When do you winterize?

[Weave]

Midway...I have the singlepoint drain system and it has it's pro's and con's...
My biggest fear is not being able to clear out the drain passages where the hoses exit the manifolds, block, etc. I have winterized a friends boat and poked at the drains a couple times to have all the sediment and scale come out. Doesn't seem like you could do that with the single point drain.
It certainly does make the engine easy to prepare for storage but that uncertainty is scary and why I fill with antifreeze.
Merc states in the manual to drive the boat around to ensure that there is no water left in any cavities.
Just a couple things to think about. PM me if you want some more info. Who knows, I could be overly cautious

 

[surfinjoe]

I typically winterize around mid-October. Here in Michigan, we need to give her the whole 9 yards: antifreeze, motor oil change, lower unit oil change, fresh water drain/antifreeze, shrinkwrap or cover and engine fog.

I try to get her fired-up and ready by May 1st just in case there is a nice day.

 

[KRB64]

Merc used blue plastic wing nut style plugs on some of their engines. Not quite sure of the year range.
Instead of the brass petcocks they replaced them with these blue plugs

Interesting. Ours has the good ol' brass plugs. I replaced them with pitcocks. I winterize by the book (mostly), same as we've done since the 70's: Add some Stabile to the fuel tank. Change the oil, drain all the water from the cocks. Pop the thermo and fill with anti-freeze. Thats after choking the motor down with oil thru the carb.

Then drain all the potable water systems and add the pink stuff. Last year was the first year for the 260 and we ran out of time and had a local winterize her so he dealt with the head and water heater too. On the 240 I'd take the head out for the winter and give a good cleaning.

No shrink wrap here. Put in some sticky traps for any vermin and a jar of moisture absorb stuff and then park in the barn with the top on and up on the lift in the slip. Make sure the out drive is all the way down and straight ahead. We also open every door/drawer/hatch so air circulates. Prop cushions up too for same rerason. Its humid here in KY all year and our cool warm cycles don't help. Our first average frost here is mid-late Oct.

Then I sit by the fire all winter reading boating magazines!

 

[Nehalennia]

Here's a good video I found
West Marine Winterizing checklist

 

[Bodkin Creek George]

The end of October here in Maryland. Hunting season is in full swing by then and it's time to sent the big toy aside and play with the other toys. :thumbsup:

 

[the motion in the ocean]

I gotta know.....Does anyone know how well the winterizing kits work? This is my first winter as a boat owner in Georgia and I don't want to pay $200 to have it done at a shop.

 

[Nehalennia]

I gotta know.....Does anyone know how well the winterizing kits work? This is my first winter as a boat owner in Georgia and I don't want to pay $200 to have it done at a shop.

I have not used it yet(I'll use it for the first time this weekend), but it's what my dealer has recommended to me so I can use the boat over the winter, but protect it in between weekend trips.

 

[sr360aft]

I'm in the same area as you and we never winterize but do have a Boatsafe bilge heater and leave an oil filled radiator style heater on at 55 degrees in the salon. Water temps here have not dropped much below 40 in quite some time and my bilge even without heater is the same temp as the water (I put foam plugs in the vents). If we were to have a cold season where the water temp dropped, I would likely winterize my fresh water system

 

[glocklt4]

I'm in Dallas and just bought my boat in July. I plan to change engine oil, drive lube, fuel filter, run anti-freeze through block, and clean her up really well then cover. All that work and I'll have her out on the lake again 3 months later, haha. Will probably do it this weekend because of a busy schedule ahead.

It was 40 degrees this morning already (yikes), which is pretty chilly this early for north Texas.

 

[Woody]

I pulled the boat out on 10/6. I blow out the AC system. Pink the house water and head. I drain the engines but don't run AF through. I haven't had any problems due to cold weather, it's not unusual to have -20 and -30F temps here.

Last year was the first for blowing out the AC and I was nervous. I found it actually sucks the water right out of the strainer and I am confident that the AC system will not be damaged by freezing.

 

[VTSeaRay]

Last Night I brought it to the dealer to be winterized.

 

[Loneranger]

sr360aft,

I actually cracked a manifold 2 years ago (I just goofed and missed draining it). Ouch - new manifold $250. Fortunately I had the blocks and the other manifold drained. However, mine are stored on lifts out of the water. When it has threatened freezing temps I have gone down and lowered the boat into the water.

I put a boatsafe bilge heater in the cobalt as well after the manifold incident.

I will probably winterize mine about nov 15th or so.

John

 

[KRB64]

Loneranger - If you drain everything why do you put her back in the water when it gets freezing?

 

[mvoellinger]

I plan to not do anything different except maybe buy that winterizing kit and run that through for january. I store the boat in the garage, and we really only see freezing over night a few times, so it should be fine. That way if we have a nice day I can take it out, then bring it back and just run more antifreeze if its going to freeze again.

 

[Bodkin Creek George]

Here in Maryland it's usually a week or two before Thanksgiving as I am gone the two weeks after for deer hunting. If not for that I would wait till Rockfish Season closed.

 

[Loneranger]

Loneranger - If you drain everything why do you put her back in the water when it gets freezing?

Sorry, my statement is sort of misleading. When I have them drained I do not worry about it; but if I am trying to extend my season some and tolerating some frosty nights, I will lower them into the water when the boat has not yet been winterized.

I should have stated, "When it has threatened freezing temps, and I have not yet winterized, I have gone down and lowered the boat into the water.

John

 

[glocklt4]

Sorry, my statement is sort of misleading. When I have them drained I do not worry about it; but if I am trying to extend my season some and tolerating some frosty nights, I will lower them into the water when the boat has not yet been winterized.

I should have stated, "When it has threatened freezing temps, and I have not yet winterized, I have gone down and lowered the boat into the water.

John

So tonight in North Dallas it might get to about 34... This is getting pretty close to freezing. It was 83 yesterday and I was out and swam in 65 degree water! haha Crazy weather.

Anyway... should I go open the plugs on my block after work tonight? I have not winterized and store the boat on trailer. I don't have a way of putting it in the water.

 

[Taradise]

Anyway... should I go open the plugs on my block after work tonight? I have not winterized and store the boat on trailer. I don't have a way of putting it in the water.

it wouldnt hurt to pull them but 34 degree temps are not going to hurt anything...its got to get down below 30 before I start to worry

 

[glocklt4]

it wouldnt hurt to pull them but 34 degree temps are not going to hurt anything...its got to get down below 30 before I start to worry

Ok, cool. Good to know! It will be high 70's again later this week and I was thinking about taking her out again this weekend or next if it continues to be nice during the day. Wasn't sure if 32 exactly would be a problem or not.

Thanks!

 

[KRB64]

Don't want to tempt fate or take unnecessary chances but theres a lot of thermal mass there in the engine, less so in the head or doestic water sytem. And I'm by no means an engineer but it takes temps below freezing and takes several hours of it to freeze something hard.

Having said that I still have to fight the urge to freak out after waiting to the last minute like this year. We did our 240WE Monday night after several nights in the low 30's. This morning is supposed to be in the high 20's.

120 miles south of here on the lake it a little warmer plus lakewater of 72 helps buffer any over night lows. The guys down there will wait another month even.

Bottom line is, if you're not trying to squeeze every last outing out of the season, go ahead and winterize when you quit. But you can push the envelope if you plan well enough... knock on wood...