Storing boat in below freezing weather?

[photocycle]

All,

I might have to store the boat outside this winter.... aside from getting rid of water in the motor/lower unit, and stabilizing the gas/fuel, anything else I should be concerned about when keeping the boat out in below freezing temperature? (The motor will be winterized at the shop.)

Other thing I've thought about is double checking the live-well/aerator systems to make sure its free of water as frozen water can crack those hoses.

Any help would be great!

[skeetzx225]

if storing outside, make sure to include mothballs/spearmint oil inside the compartments and near any exposed wiring. I also threw 2-3 large tarps over my boat cover so the brunt of the exposure is on the tarps not the cover.

[photocycle]

Thanks for the advice. I'll add Mothballs and 1-2 extra large Tarps to my list. =)

[Doug Vahrenberg]

If storing outside I would pour RV/Marine Antifreeze (Pink Stuff) http://www.peakantifreeze.com/rvmarine.htm In the Livewells and recirculate through the pumps, also pour some in the bilge area, pour down pump-outs and bilge tubes outlet ports, this will make sure if any moisture does get inside boat it won't freeze and bust a bilge or recirc pump.

Fill up the fuel tanks and trest with Fuel Stabilizer. A full fuel tank will not cause condensation like a partially filled tank. This will help keep any moisture out of the tanks. I also fill the oil tank to to prevent condensation. Heating and Cooling during the change in temperature will cause condensation.

If you are concerned about mice. What I do is take some rat/mouse poison in pellet form and wrap in aluminum foil. Use 4 to 6 pellets per ball and make same balls or nut sized balls. They carry these back to their nest and consume them. Make sure you do not have kids or pets that will get into area or boat that may consume the small balls. I use these in my boat garage and is the most effective and do not have mice problems anymore. I read this on Pest Management Forum and has been extremely successful for me.

I hate winter! Just bundle up and go fishing! You just need to get a bigger ice auger like a 20' Footer!

[Toypuller]

Pull the speedometer line off the back of the gauge.

Pull any liquid bait (pork, scent, etc.) out of the boat.

[Skeet'r89]

Keep the motor trimmed down so that water does not collect in the lower unit and freeze.

[photocycle]

"Pull the speedometer line off the back of the gauge."

Woah... wut ya mean? Unplug the cable that goes to the speedometer?

[SkeeterJohn]

He means the water pressure gauge.. it has a line running from the motor which contains water..

I hate winter too... all 7 freakin months of it Boat is in storage now and will come out in late april. Then it's only another 2 month wait until the season opens up here


Modified by SkeeterJohn at 1:19 PM 11/5/2008


Modified by SkeeterJohn at 3:28 PM 11/5/2008

[macinckirk]

on that boat you should pulled both the water psi line( clear tube ) and speeddo tube so you don't brake the gauges

[dcbassman]

Here's a better idea than mouth balls. Get yourself some Irish Spring Soap and cut/grate it OVer you carpeting. It keeps the critters away and won't leave the mouth ball smell in your carpet when you remove the cover in the spring. When you pull the boat out in the spring you can either use a shop vac or a hose to remove the soap! I've never pulled the lines from the Speedo or the Tach, but I've put a 3 way connector with a drain on my PSI Gauge that I open up for winter storage!

If you cover is tight(won't let water in) I'd put your plug in to keep the mice out. I'd also make sure to brush the snow off so your cover doesn't stretch out too much.

[SkeeterJohn]

My speedo is dead anyways... i always use the gps for speed readings

Try using dryer sheets to keep the mice away...

[Toypuller]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SkeeterJohn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">He means the tach.. it has a line running from the motor which contains water.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Nope, mean the water line to the speedometer. Tach is electric.

[SkeeterJohn]

opps i meant the water pressure gauge.

[photocycle]

Does anyone have any pictures or would be nice enough to take some of the tach cable and where I can disconnect it at?

Thanks!

[SkeeterJohn]

You should see a tube going into the water pressure gauge.. it's held on with a small clip.

Ignore the tach it's electronic and was a typo on my part

The speedo i'm not sure about... mine doesn't work and i use my gps for speed anyway.

[photocycle]

^hehe.. yea my speedo doesn't work either, just use the GPS for speed. I'll check behiind the water pressure tach when I get home today and see if I can find this tube.

Thanks!

[blackknife]

my first winter as well...are there any plugs I need to pull out from the lower unit to get any water out of it? I bought fogging oil today, and already have RV antifreeze for the live wells & hoses.

[SkeeterJohn]

You'll have two screws in the lower unit... you'll need to remove the plastic water pickups to reveal the lower screw.

Don't mix the screws up the lower one is magnitized to pick up any filings that rub off into the oil.

- Remove both screws and drain the gear oil
- pump new gear oil in until it comes out of the top hole.
- Replace the top screw (this will hold the oil in)
- Replace the lower magnitized screw.
- You're done.

*Don't forget to used two new round gaskets on the screws.. they're about 50c each but worth it.

If the oil is milky then you had some water in the lower unit... if you have a lot of water you may want to have it checked.

When it comes to the fogging oil all i do is remove the spark plugs... spray for 10-15sec into each cylinder. I replace the plugs and then crank the engine a couple of times with the kill switch off so it doesn't start.

In the spring after the first trip out i'll replace the plugs with some new ones.

This is my first year winterizing a big motor. My last motor was a smaller merc 4-stroke but essentially it's the same process.

Always keep the motor trimmed down when in storage so there's no water that can freeze.

[blackknife]

Thanks John!

[Glenn_S]

I've never disconnected my water pressure guage or speedo and never had a problem with anything freezing.

I use dryer sheets to keep the critters out, and the rig has that fresh washed smell in the spring!

I make sure my batteries are fully charged, and then charge them when I bring it home in the spring.

I have always stored mine in unheated spaces during the winter until this year. Never a problem.

Hey Photocycle, is that the ramp at Medicine Lake? It looks familiar.