Quasi Winterize

[agallant80]

How many people here quasi winterize their boat? In NC it gets cold for a month or two but you can have a boat on a trailer and still get some good use out of it. I drain the block and fill it with pink stuff, put pink stuff in the head and bow out the water lines with compressed air but thats about it. I don't see the point of changing the oil and gear lube at the end of the season seeing as I do it every 50 hours, they were just changed 20 hours ago and I know that after I put the boat away this weekend which is just cleaning waxing and doing some of the above things she will be back in the water within 4-6 weeks for a trip. Does anyone else do this?

 

[dingbat]

Re: Quasi Winterize

I do the majority of my boating early (March -May) and late season (October - January).

No pink stuff in the motor. The pink stuff goes in the cockpit, bait well and fish box drains. Just drain the raw water washdown system. Usually throw a 1/2 gallon or so of the pink stuff in the bilge so the bilge pumps don't freeze.

I check the LU gear lube 2-3 times a season, it only gets changed when contaminated or every fall, whichever comes first.

It doesn't matter if I've put 10 or 200 hours on the boat since the last lube change, I am religious about is changing the gear oil before it freezes. I've seen more than a few LU crack from water contamination that froze.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Quasi Winterize

Huh,never thought about the lower cracking if water got in to it. From time to time I drain some fluid from it and check for water.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Quasi Winterize

You will find that a lot of the things on "Winterizing Lists" are really just annual maintenance and/or storage processes and have nothing to do with winter.
For example, there should not be water in the LU in ANY season and if there is, fix it now. But as suggested, better to learn about it before it freezes.
Fuel needs to be treated b/c it is not being used, not because of the weather.

because I only have outboards (and this is a reason to have them) I don't have to take any of my boats out of commission for a season. I can hop in and go if there is pleasant weather after freezing weather, or if there is pleasant weather to be followed by freezing weather, without worry or effort.

So I do "quasi-winterize" in that when the warm weather is over, one one boat I remove the bimini, stow the water toys, strip out the creature comforts, put a splash of pink in the bilge. I close the seacock when the fishing is over (Dec 31) until spring and take out the helm seat cushion and replace with plywood (my only mounted padding). On the other which is kept out of town and exposed to coastal storms, secure it from storm tides.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Quasi Winterize

From time to time I drain some fluid from it and check for water.

No need to drain any oil. The water settles to the bottom. It will be the first thing out when you crack the bottom screw.
I change the grease in my trailer hubs in the winter for the same reason. Don't want water contaminated grease setting on the bearings all winter. Makes for rusty roller bearings come Spring.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Quasi Winterize

I don't call that quasi-winterization. I call it freeze protecting.

I see 2 actual things going on under the global term winterization:

1- protecting the block and other parts of the boat against the effects of freezing
2- preparing the boat for long term storage

If your not storing long term, then just freeze protect.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Quasi Winterize

Huh,never thought about the lower cracking if water got in to it. From time to time I drain some fluid from it and check for water.

That happens here, a lot. Older drives get water mixed with the oil and you need a new drive in the spring. The pink stuff also cracks blocks here as its only good to -50. Get any residual water mixed with it and at -45 your block is junk.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Quasi Winterize

I don't call that quasi-winterization. I call it freeze protecting.

I see 2 actual things going on under the global term winterization:

1- protecting the block and other parts of the boat against the effects of freezing
2- preparing the boat for long term storage

If your not storing long term, then just freeze protect.

Ayuh,.... Ditto on that,.... I start drainin' in October, or 1st chance of a hard freeze, but sometimes go fishin' right up to Christmas, or later,...
'n of course, early season Fishin' starts Long before warm weather 'round here,...

I've got my rig set up so drainin' is less than a 5 minute operation, right at the boat launch,...

Freeze protection starts as it comes outa the water,...
I can Service it when I get to it,...

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: Quasi Winterize

Winterization for me is to start buying gas at the marina in September and add fuel stabilizer. By November I take off the bimini and change to a full cover. Boat still gets on the water at least once a month.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Quasi Winterize

Ayuh,.... Ditto on that,.... I start drainin' in October, or 1st chance of a hard freeze, but sometimes go fishin' right up to Christmas, or later,...
'n of course, early season Fishin' starts Long before warm weather 'round here,...

I've got my rig set up so drainin' is less than a 5 minute operation, right at the boat launch,...

Freeze protection starts as it comes outa the water,...
I can Service it when I get to it,...

^^^^ 'bout the same here. Just later in the year.