Inside Vs Outside

[billandamy]

Changing fluids is not winterizing. That's maintenance.

I know this...but PART of the winterizing is changing the fluids. Last year, I changed fluids only about 25 hours before my winterization. I had them change the fluids again anyway during the winterization.

Ok, so maybe Im not anal about how the boat looks (waxing,washing etc...) but when it comes to the mechanicals, I am an overkill person maybe.

 

[sbw1]

You confused that crap outa me... so you're saying fogging and antifreeze is not done anymore with inside storage, but if your not using it for a long period of time you would fog it and do the antifreeze? Did you mean keeping it outside?:huh:

Nobody fogs or adds antifreeze to boats anymore here when storing inside in a heated marina building, and they plan to use them again in 6 months. If you are out of boating so to speak, many opt to do a full winterization including fogging. The reason being, the boat will probably be put on the market for sale. It might be moved around a bit when boats are being launched and it might not be started for a year or two. It might go on a truck to a different state. Under those conditions, you would want to insure that the engines are properly protected so there are no surprises when the boat is commissioned. I suspect my boat will end up on Lake Tahoe in a few years. It will be properly decommissioned and winterized before it makes the trip West.

 

[Mustangous]

Nobody fogs or adds antifreeze to boats anymore here when storing inside in a heated marina building, and they plan to use them again in 6 months. If you are out of boating so to speak, many opt to do a full winterization including fogging. The reason being, the boat will probably be put on the market for sale. It might be moved around a bit when boats are being launched and it might not be started for a year or two. It might go on a truck to a different state. Under those conditions, you would want to insure that the engines are properly protected so there are no surprises when the boat is commissioned. I suspect my boat will end up on Lake Tahoe in a few years. It will be properly decommissioned and winterized before it makes the trip West.

I would assume you are talking about storing the boat inside in a control temperature/enviroment, which in the winter the humidity is really low and without temperature swings of a non-condition storage building rust and corrosion in the cylinders and engine is really minimize and probable nonexistent. So winterizing/fogging/antifreeze is really not needed is what your saying. I just want it to be clear and it needs to be clear that this would not be the case for inside storage with no conditioned space! I think there are a lot of things to consider here for winterizing/fogging. Sometimes its safe to just do the winterization.

 

[MExcelsior]

I believe you should always add antifreeze (at least to the engines) when your boat is going to be laid up for awhile if nothing else to prevent corrosion caused by water or air.

Why wouldn't you? $10 ($20 for twins) and 1/2 hour of your time?

What if you lose electricity in the heated garage or you get a hard freeze in a region that usually doesn't go below zero very often?

Also, if you store inside in the heat, make sure the storage doesn't have critter problems. One mouse can make your boat look like it was out for 10 winters without shrink. My brother can also attest to what a raccoon can do to a boat if it nests there during the winter.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Slacker]

What's the purpose for fogging and is there any easier way to do on on my boat? The only way I know of is to pull out each spark plug and spray fogging oil in each port...

Merc 4.3 MPI

For me I have all the tools to winterize and change all the fluids on my boat, but when it comes to fogging the motor that adds on another 4 hours to take apart the rear of the boat so I can access my damn spark plugs.

 

[MExcelsior]

What's the purpose for fogging and is there any easier way to do on on my boat? The only way I know of is to pull out each spark plug and spray fogging oil in each port...

Merc 4.3 MPI

For me I have all the tools to winterize and change all the fluids on my boat, but when it comes to fogging the motor that adds on another 4 hours to take apart the rear of the boat so I can access my damn spark plugs.

I see you have an MPI. Just add stabilizer to the fuel, run awhile and you should be fine. Fogging an MPI through the plugs as I understand can cause damage to the injectors.