Winterized Vs Fired it up...

[stemar]

so what do you think? Winterized it of Fired it up every 2 weeks or so? I like winterized my boat but on the other hand living in a country where winter it's not so cold, I don't want to miss the opportunity to use my boat on those "warm" sun shining winter days.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Winterized Vs Fired it up...

No snow, no need to winterize.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Winterized Vs Fired it up...

depends, what type of power package do you have?<br />outboards are self draining and dont care abouut cold.<br /> they do care about subsystem degradation and corrosion. its all about protection during layup.

 

[MajBach]

Re: Winterized Vs Fired it up...

I wouldnt bother to winterize it myself, but I would add some gas stabilizer to the fuel tank and run it through the engine before allowing it to sit for a couple of months.

 

[BF130]

Re: Winterized Vs Fired it up...

I wouldn't go through a winter without fogging the internals. Also need to change the oil in the crankcase on a 4S and the lower unit oil. Contaminants in both can cause corrosion. Water in the gearcase can cause bigger issues.

 

[Navigator]

Re: Winterized Vs Fired it up...

You only need to truely "winterize" the engine if the ambient temperatures get below freezing on a regualr basis. If you are on the coast and the temps get low, but you dont have ice buildups, then you could probably get by with just firing it up every now and then. The purpose of winterizing an engine is to remove all the fluids that can freeze and damage the motor. If you area gets chilly, but not iced in, by all means, extend you boating season and enjoy!<br /><br />Nav

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Winterized Vs Fired it up...

navigator. your statement holds true for sterndroives and inboards. outboards are self draining and all the "winterize" does is protect the subsystems and shiny parts from degradation and rust during periods of non use. plus its a good time to do the annual and semi annual maint and have a look at the machine to catch problems while they are cheap. a reseal is 300 or so, a complete case maybe 2500 and up.