Table of Contents
How To Winterize Your Boat Step 1: Replace engine oil. Step 2: Flush and drain cooling water. Step 3: Stabilize fuel. Step 4: Protect internal engine components. Step 5: Replace gear oil. Step 6: Grease and lubricate. Step 7: Remove valuables. Step 8: Clean and wax.
How do you winterize a motor boat?
Winterizing Your Outboard Motor Drain the crankcase oil (Four-stroke motors) Install a new oil filter (Four-stroke motors) Filling the crankcase with new oil (Four-stroke motors) Changing the lower unit gear oil. Stabilizing the fuel. Flushing the outboard with antifreeze. Fogging the cylinders.
At what temperature do you need to winterize a boat?
As soon as the weather gets below 32 degrees, water begins to freeze, with water with impurities or saltwater in it starting to freeze at 28 degrees. In most cases, the water will not freeze solid (leading to cracked engine blocks) until the temperatures stay below 32 for several days and nights.
How long does it take to winterize a boat?
Final Cost of DIY Boat Winterizing As noted, with practice and experience, the process will take around an hour. Even so, allot two or three hours for the first few times you do it. And be sure to read your boat’s manual carefully, even if doing so adds even more time.
Do you leave antifreeze in boat engine?
Note: Sam likes to leave the engine block flushed but empty for the winter. However, some marine engine manufacturers recommend filling the entire engine with RV antifreeze. Always follow your engine manufacturer’s advice.
Is it hard to winterize a boat?
At its most basic, winterizing means draining any water aboard or replacing it with enough of the right kind of antifreeze to protect against the lowest temperatures your boat might experience. Winterizing most boats takes from an hour to a day.
What happens if boat is not winterized?
If You Don’t Winterize Your Boat, Here’s What Happens: Water freezes and expands and can damage anything it’s trapped inside. Water may seep into unprotected spaces to do this. Acidic and corrosive wastes, salt and corrosion buildup can damage delicate parts in engines. Fuels break down or grow dirty.
Do you need to winterize boat if stored inside?
Keeping your boat indoors in a designated facility with climate control is the most preferred way of storing during the off-season. Therefore, they should be winterized much sooner in the season compared to the boats kept in the water.
How much does it cost to winterize your boat?
If you winterize your boat yourself, it will cost you about $250. This price includes the cost of winterizing the engine, the other systems of your boat, and cleaning it, stem to stern, inside and out. However, if you have the work done at a boatyard, expect to spend $500 up.
Do I have to winterize my outboard motor?
Like inboards and sterndrives, outboard engines are also subject to potential damage from freezing and from being laid up in disuse for months at a time. So outboards demand winterizing too.
Is fogging a boat motor necessary?
Fogging a boat engine is an essential part of the winterizing process. If you’re putting your boat into long-term storage, fogging the outboard motor is vital. You’ll spray it into the carburetors and spark plugs (carefully) so that the oil can coat every part of the motor.
Should you remove boat battery in the winter?
In the winters, discharged batteries can also freeze over. The water inside the battery expands when frozen, and damages the battery. Thus, it is important that you remove your boat battery before you put the boat in storage. To prevent it from freezing over in the winter, keep the battery charged through the winter.
How long can a boat sit without being winterized?
The rule of thumb we use is 2-3 days of consectutive freezing temperatures, day and night, and you are in trouble unless you winterized. For example, the past 2 nights here have hit freezing though the daytime temp is 50+ degrees so no worries. Yes, the boat being in the water does help, a lot.
Can you leave a boat in the water during winter?
A boat can be left in the water during the winter or year-round if you take necessary precautions to tackle the challenges of a boat being in the waters for long periods. However, you need to keep in mind that there is always a risk correlated with storing the boat in the water than dry storing.
Can you leave a boat outside in the winter?
So, can boats be stored outside in the winter? You can keep boats outside in the winter if you provide adequate protection against harsh weather. But you can’t simply park the boat on your driveway as most people do during the boating season. Leaving your boat outside during the cold season can damage the boat.
At what temperature will an engine block crack?
How Cold Does It Have To Get To Crack An Engine Block? freezing water without adding any additives like alcohol or antifreeze, and, if it is in an engine block, eventually cracking something, 32 degrees is all it takes.
What kind of antifreeze do I use to winterize my boat?
Non-toxic West Marine propylene glycol antifreeze is recommended for winterizing potable water systems and all engines. With -50, -60 and -100 degree antifreezes available, which should you choose? For use in winterizing your engine, we recommend the highest concentration available, the -100.
Should I leave my outboard motor up or down?
You want to leave the engine in the totally trimmed down position. This will allow all of the water to leak out of the engine, midsection, and lower unit. Making sure that there is not any water in the Lower Unit that could rust gears or freeze and destroy the gear case by flushing the engine with fresh water.
Do you have to winterize a boat?
Winterizing a boat is an essential process unless you plan to make necessary repairs to your boat come springtime. If you do not winterize your boat, any water droplets left could freeze, expand, and crack the components they were in. This could cause anything from blowing off a hose to completely ruining your engine.
