Fall is here in SC - winterize or not?

[osuart]

Morning all,

Heated topic and looking for anyone in my region to robust feedback.

Recently moved down from the Midwest to the Charlotte area and need advise. I store my 192 out of water in an enclosed storage unit. (Not temp controlled)

Wondering what steps others have taken to protect their investment in this climate for the winter. Unlikely to take it out in the winter months but you never know.

Appreciate the help!
Justin

 

[mwalker4]

Previously lived in the region, freezing is freezing and a unheated storage facility in Charlotte will get below freezing. So nothing changes from the Midwest from that perspective. You have longer season so less need to fog.

 

[Hal G.]

I live in Lexington SC and my boat stays on the lift year round. I guess you can call it winterizing. I treat my fuel since I don’t run it as much in the winter and I do run antifreeze thru the flushing port when the temp starts to drop down just to get it in the Intercooler so the water that does get trapped in there don’t freeze. But that’s all I do.

 

[grywlfbg]

Here in OK, boat sits on a lift all winter. It does freeze here but rarely stays below freezing for more than a day or so. Winter here is typically 40's during the day and 30's at night.

I just blow out the water boxes, pull the clean out plugs (leave them sitting sideways on top of the ports), add Stabil, and fill the fuel tank (I only use non-ethanol fuel). I already have a 2-bank Noco charger to maintain the battery. If fully charged, lead acid batteries can survive extremely low temperatures (-92F when full vs -16F at 40% SOC and 20F at 0% SOC).

 

[IvanRZB]

I'm in Raleigh so not too far from you. My winterizing routine is what @grywlfbg said in his post above, I would only add some simple stuff

- Damp Rid container in storage compartments
- Trailer on stands to avoid tire flat spots

I don't do antifreeze, but opinions vary on this one. I know guys who do because it's cheap and easy. Reality is that we don't get sustained freezes here--just have a look at all the houses in this area built on crawl spaces with water piping under the house.

I also skip fogging, that's another debatable one. I asked the dealer about it, and they said "Of course you should fog the engine, bring her down and we'll take care of it". It's a bit like when my car's manual says I can go 7,500 miles between oil changes but the guy selling oil changes tells me it has to be every 3,000.

 

[Peter simon]

In charlotte as well. Blow out whatever water i can with the engine. Open the clean out as this will stick if you leave it in. Stabil for the fuel. You will probably get to use it a few times through the winter. I use my boat about once a month when we have a 50 degree sunny day.

 

[sikm3]

I'm in the Mid-Atlantic. I treat the fuel with stabilizer and clean the boat (wash and wax) thoroughly. I flush the engine with fresh water to get rid of any lake water in the cooling system. I remove the clean out plug, grease it and drop it in a ziplock bag which I then keep indoors.

Inside the boat, I create a few air gaps under the cushions, throw a few damp rid buckets in the boat then cover. In the Spring, I change oil, spark plugs and grease.

 

[mike220022]

I was told yesterday by my dealer that Yamaha boats require nothing to be winterized. He said they are fully self draining boats but as a piece of mind you can dry start it and rev the engine for a second, let it run for 20 to 30 seconds max then turn it off and youre done. He said the boat will do percectly fine through the winter and if you catch a nice sunny warmer day in the winter can take it out and enjoy at any time.

 

[212s]

I was told yesterday by my dealer that Yamaha boats require nothing to be winterized. He said they are fully self draining boats but as a piece of mind you can dry start it and rev the engine for a second, let it run for 20 to 30 seconds max then turn it off and youre done. He said the boat will do percectly fine through the winter and if you catch a nice sunny warmer day in the winter can take it out and enjoy at any time.

Manual states to not run the engines longer than 15 seconds without cooling water. You just need to start them when they're warm like after a day on the water, rev them twice quickly to 3000-4000rpm max to blast water out of the exhaust cooling boxes, and you're good. I have a compressor and 1 foot hose with adaptor so I can put some air through the water lines to ensure they're cleared out and that's it. I have an onboard charger for the batteries, will add damp rid, cover it, and it's parked till spring.

PS Of course pull all the plugs so it can drain if water gets in, and pull the cleanouts and spray with silicone lube.

 

[212s]

I don't plan to do this till next week though as it's expected to hit mid 60's next weekend. I already have Stabil in the fuel lines so just top up as needed and done.