101 ON WINTERIZING A BOAT
This article covers inboards and Inboard Outdrives (IO)
The dreaded season is coming, and it brings fear to all. The end of the boating season, knowing that the cold is coming, the labour, time and cost of winterizing. And the fear that is was not done right.
Here is where I will try to help you. There is an order in which to do the dirty deeds. Some of the chores have to be done when the engine can still run. I put them in the order that they should be done but they are not written in stone. I have also tried to explain why they need to be done. And I always forget something and I hope that someone else will comment on it.
Definition of winterizing - to prevent damage caused by the cold elements. This means that the boat engine should have the fuel stabilized,oil changed, engine fogged, and any water that can freeze be removed or replace with antifreeze. Open the boats drain plug at the stern (back of the boat) which will allow any water that accumulates in the boat during the winter will be able to drain out. Batteries and and some accessories (electronics) should be remove and places in a safe and warm place and the boat cleaned and covered.
The only true and easy way to winterizing is to pull your boat into a secure heated shelter. This is what the rich do - and the size of boat and heating that size of building is not cheap. You can also move your boat south of the freezing zone (this is what you do when you retire or you come into a windfall of money).
Marinas will cost you, but then it is done and done right. On rare occasions they miss one or two but when threatened with a lawyer, they usually pay up. The marinas have a set up where they stabilize the fuel then run the engine to put antifreeze through the engine cooling system, fog the engine, change the oil, remove the battery and then clean and cover the boat, all for a small fee - small to them.
Now this winterizing cost is in direct relations to the number of accessories that you have on your boat, shower, water heater, air conditioning, toilet and anything else that needs winterizing. It all takes time.
Do It Yourself
This is the poor mans way (and the poor man out number the rich man by ten million to one).
This is also the way that many have learned the hard way. Seized engines, cracked blocks and manifolds, stains, snow and wind damage to the boat and accessories that will not work anymore. Some poor men are lucky enough that they can winterize the boat very easy and with success and at an acceptable cost.
Stabilize the fuel in the tank and engine, this means to add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank and you have to run the engine to bring the stabilized fuel to the engine. Fuel today is not as good as it was in the sixties - quality wise and defiantly price wise. On your last run of the season is the best time to add stabilizer and warm up the engine for an oil change.
Stabilized fuel will prevent the fuel from breaking down over the winter. This will keep the fuel system clean and ready for startup in the spring. The fuel tank should be full to reduce any condensation that can build up. An empty tank has a lot of inside surface area to build up condensation. On my fuel tank I can cover the vent to help keep the moisture out of the tank caused by the heating and cooling of the weather.
Oil change - should be done on a regular schedule - if it is due - do it before storage.
Oil today is way better then oil in the sixties - which the additives turned acidic when left for a long time. Today the oil additives will disperse over time, so if you have old oil in your engine then it will not protect as well as new oil. The engine should be run to warm and stir up the oil, which will make it easier to change (alway do the filter too - it is cheap insurance).
Fogging the engine This is for the protection of the internal workings of the engine. When the engine stops running, there is always a valve open. This will allow the air inside that cylinder to circulate and rust will build up on the cylinder wall which can cause a seized engine. To protect the walls from rusting, they have come up with a spray that will protect the cylinder wall. It will be the last time that the engine needs to run. You simple spray the fogging solution into the intake until the engine stalls. Thats it. But you will find that fogging also covers the spark plugs which will make the engine hard to start in the spring. This means that you may have to clean or replace the spark plugs in the spring.
Engine, truly the hardest part of winterizing, this is where we remove the water from the engine so it will not freeze and crack the block, intake and exhaust manifolds and heat exchangers.
Now this is where it gets complicated. Every engine manufacture has their own way of cooling engines, and every boat builder has their way of putting the engine in an awkward place to service.
The engine manufactures usually have drain ports in their engine. Now the number of different configurations of engines are mind boggling to the novice. There are inline and V configurations (straight and V shaped). There are any number of cylinders, one to ten. In industrial engines, a V16 in not uncommon. Singles and twin engine. Rather then confuse the new boat owner, just remember that 4, 6 inlines and V6 - V8s are the most common. In sail boats the engines are made by european companies that nobody over here has never heard of, and most are diesel to boot. Diesel engines need winterizing too.
It gets more confusing when they make some engines with a closed loop cooling system, freshwater or salt water cooling. The actual configuration will depend on the buyer of the boat when it was ordered new.
I have to stop there because the novice will be totally confused by now.
So how does a newbie figure it all out..
If you buying a used boat from a dealer, make a deal that they have to show you how to winterize the boat yourself. Write the procedure down as they show you. If they squawk about how only they can do it, insist that it is YOUR MONEY. Find a dealer that will agree with your conditions - remember it’s YOUR MONEY and it will talk, or you will walk.
If you bought the boat off the web, private person or a dealer that just won’t make a deal, get a marine mechanic to show you. You can pay him to do it and watch what he does, most mechanics will gladly show you how. Good mechanics are busy enough that they don’t need to winterize boats to keep busy.
If you can’t find a mechanic to show you then as a last resort try to find a fellow boater that has the experience of winterizing his own boat.
Some of the ways to winterize the marine engine are as follows:
Ear muffs - used on IO systems - these rubber cups are spring loaded and cover the intake ports on the bottom of the outdrive. You then have to have a hose and connect it to the muffs where the other end of the hose goes into a large pale of anti-freeze. Start the engine and run until you see anti-freeze coming out of the exhaust. Some engines have to be warmed up so that the thermostat opens. This way is time consuming and a little messy as the exhaust water is sprayed all over. There are systems on the market that recycle the antifreeze until the engine is warm (a big catch basin).
Intake cups = used on inboards and it is a cup that covers the intake pickup. Again it has to be connected to a hose and a pail of antifreeze. Start engine, run until warm.
A lot of inboard owners will just remove the intake hose inside the boat and shove it into a pail of antifreeze and start the engine.
Draining the engine - this system is the old fashion way. You just find all the drain plugs on the engine and remove them, but sand and rust will sometimes block the drain port. A stiff wire will clear them out. This puts all the water into the bilge which will drain out the bottom of the boat when the boats drain plug is remove. The drain plugs can be put back in and antifreeze poured into the thermostat housing with the engine stopped or you can put the intake hose into a pail of antifreeze and run the engine and wait for the antifreeze to come out of the exhaust. This way of winterizing is where you have to be able to get into the shape of a pretzel to get at the fittings. There is a brand new system on the web called thewinterizer that make all of the other winterizing systems suck in comparison. It should have been installed and used by the boat and engine manufactures, but can be installed after by a marine mechanic.
Now would be a good time to educate you about antifreeze. All antifreeze is poisonous to the marine environment. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are caught using green antifreeze you will be in for a large deduction in your savings account, the new non toxic boat antifreeze depletes the oxygen in the water which will kill the marine life that can’t move out of the way.
Please recycle your antifreeze. I am not plugging thewinterizer, but it is the best one of the few that will recycle antifreeze with no mess. Always recycle your antifreeze.
Antifreeze is installed in the marine engine for winterizing because 1 - to give the assurance that the engine is protected, 2 - to stop the inside of the engine from building up rust and corrosion, 3 - to stabilize the temperature of of the frost plugs in the engine block. This is where the frost plug (brass) contracts with the cold more than the engine block (cast iron). Only in very extreme cold will this happen, all of the frost plugs will be sitting in the bottom of the boat. I have seen it once.
Is antifreeze necessary, it is up to the boat owner, long storage or north of the forty ninth it would be a good idea.
Closed loop systems are where the engine is always full of antifreeze and the antifreeze is cooled by a heat exchanger. All that has to be done is to winterizer the heat exchanger is to drain it. Very simple and easy.
Battery. The battery can be remove from the boat, charged once a month and stored inside. The radio and any other accessories will continue to draw a little current from the battery for radio memory and time, but over the winter this little bit of battery drain will kill the battery. When removing the battery always remove the ground connections first and tape all the ground wires together, then remove the positive wires, again tape all the positive wires together. Most boats will have accessories that connect to the battery, thus all the wires to each terminal. If you leave the battery in the boat, try to charge the battery once a month. This can be done while you inspect the boat for winter damage (snow and water build up and wind damage) but if you have a weak battery it can freeze and cause damage that you don’t need.
Electronic Accessories (radios, depth sounders etc.)should be removed, they don’t like the cold and damp environment and some of them will sprout legs and disappear when no one is around. They seem to migrate to the flea markets or craigs list. Most accessories will have a quick way to disconnect from the boat.
Other Accessories such as water heaters, refrigeration, air conditioning, freshwater systems, showers, etc are units that have to be winterized as well. These are options on larger boats and should be done by a marine mechanics. But can be done by the do it your selfer if taught the right way by a mechanic or a fellow boater that has done it before.
IO out drive There is a small slot screw on the bottom of the leg that should be removed to inspected the out drive oil for water. Loosen the screw carefully and just as it comes out, you will see if there is water or oil water mix that comes out. Water will be obvious but water oil mix will be light bubbly tan or gray in color. Pure oil will look like oil out of a new oil container. If in doubt change it. Look for fishing line around the prop and if you find some, get it out. Fishing line is the most common cause of water in the out drive. The out drive should be left in the down position when storing. The bellows will not have as much strain on them. Also bag the prop. Put a plastic bag over the prop and use masking tape to hold into place. This keeps the rain and snow out of the exhaust port that could freeze and expand (this is used in areas that have a lot of snow).
Lube the grease fittings on the drive shaft and gimbals. Again some are easy some are not. The grease will push any water out of the joints and prevent seizing over storage.
Clean the boat, the last haul out is the best time to pressure wash the scum off the bottom and sides of the boat while it is still soft and wet. It will stain if left over winter. If the weather is on your side a good wax job will really help protect the boat, but it is in the spring that a wax job is most important. Clean the interior when you are finished winterizing, because the dirt will become a stain in the spring.
Cover up the boat. The elements of winter will damage the boat and upholstery and to protect it from the elements it should be covered. Tarps will work but must be keep tight which means that you should check once a month and retighten when you see that the tarp is getting lose. If you want a new design on the side of your boat, let the tarp pound away. Some boats will need a framework to keep the water and snow from building up and pulling on the cover. This framework should be a steep angle and made of anything that will stand up to the winter weather. Shrink wrap is good, but not reusable. Tarps are cheap and you get what you pay for, so buy a heavy duty tarp once and you will be able to reuse it for over five years and will pay for itself very quickly. Don’t forget to cover the trailer tires if the boat is on a trailer, the sun will ruin your tires if they are not covered. You can also remove the weight off of the springs and tires of the trailer with a jack and blocking. It helps the springs and tires last longer.
Summary Until someone gets a winterizing manual for each and every boat, the new boater will always be shy of trying to do it him self. Ask other boaters how they do it. Most experienced boater will gladly show off their skill of winterizing.
Quick overall summary
while the engine can still run - stabilize fuel - oil change (if needed) - winterize (if using the old method) - fog
once the boat is out of the water remove drain - wash outside of boat - winterize - clean inside of boat - cover.
This article covers inboards and Inboard Outdrives (IO)
The dreaded season is coming, and it brings fear to all. The end of the boating season, knowing that the cold is coming, the labour, time and cost of winterizing. And the fear that is was not done right.
Here is where I will try to help you. There is an order in which to do the dirty deeds. Some of the chores have to be done when the engine can still run. I put them in the order that they should be done but they are not written in stone. I have also tried to explain why they need to be done. And I always forget something and I hope that someone else will comment on it.
Definition of winterizing - to prevent damage caused by the cold elements. This means that the boat engine should have the fuel stabilized,oil changed, engine fogged, and any water that can freeze be removed or replace with antifreeze. Open the boats drain plug at the stern (back of the boat) which will allow any water that accumulates in the boat during the winter will be able to drain out. Batteries and and some accessories (electronics) should be remove and places in a safe and warm place and the boat cleaned and covered.
The only true and easy way to winterizing is to pull your boat into a secure heated shelter. This is what the rich do - and the size of boat and heating that size of building is not cheap. You can also move your boat south of the freezing zone (this is what you do when you retire or you come into a windfall of money).
Marinas will cost you, but then it is done and done right. On rare occasions they miss one or two but when threatened with a lawyer, they usually pay up. The marinas have a set up where they stabilize the fuel then run the engine to put antifreeze through the engine cooling system, fog the engine, change the oil, remove the battery and then clean and cover the boat, all for a small fee - small to them.
Now this winterizing cost is in direct relations to the number of accessories that you have on your boat, shower, water heater, air conditioning, toilet and anything else that needs winterizing. It all takes time.
Do It Yourself
This is the poor mans way (and the poor man out number the rich man by ten million to one).
This is also the way that many have learned the hard way. Seized engines, cracked blocks and manifolds, stains, snow and wind damage to the boat and accessories that will not work anymore. Some poor men are lucky enough that they can winterize the boat very easy and with success and at an acceptable cost.
Stabilize the fuel in the tank and engine, this means to add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank and you have to run the engine to bring the stabilized fuel to the engine. Fuel today is not as good as it was in the sixties - quality wise and defiantly price wise. On your last run of the season is the best time to add stabilizer and warm up the engine for an oil change.
Stabilized fuel will prevent the fuel from breaking down over the winter. This will keep the fuel system clean and ready for startup in the spring. The fuel tank should be full to reduce any condensation that can build up. An empty tank has a lot of inside surface area to build up condensation. On my fuel tank I can cover the vent to help keep the moisture out of the tank caused by the heating and cooling of the weather.
Oil change - should be done on a regular schedule - if it is due - do it before storage.
Oil today is way better then oil in the sixties - which the additives turned acidic when left for a long time. Today the oil additives will disperse over time, so if you have old oil in your engine then it will not protect as well as new oil. The engine should be run to warm and stir up the oil, which will make it easier to change (alway do the filter too - it is cheap insurance).
Fogging the engine This is for the protection of the internal workings of the engine. When the engine stops running, there is always a valve open. This will allow the air inside that cylinder to circulate and rust will build up on the cylinder wall which can cause a seized engine. To protect the walls from rusting, they have come up with a spray that will protect the cylinder wall. It will be the last time that the engine needs to run. You simple spray the fogging solution into the intake until the engine stalls. Thats it. But you will find that fogging also covers the spark plugs which will make the engine hard to start in the spring. This means that you may have to clean or replace the spark plugs in the spring.
Engine, truly the hardest part of winterizing, this is where we remove the water from the engine so it will not freeze and crack the block, intake and exhaust manifolds and heat exchangers.
Now this is where it gets complicated. Every engine manufacture has their own way of cooling engines, and every boat builder has their way of putting the engine in an awkward place to service.
The engine manufactures usually have drain ports in their engine. Now the number of different configurations of engines are mind boggling to the novice. There are inline and V configurations (straight and V shaped). There are any number of cylinders, one to ten. In industrial engines, a V16 in not uncommon. Singles and twin engine. Rather then confuse the new boat owner, just remember that 4, 6 inlines and V6 - V8s are the most common. In sail boats the engines are made by european companies that nobody over here has never heard of, and most are diesel to boot. Diesel engines need winterizing too.
It gets more confusing when they make some engines with a closed loop cooling system, freshwater or salt water cooling. The actual configuration will depend on the buyer of the boat when it was ordered new.
I have to stop there because the novice will be totally confused by now.
So how does a newbie figure it all out..
If you buying a used boat from a dealer, make a deal that they have to show you how to winterize the boat yourself. Write the procedure down as they show you. If they squawk about how only they can do it, insist that it is YOUR MONEY. Find a dealer that will agree with your conditions - remember it’s YOUR MONEY and it will talk, or you will walk.
If you bought the boat off the web, private person or a dealer that just won’t make a deal, get a marine mechanic to show you. You can pay him to do it and watch what he does, most mechanics will gladly show you how. Good mechanics are busy enough that they don’t need to winterize boats to keep busy.
If you can’t find a mechanic to show you then as a last resort try to find a fellow boater that has the experience of winterizing his own boat.
Some of the ways to winterize the marine engine are as follows:
Ear muffs - used on IO systems - these rubber cups are spring loaded and cover the intake ports on the bottom of the outdrive. You then have to have a hose and connect it to the muffs where the other end of the hose goes into a large pale of anti-freeze. Start the engine and run until you see anti-freeze coming out of the exhaust. Some engines have to be warmed up so that the thermostat opens. This way is time consuming and a little messy as the exhaust water is sprayed all over. There are systems on the market that recycle the antifreeze until the engine is warm (a big catch basin).
Intake cups = used on inboards and it is a cup that covers the intake pickup. Again it has to be connected to a hose and a pail of antifreeze. Start engine, run until warm.
A lot of inboard owners will just remove the intake hose inside the boat and shove it into a pail of antifreeze and start the engine.
Draining the engine - this system is the old fashion way. You just find all the drain plugs on the engine and remove them, but sand and rust will sometimes block the drain port. A stiff wire will clear them out. This puts all the water into the bilge which will drain out the bottom of the boat when the boats drain plug is remove. The drain plugs can be put back in and antifreeze poured into the thermostat housing with the engine stopped or you can put the intake hose into a pail of antifreeze and run the engine and wait for the antifreeze to come out of the exhaust. This way of winterizing is where you have to be able to get into the shape of a pretzel to get at the fittings. There is a brand new system on the web called thewinterizer that make all of the other winterizing systems suck in comparison. It should have been installed and used by the boat and engine manufactures, but can be installed after by a marine mechanic.
Now would be a good time to educate you about antifreeze. All antifreeze is poisonous to the marine environment. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are caught using green antifreeze you will be in for a large deduction in your savings account, the new non toxic boat antifreeze depletes the oxygen in the water which will kill the marine life that can’t move out of the way.
Please recycle your antifreeze. I am not plugging thewinterizer, but it is the best one of the few that will recycle antifreeze with no mess. Always recycle your antifreeze.
Antifreeze is installed in the marine engine for winterizing because 1 - to give the assurance that the engine is protected, 2 - to stop the inside of the engine from building up rust and corrosion, 3 - to stabilize the temperature of of the frost plugs in the engine block. This is where the frost plug (brass) contracts with the cold more than the engine block (cast iron). Only in very extreme cold will this happen, all of the frost plugs will be sitting in the bottom of the boat. I have seen it once.
Is antifreeze necessary, it is up to the boat owner, long storage or north of the forty ninth it would be a good idea.
Closed loop systems are where the engine is always full of antifreeze and the antifreeze is cooled by a heat exchanger. All that has to be done is to winterizer the heat exchanger is to drain it. Very simple and easy.
Battery. The battery can be remove from the boat, charged once a month and stored inside. The radio and any other accessories will continue to draw a little current from the battery for radio memory and time, but over the winter this little bit of battery drain will kill the battery. When removing the battery always remove the ground connections first and tape all the ground wires together, then remove the positive wires, again tape all the positive wires together. Most boats will have accessories that connect to the battery, thus all the wires to each terminal. If you leave the battery in the boat, try to charge the battery once a month. This can be done while you inspect the boat for winter damage (snow and water build up and wind damage) but if you have a weak battery it can freeze and cause damage that you don’t need.
Electronic Accessories (radios, depth sounders etc.)should be removed, they don’t like the cold and damp environment and some of them will sprout legs and disappear when no one is around. They seem to migrate to the flea markets or craigs list. Most accessories will have a quick way to disconnect from the boat.
Other Accessories such as water heaters, refrigeration, air conditioning, freshwater systems, showers, etc are units that have to be winterized as well. These are options on larger boats and should be done by a marine mechanics. But can be done by the do it your selfer if taught the right way by a mechanic or a fellow boater that has done it before.
IO out drive There is a small slot screw on the bottom of the leg that should be removed to inspected the out drive oil for water. Loosen the screw carefully and just as it comes out, you will see if there is water or oil water mix that comes out. Water will be obvious but water oil mix will be light bubbly tan or gray in color. Pure oil will look like oil out of a new oil container. If in doubt change it. Look for fishing line around the prop and if you find some, get it out. Fishing line is the most common cause of water in the out drive. The out drive should be left in the down position when storing. The bellows will not have as much strain on them. Also bag the prop. Put a plastic bag over the prop and use masking tape to hold into place. This keeps the rain and snow out of the exhaust port that could freeze and expand (this is used in areas that have a lot of snow).
Lube the grease fittings on the drive shaft and gimbals. Again some are easy some are not. The grease will push any water out of the joints and prevent seizing over storage.
Clean the boat, the last haul out is the best time to pressure wash the scum off the bottom and sides of the boat while it is still soft and wet. It will stain if left over winter. If the weather is on your side a good wax job will really help protect the boat, but it is in the spring that a wax job is most important. Clean the interior when you are finished winterizing, because the dirt will become a stain in the spring.
Cover up the boat. The elements of winter will damage the boat and upholstery and to protect it from the elements it should be covered. Tarps will work but must be keep tight which means that you should check once a month and retighten when you see that the tarp is getting lose. If you want a new design on the side of your boat, let the tarp pound away. Some boats will need a framework to keep the water and snow from building up and pulling on the cover. This framework should be a steep angle and made of anything that will stand up to the winter weather. Shrink wrap is good, but not reusable. Tarps are cheap and you get what you pay for, so buy a heavy duty tarp once and you will be able to reuse it for over five years and will pay for itself very quickly. Don’t forget to cover the trailer tires if the boat is on a trailer, the sun will ruin your tires if they are not covered. You can also remove the weight off of the springs and tires of the trailer with a jack and blocking. It helps the springs and tires last longer.
Summary Until someone gets a winterizing manual for each and every boat, the new boater will always be shy of trying to do it him self. Ask other boaters how they do it. Most experienced boater will gladly show off their skill of winterizing.
Quick overall summary
while the engine can still run - stabilize fuel - oil change (if needed) - winterize (if using the old method) - fog
once the boat is out of the water remove drain - wash outside of boat - winterize - clean inside of boat - cover.
