How do you store in winter?

[noahtn]

I live in TN so we don’t get prolonged cold snaps, but wondering how you store your boat if you don’t have indoor storage? I have covered storage, but it is outside and not heated. Let me know the best way to take care of it please.

[Big dreams]

If it is covered, just put a cover on the boat and put the drain plug in. I had a rodent of some sort climb my transom saver and climb into the drain plug hole. He ate a few of my wires off and made a decent size nest. Now I always store it with the drain plug in.

[Nightmare]

I'm in a bit cooler climate than you. I put the custom-built cover on it with charger cord hanging out and park it behind the house. Tongue jack high enough so any unlikely water that gets in can get back out. Motor trimmed down enough so water can't pool in back of lower unit. Boat doesn't care what temp it is. I plug the charger in once a month for 1-2 days.

Ref Bd's plug invader, stuff a small wad of steel wool in the plug hole - rodents won't naw on that and still allow any inadvertent intruding water to escape.

[J Risco]

Make sure you raise and lower the motor a couple times after you pull it out of the water to get all the water out of the lower unit so that it wont freeze.

[twitch]

I store mine up here in some cold temps but if it's nice want to be able to use it, so I use my Ranger cover and put a cheap tarp on top of it , charge the batteries up and put motor down. I also added a T to the water pressure guage line to drain after use so it won't freeze. I change my lower end fluid towards the end of oct and should be good to go . Never had a problem with batteries or rodents, put dryer sheets in the compartments and moth balls in the bilge and steel wool in the drain hole like stated above.

[kstolting]

I'm in TN as well, keep my boat on a lift and use it all year. Other than making sure that lower unit, live wells and bilge are dry, I put an aquarium "T" valve in the line to my water pressure gauge where I can open/close it easily in the event of a hard freeze. When the valve is opened, I wrap a towel around the steering wheel to remind me to close it. Nothing like 35 degree water squirting into your shoe when you have a decent day to fish in the winter.

[jwcfbd]

I don't know if it's the right way but it's worked for the past 3 years. It's in my garage so all compartments remain open, top off the fuel tanks and add stabil before I parked it for the last time and make all efforts to get any remaining water out of the engine. After that give it a nice pat and say goodnite. :(

[DanR]

I'm in Canadaland and don't have a nice garage for the boat, so my winter storage goes as follows, and I just started step 1 today:

1. Winterize engine... change motor oil, foot oil, plugs every 3 years (this year changing them), change both fuel filters, add and run fuel stabilizer through system and fog cylinders.
2. Remove all seats, windshield, trolling motor, electronics & mounts etc.
3. Vacuum carpets and clean as best I can if it's not freezing and open all compartments.
4. Add supporting ribs over boat (this keeps the snow from collecting on the boat)
5. Put on storage cover
6. Put on Tarp and tie it all down.
7. Weep till spring

Dan

[zelmo]

Interesting that nobody has mentioned putting oil in the cylinders. That is a part of the recommended procedure if storing for more than a couple of months.

[jarhead175]

Go fishing it doesn't get that cold in Tennessee. When you get home plug in the battery charger, raise the nose of the boat higher then normal on the jack, trim the motor down as far as possible, and put the cover on it. All you have to do is repeat that every couple of weeks.