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  #1  
Old 10-17-2016, 03:35 PM
FlukeU2 FlukeU2 is offline
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Default Winterizing a boat

Hi I have a question. Maybe someone can help. I have a 23' 2015 tidewater with a 250hp Yamaha. I have always let the dealer winterize the boat for me and also let the dealer get it ready for the spring time. I'm a mechanically inclined person and feel I can do everything myself to save money. Is it worth doing myself? Around how much would it cost to winterize and get it ready in the spring. And what is absolutely necessary to do and what things don't really need to be done? Like putting anti freeze in all the hoses for fresh and raw water. But are there things the dealer does that don't have to be done every year? Thanks
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  #2  
Old 10-21-2016, 07:57 AM
Gerry Zagorski's Avatar
Gerry Zagorski Gerry Zagorski is offline
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Default Re: Winterizing a boat

In short, the outboard motor should be easy since the salt water drains out of the outboard itself... A few things you want to do before storing it.

- Not 100% necessary but a good idea to run the engine on the hose and muffs to flush out all the saltwater out of the cooling side. Do this idling since you might not have enough pressure on the hose to keep up with the engine water pump if you race the engine.
- Treat the fuel in the tank with stabil and make sure to run the boat so the treated fuel gets into the motor as well. Best way to do this is to treat the fuel before your last trip to be sure it gets through the entire system, otherwise you have to run the boat on the hose.
- Fog the cylinders. You can do this by removing the plugs, shoot some fogging spray in them, crank the engine with the plugs out so it coats the cylinder walls and reinstall the plugs. If you want to change the plugs I would recommend you leave the old plugs in and once you start it up in the spring and burn off all the fogging oil, change them then.
- A lot of people like to change the engine and lower unit oil before they lay up. A good thing to do since it needs to be done now or when you launch in the spring. If the lower end oil is milky, it has water in it and you need to get it out before you lay up and have it pressure tested. Finding this out in the spring when the yards are busy could delay your launch and you don't want that contaminated fluid sitting in you lower unit all winter.


As far as the fresh and saltwater wash downs, sinks and head you definitely want to winterize them with the pink anti freeze or the hoses and pumps can freeze up and cause damage.

On the fresh water side, pump out as much water as you can out of the fresh water tank, add a few gallons on pink anti freeze to the tank and run all spigots until you see anti freeze coming out of them... Leave the spigots open when you stow it.

As far as the saltwater wash downs and bait wells, they need to be done as well because all the water will not drain out. If you can get to the hose inside the boat running to your through hull, remove it from the through hull, stick those hose into a gallon of pink anti freeze and run the pump until you see the pink stuff coming out of the spigots. If you can't get to it you will need to put a muff over the through hull from the outside and run the the anti freeze through it. If you have to go the muff route on the salt water side this is likely a 2 man job since you have to keep the muff in place and run the pumps at the same time.

It's a fairly straight forward job once you have a the stuff you need and there's no rocket science involved.
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  #3  
Old 10-21-2016, 08:10 AM
Gerry Zagorski's Avatar
Gerry Zagorski Gerry Zagorski is offline
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Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Here is a more general article I wrote on the subject that might help others looking to do the same.

As much as I don’t like thinking about it it’s getting to be that time of year where we need to start thinking about storing the boat for the winter. Here are some tips that may help you. Winterizing is not that difficult and if you do it yourself you know it’s done right and you will be ready for the spring…

OUTBOARDS :

Not much to do on outboards. You want to make certain you do the following things at a minimum…. Fog the engine, change the fluid in the gear case, flush the engine with fresh water treat your left over fuel with stabilizer.
- First thing to do is treat the fuel with stabilizer. You do this for 2 reasons.. 1) So condensation does not accumulate in your tank over the winter and 2) so the left over fuel in your engine does not varnish up and clog your carbs or fuel injection system.
Put the recommended amount of stabilizer in your fuel tank and run the engine long enough to make sure it gets through. In fact it’s a good idea to do this at your last fill up and run the boat in the water to make sure it mixes well….
- Fogging the engine protects the internal cylinder walls and pistons from rusting up over the winter. You do this buy taking a can of fogging oil and spraying it into your engines air intake. Start of by spraying some in slowly with short bursts and then a steady spray until the engine chokes out or until the can is empty. If the motor does not choke out from the fog spray then shut the engine off when you run out of the fogging spray. Don’t start your engine up again after this or you will burn off the fog. Some people also like to take the spark plugs out, shoot some fog in the cylinders and crank the engine with out the spark plugs to make sure there is a good coating on the cylinder walls. If you do this make sure and put the plugs back in for the winter lay up since air is the enemy here….
- Now it’s time to change the fluid in the gear case. I like to do this before winter lay up because it gives you an opportunity to inspect the fluid. If there is water in the fluid you don’t want that water laying and rusting up your gear case all winter. Plus if you do find water in the fluid you’ll probably want to take your engine to a profession to find out where the leak is and get it fixed over the winter when it’s less expensive and your mechanic has the time to fix it. To change the fluid you’ll need to remove the bottom gear case oil screw which is a slotted screw head usually located in the lower unit about even with the prop shaft. To help the fluid flow better remove the top slotted screw head which will allow air to get into the drive and the fluid will drain faster. The old fluid should be dark brown or black. If it’s a milky white color then you have a leak somewhere and you should take the drive to be pressure tested by a professional. There are seals behind the prop shaft that is usually the culprit. They either wear or sometimes fishing line can get up in there and cause the seal to leak. If the fluid looks ok make sure and inspect the plastic washers around the screw heads you just took out. They are gaskets that seal the gear case to the screw head. As a matter of fact, it’s a good idea to replace these and the screws since these are inexpensive parts and it’s better to be safe the sorry later. Ok now you need to fill the gear case back up with fluid. You can do this one of 2 ways…By using toothpaste like tubes of fluid or my preference is to use the fluid that comes in a larger container with a pump and a hose with a fitting at the end which screws into the bottom screw hole. It’s a lot less messy then the tubes and is a lot easier as well. You want to pump enough fluid into the drive from the bottom screw hole so it comes out the top screw hole. Filling it from the bottom rather then to top displaces all the air in the drive with fluid. Now replace the top screw and your set…
- In addition to these things here are a few others
- Remove prop and grease shaft. If you don’t do this the prop can get stuck on the
shaft due to corrosion and make it very difficult to get the prop off. - Take batteries out and store inside and charge them occasionally a battery that is
not charged is subject to damaged from the cold.
- WD40 all linkage
- If you have any holding tanks drain them and put some of the pink RV type
anti freeze in them and run the pump and spigots until you see the anti freeze coming out of them.
- If you have any sea cocks keep them open over the winter just in case there is water in them that could freeze up and cause damage
- Don’t change your fuel filter/water separator till spring. It’s best to change that after you run a tank of fuel after winter lay up so any condensation that build up in the tank will get removed by the old filter.
- Same goes for spark plugs. Change them in the spring so the fogging oil will fowl the old plugs instead of the new ones.


NOW FOR INBOARDS AND I/Os

- Same basic things apply to I/O and inboards as outboards except :
- You need to take some extra precautions to make sure you get anti freeze into the engine block and risers. If you have a fresh water cooled system chances are you already have anti freeze on the fresh water side. Just make sure and check it to make sure it’s up to snuff by using one of the antifreeze testers you can buy in a car parts store. Now you need to flush the raw water side of the engine with fresh water. Depending on the set up you have you can either do this with muffs on the stern drive and run it on the hose (this is for I/Os that drawn raw water in from the stern drive) or in the case of most inboards and some I/Os you will need to find the raw water intake and run the hose to it. Most boats are plumbed with a hose hook up above the sea cock for the raw water intake so you can flush it.
- After you have flushed the engine you need to run some anti freeze though it and risers by either using the muffs on the I/O or running a hose from the raw water side into the bucket with the anti freeze.
- In the case of changing the drive fluid on an I/O is the same procedure as the outboard.
- You fog the engine the same way by spraying the fogging oil into the air intake.
- You want to change your engine oil and filter before winter lay up. The reason you do this is that old oil develops acids that can attack you engine bearings during winter lay up. Plus it’s one less thing you have to do in the spring.
- Try and seal up the air intake and intake and exhaust system. You can do this with duck tape or a plastic bag.


A Word of Caution …
- Many of the newer outboards and fuel injected I/Os and inboard manufacturers do not recommend you fog the engine through the air intake. This can cause damage to the fuel injection system. Many recommend you mix up a separate small batch of fuel with their fogging mix in it and run the boat on this mix prior to lay up. You should consult your owner’s manual to see what your specific manufacturer recommends.
- Winterizing your engine and gear case correctly is very important. If you’re not handy or not sure have a professional do it. It may cost a few bucks but it will save you a ton of money in the long run.
__________________

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Founder/Owner of NJFishing.com since 1997
Proud Supporter of Heroes on the Water
NJFishing@aol.com
Obsession
28 Carolina Classic
Sandy Hook Area
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  #4  
Old 10-21-2016, 10:22 AM
Capt. Debbie's Avatar
Capt. Debbie Capt. Debbie is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Suffern NY / Sandy Hook
Posts: 2,597
Default Re: Winterizing a boat

An old motorcycle tips. Remove your spark plugs. Squirt some lube oil in each cylinder. Afterwards crank it. It coats the cylinder walls with oil for even the longest lay over. Then put the plugs back in.

Get a silicone based spray that leaves residue(NOT WD-40) and spray the entire exterior engine including the wiring. It seals out dampness.

All the chrome rails put a coating of wax on it. Do NOT remove until Spring. Leave the powdery wax on all winter. Protects the metal and the wipe down in the Spring makes it look great.

Mildew is a killer. Remove cushions and ventilate the hell out of the boat. Open up everything and get air flow from outside. DO not seal it airtight. You made a sauna if you do the first warms days that come along.

The battery I remove and put it on a timer in the garage. The charger runs 15 minutes every day. Never had one fail, before I get three years out of it and then replace it. Been working like that for almost 30 years.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski View Post
Here is a more general article I wrote on the subject that might help others looking to do the same.

As much as I don’t like thinking about it it’s getting to be that time of year where we need to start thinking about storing the boat for the winter. Here are some tips that may help you. Winterizing is not that difficult and if you do it yourself you know it’s done right and you will be ready for the spring…

OUTBOARDS :

Not much to do on outboards. You want to make certain you do the following things at a minimum…. Fog the engine, change the fluid in the gear case, flush the engine with fresh water treat your left over fuel with stabilizer.
- First thing to do is treat the fuel with stabilizer. You do this for 2 reasons.. 1) So condensation does not accumulate in your tank over the winter and 2) so the left over fuel in your engine does not varnish up and clog your carbs or fuel injection system.
Put the recommended amount of stabilizer in your fuel tank and run the engine long enough to make sure it gets through. In fact it’s a good idea to do this at your last fill up and run the boat in the water to make sure it mixes well….
- Fogging the engine protects the internal cylinder walls and pistons from rusting up over the winter. You do this buy taking a can of fogging oil and spraying it into your engines air intake. Start of by spraying some in slowly with short bursts and then a steady spray until the engine chokes out or until the can is empty. If the motor does not choke out from the fog spray then shut the engine off when you run out of the fogging spray. Don’t start your engine up again after this or you will burn off the fog. Some people also like to take the spark plugs out, shoot some fog in the cylinders and crank the engine with out the spark plugs to make sure there is a good coating on the cylinder walls. If you do this make sure and put the plugs back in for the winter lay up since air is the enemy here….
- Now it’s time to change the fluid in the gear case. I like to do this before winter lay up because it gives you an opportunity to inspect the fluid. If there is water in the fluid you don’t want that water laying and rusting up your gear case all winter. Plus if you do find water in the fluid you’ll probably want to take your engine to a profession to find out where the leak is and get it fixed over the winter when it’s less expensive and your mechanic has the time to fix it. To change the fluid you’ll need to remove the bottom gear case oil screw which is a slotted screw head usually located in the lower unit about even with the prop shaft. To help the fluid flow better remove the top slotted screw head which will allow air to get into the drive and the fluid will drain faster. The old fluid should be dark brown or black. If it’s a milky white color then you have a leak somewhere and you should take the drive to be pressure tested by a professional. There are seals behind the prop shaft that is usually the culprit. They either wear or sometimes fishing line can get up in there and cause the seal to leak. If the fluid looks ok make sure and inspect the plastic washers around the screw heads you just took out. They are gaskets that seal the gear case to the screw head. As a matter of fact, it’s a good idea to replace these and the screws since these are inexpensive parts and it’s better to be safe the sorry later. Ok now you need to fill the gear case back up with fluid. You can do this one of 2 ways…By using toothpaste like tubes of fluid or my preference is to use the fluid that comes in a larger container with a pump and a hose with a fitting at the end which screws into the bottom screw hole. It’s a lot less messy then the tubes and is a lot easier as well. You want to pump enough fluid into the drive from the bottom screw hole so it comes out the top screw hole. Filling it from the bottom rather then to top displaces all the air in the drive with fluid. Now replace the top screw and your set…
- In addition to these things here are a few others
- Remove prop and grease shaft. If you don’t do this the prop can get stuck on the
shaft due to corrosion and make it very difficult to get the prop off. - Take batteries out and store inside and charge them occasionally a battery that is
not charged is subject to damaged from the cold.
- WD40 all linkage
- If you have any holding tanks drain them and put some of the pink RV type
anti freeze in them and run the pump and spigots until you see the anti freeze coming out of them.
- If you have any sea cocks keep them open over the winter just in case there is water in them that could freeze up and cause damage
- Don’t change your fuel filter/water separator till spring. It’s best to change that after you run a tank of fuel after winter lay up so any condensation that build up in the tank will get removed by the old filter.
- Same goes for spark plugs. Change them in the spring so the fogging oil will fowl the old plugs instead of the new ones.


NOW FOR INBOARDS AND I/Os

- Same basic things apply to I/O and inboards as outboards except :
- You need to take some extra precautions to make sure you get anti freeze into the engine block and risers. If you have a fresh water cooled system chances are you already have anti freeze on the fresh water side. Just make sure and check it to make sure it’s up to snuff by using one of the antifreeze testers you can buy in a car parts store. Now you need to flush the raw water side of the engine with fresh water. Depending on the set up you have you can either do this with muffs on the stern drive and run it on the hose (this is for I/Os that drawn raw water in from the stern drive) or in the case of most inboards and some I/Os you will need to find the raw water intake and run the hose to it. Most boats are plumbed with a hose hook up above the sea cock for the raw water intake so you can flush it.
- After you have flushed the engine you need to run some anti freeze though it and risers by either using the muffs on the I/O or running a hose from the raw water side into the bucket with the anti freeze.
- In the case of changing the drive fluid on an I/O is the same procedure as the outboard.
- You fog the engine the same way by spraying the fogging oil into the air intake.
- You want to change your engine oil and filter before winter lay up. The reason you do this is that old oil develops acids that can attack you engine bearings during winter lay up. Plus it’s one less thing you have to do in the spring.
- Try and seal up the air intake and intake and exhaust system. You can do this with duck tape or a plastic bag.


A Word of Caution …
- Many of the newer outboards and fuel injected I/Os and inboard manufacturers do not recommend you fog the engine through the air intake. This can cause damage to the fuel injection system. Many recommend you mix up a separate small batch of fuel with their fogging mix in it and run the boat on this mix prior to lay up. You should consult your owner’s manual to see what your specific manufacturer recommends.
- Winterizing your engine and gear case correctly is very important. If you’re not handy or not sure have a professional do it. It may cost a few bucks but it will save you a ton of money in the long run.
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Tow boat captain/salvor
50 ton USCG Master
NJ Boating College- Lead Instructor
Big time hottie crabber
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  #5  
Old 10-21-2016, 12:38 PM
Gerry Zagorski's Avatar
Gerry Zagorski Gerry Zagorski is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Edison, NJ
Posts: 11,037
Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt. Frank View Post
An old motorcycle tips. Remove your spark plugs. Squirt some lube oil in each cylinder. Afterwards crank it. It coats the cylinder walls with oil for even the longest lay over. Then put the plugs back in.

Get a silicone based spray that leaves residue(NOT WD-40) and spray the entire exterior engine including the wiring. It seals out dampness.

All the chrome rails put a coating of wax on it. Do NOT remove until Spring. Leave the powdery wax on all winter. Protects the metal and the wipe down in the Spring makes it look great.

Mildew is a killer. Remove cushions and ventilate the hell out of the boat. Open up everything and get air flow from outside. DO not seal it airtight. You made a sauna if you do the first warms days that come along.

The battery I remove and put it on a timer in the garage. The charger runs 15 minutes every day. Never had one fail, before I get three years out of it and then replace it. Been working like that for almost 30 years.
Great tip on Mildew Capt Frank!! We shrink wrap our boat and even though they put vents in we still get those nasty black mildew stains on the bow deck, helm area and inside the cabin... Only way we've found to get rid of it is to use pool chlorine or bleach...

Best thing to do is vent as well as possible, leave cabin and hatches open under the cover where practical to get as much air movement as you can and use products like Damprid to keep moisture down to a minimum.
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Founder/Owner of NJFishing.com since 1997
Proud Supporter of Heroes on the Water
NJFishing@aol.com
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28 Carolina Classic
Sandy Hook Area
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  #6  
Old 10-21-2016, 02:56 PM
Anthony Anthony is offline
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Posts: 248
Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlukeU2 View Post
Hi I have a question. Maybe someone can help. I have a 23' 2015 tidewater with a 250hp Yamaha. I have always let the dealer winterize the boat for me and also let the dealer get it ready for the spring time. I'm a mechanically inclined person and feel I can do everything myself to save money. Is it worth doing myself? Around how much would it cost to winterize and get it ready in the spring. And what is absolutely necessary to do and what things don't really need to be done? Like putting anti freeze in all the hoses for fresh and raw water. But are there things the dealer does that don't have to be done every year? Thanks

I buy the 50:1 non-ethanol fuel from lowes and run the motor on that with a portable tank as well. but i first drain the vst.
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  #7  
Old 10-21-2016, 06:06 PM
Walleyed Walleyed is offline
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Posts: 506
Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Quick tip on the damp rid. Save some money, buy a bag of calcium chloride ice-melt and fill up a couple smallish buckets...same stuff as damprid at 20% of the price.
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  #8  
Old 10-21-2016, 06:11 PM
Gerry Zagorski's Avatar
Gerry Zagorski Gerry Zagorski is offline
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Posts: 11,037
Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Walleyed View Post
Quick tip on the damp rid. Save some money, buy a bag of calcium chloride ice-melt and fill up a couple smallish buckets...same stuff as damprid at 20% of the price.
Great tip Walleyed thanks.. You learn something new every day So you just get some shallow buckets and pour some in and leave a few out here and there?
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Founder/Owner of NJFishing.com since 1997
Proud Supporter of Heroes on the Water
NJFishing@aol.com
Obsession
28 Carolina Classic
Sandy Hook Area
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  #9  
Old 10-21-2016, 07:54 PM
Walleyed Walleyed is offline
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Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski View Post
Great tip Walleyed thanks.. You learn something new every day So you just get some shallow buckets and pour some in and leave a few out here and there?
Yep...I usually use the cheapest small buckets I can find at the local dollar store and put 2-3 inches in them.

1 in the cabin. 1 in the cockpit and 1 in the bilge. Feel free to use more, based on the size of your boat and personal preferences.
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  #10  
Old 10-24-2016, 08:22 PM
shrimpman steve's Avatar
shrimpman steve shrimpman steve is offline
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Default Re: Winterizing a boat

Move to Florida and you don't have to winterize
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