How to get boat ready for first freeze?

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wasilvers

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So this is my first year with a boat. I can't fit it in the garage (which isn't heated anyway) and it is supposed to frost tonight. As I plan to fish a few more times this year I don't think I'd do a full 'fogging' and change the lower unit oil before each freeze :roll:

What should I do to get it ready for the light freezes if I plan on fishing again? Anything?

Thanks,

Will
 
i run my motor dry for just a few seconds to make sure all of the water is out, and squirt some 10-30 in the cylinder before i store it for the winter

as long as theres no puddle of water to freeze in the motor you'll be fine
 
wasilvers said:
So this is my first year with a boat. I can't fit it in the garage (which isn't heated anyway) and it is supposed to frost tonight. As I plan to fish a few more times this year I don't think I'd do a full 'fogging' and change the lower unit oil before each freeze :roll:

What should I do to get it ready for the light freezes if I plan on fishing again? Anything?

Thanks,

Will

You don't need to do anything for a light frost. When you get ready to put it away for winter then you can fully winterize it as you see fit. About this time of year I start using seafoam in my gas to treat the gas for winter parking. That's for boat, mower, push mower, etc. I don't drain the carb's or run the engines dry or anything like that with any of them. Treat the gas and park them. They are all parked outside all winter and start up every spring. I do change the lower unit oil though.
 
I do not change the lower unit oil until the spring

Check for leaks around the lower unit of course before you put it away. It you have an external gas tank then just bring it inside or drain it into something like a snow blower
 
danmyersmn said:
wasilvers said:
So this is my first year with a boat. I can't fit it in the garage (which isn't heated anyway) and it is supposed to frost tonight. As I plan to fish a few more times this year I don't think I'd do a full 'fogging' and change the lower unit oil before each freeze :roll:

What should I do to get it ready for the light freezes if I plan on fishing again? Anything?

Thanks,

Will

You don't need to do anything for a light frost. When you get ready to put it away for winter then you can fully winterize it as you see fit. About this time of year I start using seafoam in my gas to treat the gas for winter parking. That's for boat, mower, push mower, etc. I don't drain the carb's or run the engines dry or anything like that with any of them. Treat the gas and park them. They are all parked outside all winter and start up every spring. I do change the lower unit oil though.
thats what I do. as soon as I feel a chill in the air I add the sta-bil to my fuel tank and run the boat a few more times. when it comes time to pull the boat out the last time I check the wheel bearings and change out the L/U oil. I back it in to the garage, pull the trolling motor battery (goes in the basement) and toss the cover on it. come spring all I need to do is put the trolling motor battery back in and give the motor a couple extra pulls and Im back at it.
 
I like to check my lower unit oil before the winter just incase it has some water in it.Don't want it to crack over the winter.
 
For just a light frost, a blanket wrapped around the lower end will probably be adequate to keep any water that might be in the lower unit from freezing until you get to replacing the gear lube. However, I would be inclined to do it now instead, if you really are only going to use it a time or two more. Tilt the motor down. Outboards are designed to self drain, so to remove all water from the cooling system, merely store the motor tilted down. Fill your tank with stable before your last trip, so it will run through the motor before you store for good.

When you decide you have had enough boating fun, then change your lube, fog the motor, and be sure to put the batteries in a warmer environment, on a trickle charge.

Not much else.

I use mine all winter, so all I do is replace gear lube before the first freeze, and as long as no water has entered, I can usually count on it to not leak through the rest of the winter. If anything happens to lead me to believe it might start leaking, I'll change it on through the winter. Then, I store with the motor tilted down.
 
bassboy1 said:
For just a light frost, a blanket wrapped around the lower end will probably be adequate to keep any water that might be in the lower unit from freezing until you get to replacing the gear lube.

It won't drop below freezing until a few hours after sundown, then it would take an hour or two for the motor to be approaching that point. Then any water in oil needs to freeze and that wont happen until the oil drops in temp. By that time the sun is up and the temp is back on the rise. Freezing of water in the lower unit is only an issue for long periods of below freezing temps. For a few hours of below zero temps it nothing. Ignore it, go fishing! winterize it when its below freezing all day long and/or your done for the year.

I also replace my oil in the fall. For the same reason, to get any water out before a long freeze.
 
x2 with what BassBoy said, I just make a habit of tilting the motor all the way down when not in use this time of year. That is one advantage for having an outboard over an I/O. I used to have an i/o runabout and ended up with a cracked block from a hard freeze in early Oct. that was an expensive leason.
 
On the older outboards make sure the drain holes are not plugged from silt & dirt over the years which would not let them drain properly.Every once in a while I take the garden hose & squirt in the holes to try to wash them out.I have seen some with the holes plugged pretty bad.Just a word of caution.
 
I drain my lower unit, make shure there is no water in it and tag it some how to remind me it is drained then refill it in the spring. I acc. had one split with fresh oil in it when I lived in the upper peninsula of MI. and we had over 30 days below 0 temps. I now live in the lower but still drain it and leave it in the garage with the plugs in finger tight and a sign hanging on it saying "drained".
 
The other rig I used to own was outside 24/7 (wouldn't fit in my garage), and I'd drain and change the lower lube, tilt the motor (50hp Merc) down, fog the cylinders, and then wrap the motor with a 1/4" closed-cell foam sleeping pad that went all the way to the ground, then I'd cover the boat with a sturdy tarp (over the regular boat cover). The sleeping pad kept the freezing wind off of the motor, and I never had a problem. The batts were pulled prior to covering the boat, then stored in the garage, and I'd do a maintenance charge on them over the winter.
 

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