Winterization

[SeaRay Eddy]

First, thanks everyone for their help with my first boating season! It was a short one, I only put out about 20 hours.


I’m about to winterize my boat (I'm from Quebec, Canada) and have had every marina/mechanic tell me something different. The Gear oil and Engine oil was new oil when I bought the boat in May. I only put 20 hours on it this summer. There’s a little bit of scum on the bottom, but nothing crazy.


Questions:

Do I need to have Engine Oil and Gear Oil replaced?

Or will a basic winterization due?

Should I do an acid Hull wash? ($150-ish where I am)

Do you shrink wrap your boats? Mine will be stored in a shed.


Thanks again!

 

[KevinC]

My recommendations are for oil/filter changes and gear lube changes every fall as part of winterization. This leaves the freshest oil and gear lube in your engine to prevent any corrosion from water being absorbed and gives you a chance to inspect for any water intrusion during the season. Should something have failed allowing water into the gear case you would not want the water to sit there all winter and it would give you a chance to remediate any issues.

Winterize all raw water and fresh water systems. If it's a raw water cooled engine then I prefer to keep the block full of anti-freeze to prevent internal corrosion from being exposed to air.

Acid wash only if necessary - hard to say without knowing how bad things are. Normally I recommend least harsh to start and only progress as needed. That said, there are always a few areas I need to hit with an acid hull cleaner but I do not do the entire hull.

Wrapping or covering it to prevent water intrusion from exposure, snow build up and melting/refreeze issues anyplace water water can seep into. If you are in a shed I would probably not wrap as it will certainly breath better. I would check it regularly and keep an eye out for unwanted wildlife making a home.

-Kevin

 

[SeaRay Eddy]

My recommendations are for oil/filter changes and gear lube changes every fall as part of winterization. This leaves the freshest oil and gear lube in your engine to prevent any corrosion from water being absorbed and gives you a chance to inspect for any water intrusion during the season. Should something have failed allowing water into the gear case you would not want the water to sit there all winter and it would give you a chance to remediate any issues.

Winterize all raw water and fresh water systems. If it's a raw water cooled engine then I prefer to keep the block full of anti-freeze to prevent internal corrosion from being exposed to air.

Acid wash only if necessary - hard to say without knowing how bad things are. Normally I recommend least harsh to start and only progress as needed. That said, there are always a few areas I need to hit with an acid hull cleaner but I do not do the entire hull.

Wrapping or covering it to prevent water intrusion from exposure, snow build up and melting/refreeze issues anyplace water water can seep into. If you are in a shed I would probably not wrap as it will certainly breath better. I would check it regularly and keep an eye out for unwanted wildlife making a home.

-Kevin

Thank you very much Kevin! I'll skip the wash as its probably something I can take of myself. Good tip on the oil, I might as well go ahead and change them now.
Nice 340 you have!
Thanks

 

[KevinC]

...Nice 340 you have!...

Thank you.

-Kevin

 

[BillK2632]

Agree with Kevin

Questions:

Do I need to have Engine Oil and Gear Oil replaced? Yes - leave clean oil in during the winter and then you are ready to go in the spring.

Or will a basic winterization due? + fogging engine, drain water and backfill with anti-freeze (assume the shed is not heated)

Should I do an acid Hull wash? ($150-ish where I am). Do you have brown staining on the bottom that won't wash off? If so, then yes, but his is an easy DIY thing, spray on the acid based hull cleaner, then hose off.

Do you shrink wrap your boats? Mine will be stored in a shed. Just cover - I replace my cockpit cover canvas with a full cover during the winter - bought it at Wal-Mart. I am also stored in an un-heated building.

 

[sbw1]

Yes. Change the engine oil. Check the outdrive lube for water. (Milky color means water). If the gear lube is the same color as new lube, let it go another season an then change annually. I always put my boats away clean so if it were mine, I would clean the entire boat including the bottom and shrink wrap it. Just depends on how much you enjoy shinny, new looking boats. Some folks are not that fussy.

 

[Leardriver]

I pull the bottom plug on the outdrive gear lube drain, just to make sure that there is no water there to freeze, and if there was, it gives me a reason to fix the leak. Put the screw back in, and top the reservoir off from the top if you have that setup.
I used the boat once this year, for 1.3 hours. Not about to change new fresh fluids in our dry climate just for that.