Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

[captnjim]

Due to a few factors we did not place our boat in the water at all this summer Do I need to worry about winterizing again or am I good to just shrink wrap?

Thanks

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

You didn't say what motor or i/o , but if it's an i/o and if as you said it didn't hit water at all, the antifreeze doesn't get old. You might have a small bit of condensation in the engine oil that shouldn't cause any trouble.

 

[Dave1251]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

You are past the self life of the fuel stabilizer. I would add new fuel stabilizer and run the engine ot opeating temp. Then all you need to do is drain the engine down.

 

[captnjim]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

Great, thanks for the input. Oh and It's a 5.0 I/O.

 

[captnjim]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

I hate to admit it but I don't know how to run the engine while dry docked. Do you think adding more fuel stabilizer is an absolute necessity? I live in the Chicago area so it will defiantly be a cold winter.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

if it was dewinterized then you will need to re winterize the cooling system.
dont sweat the fuel its gonna be bad anyway.
fuel stabilizer on fresh fuel tends to last about 6 months, maybe more in your area but not much more.
adding stabil to bad gas is a waste of stabil.
adding fresh gas to bad gas makes twice the bad gas.
however shiney internal parts like to rust if the engine isnt run occasionally and the oil treated with a product such as crankcase stor n start.

 

[security6]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

It's not a bad idea to run the engine, but your gas might be ok. I bought a boat this year that was on consignment at a local dealer. It sat at a local dealer for at least 1.5 years before being started (winterization tag put in place by mechanic said winterized in November, 2008, we didn't start it until April, 2010), and I suspect the boat didn't get much use for the year before it was put up for sale (tags expired in 2007). The boat was stored with a full tank of gas. I was shocked when the boat started right up (with 0 prep), and I ran through the entire tank of gas without a problem. Gas can last longer than some people give it credit for.

 

[brielly]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

There seems to be some misinformation on how long gas will last. Without treatment it may last 6 months but with stabilizer it can make it a lot longer. The first boat I bought had 3 year old gas that was still good. I diluted it with fresh high octane gas just to be safe and ran it in my car with no problems. I just did the same with the boat I just purchased that sat for 2 years. That gas was also good and ran perfectly in my car without being diluted. The point is if stabilized gas can last a few years under the right conditions. Startron actually claims 2 years right on their bottle. Pump out some gas an have a look. If there's no water in it and it still smells like gas then its fine. Just add some more stabilizer to your old gas just to be safe and call it good.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

I had 3 year old fuel in a 77 Cutlass and my 86 boat .. They both started and ran fine. I store with non ox premium and stabil. No ethanol... Do you know what type of fuel it was stored with ?

 

[jmarty10]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

Obviously a much different enging but on Saturday I just fired up a snowlower that has been sitting for 9 months without stabil in it. Ethanol gas for the local station. Its been an extremely hot and humid summer and the blower ran like a champ.

 

[oops!]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

if it was dewinterized then you will need to re winterize the cooling system.

however shiney internal parts like to rust if the engine isnt run occasionally and the oil treated with a product such as crankcase stor n start.

re-iterating what rodbolt said....if it was de winterized....then it needs to be done again.

the suggestion about store and start is valid....but you will have to run the engine up again....not just pour it in the crank case.

however....imho.....if you are in a fresh water situation...i would not worry about the rust

cheers
oops

 

[bassman284]

Re: Dry docked all year. Do I need to Winterize again?

I use Stabil on every fillup because I run my Merc 60 4 stroke mostly on no wake lakes and so use very little gas during a season. I had a real slow season last year so this May I still had about 7 gallons left from an August 2008 fill.

I thought about draining it but decided to see if I could burn it off on the one go fast lake in the area. It started right up and ran good at idle. I spent about 15 minutes running about 2000 rpm to warm up then put the hammer down. The 60 took off like it was brand new gas. Still took me two trips to the lake to run it dry.