sitting in the boat with a funny look on his face .i said whats wrong dude.he said just get in .sit down an shut up. i told him ..I TOLD YOU SO !!!!!!ha ha.also when i put it on the trailer to go home i let it all the way down an let the water drain out of it .an something else i do is crank it up for just a second...sone as it fires i shut it down.this lets it blow all the water out .i have been told this is hard on the inpeller,will i had rather put in a inpeller every now an then as have something freeze an bust.if any body knows it this is really hard on the eng .please let us know ..thanks

 

[Guest]

yellburt - 11/30/2008 7:02 PM i fish year round an at times i have backed the ole bandit in the water at 19 degrees.when it is this cold sometimes i have to wait 15 minutes before it will pump water.the eng starts fine but there is some water somewhere that freezes up just enough to keep the water pump from working properly.once i found this out ,i just sit at the dock an get my gear arranged an before you know it .the motor gets accumated to the lake water an i fire it up an it works an pumps great.the reason i know this is a friend had a 200johnson an one morning we went to mudcreek an i told him about this an he said that he already started it up at the house before he picked me up .i said we will still have to wait 15 minutes.he told me i was crazy,to just go park the truck an he would have it warmed up an ready by the time i walked back from the parking lot.when i got back from the parking lot he was just sitting in the boat with a funny look on his face .i said whats wrong dude.he said just get in .sit down an shut up. i told him ..I TOLD YOU SO !!!!!!ha ha.also when i put it on the trailer to go home i let it all the way down an let the water drain out of it .an something else i do is crank it up for just a second...sone as it fires i shut it down.this lets it blow all the water out .i have been told this is hard on the inpeller,will i had rather put in a inpeller every now an then as have something freeze an bust.if any body knows it this is really hard on the eng .please let us know ..thanks

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What is really hard on the motor is running it out of water even for just a few seconds, when the motor has sat for any length of time, the water pump housing gets dry then when you crankit and it isn't in the water, the rubber on the impellar will gauld onto the metal and jerk chunks of the rubber out of the impeller, this rubber might stay in the pump and stop up one of the water tubes going to the motor then you don't have any cooling and in a matter of minutes you have a cooked motor. The best thing to do is never run the motor out of water even for just a few seconds. Storing the motor in the verticle position drains the water from the water pump. There are no valves in the water pump to trap any water.</p>

 

[puddle jumper]

Great info for the winter already so ill just add one trick I ran into last year, my drain hole where the plug goes froze solid one really cold morning, might have been the HR drive to the river,,, anyway just back the boat into the water on the trailer and let it sit for a few min will thaw it out pritty quick, "if it crowded try not to block the ramp" then pull the boat back out and install the plug...
Puddle