Steps for Winterizing above freezing?

[MicahH]

Hey JBs. I've always kept my old boat outdoors covered in the winter and had it winterized. This year I'll be keeping my new AR240 indoors...

What needs to be done for winterizing if I'm storing in a climate controlled environment?
-oil change
-pull batteries
-fuel stabilizer
...anything else?

Thanks!

 

[sstegh]

I would fog the cylinders too, other than that you're lost looks good. Maybe add a line that says park my boat next to yours...

 

[Bruce]

Our boat lives in our basement garage. It is not heated or cooled but is unlikely to drop below 50.

Oil change in the fall vs springs is a matter of preference. More owners choose the fall. I change the far from used up oil and spark plugs in the spring.

Can you connect a battery maintainer? If not switch the batteries off and there will be no need to pull them.

I add fuel stabilizer to the last tank of the year. There is no need to fill the tank if you are storing in a temperature controlled environment. The reason for filling the tank is to reduce the amount of air in the tank which will condense and suck in moist air from outside as it cools. If the boat is going through many heat and cool cycles it may suck in a meaningful amount of water vapor. In a temperature controlled environment the amount water sucked in will be minimal.

 

[NewBoater]

Would you say in a garage would be temperature controlled enough? Our garage is never freezing like it is outside in the winter but it does not have heaters.

 

[Bruce]

Would you say in a garage would be temperature controlled enough? Our garage is never freezing like it is outside in the winter but it does not have heaters.

Anything above freezing reduces the amount of winterization needed.

 

[NewBoater]

Mines already in the garage so was hoping to skip the fogging. Oil change was done 2 months ago at 20 hours and we are at 50 (after a boat trip for a week using it a lot).

Hoping I can just get away with the stabilizer and no fogging or oil change since one was just done a few months ago.

Also I guess everyone's battery has the twist knob to turn it off and on or did the boatel install it special on my boat? Can I just turn it to red (off) and not pull battery or any maintainer or anything?

Thanks

 

[Bruce]

I start the engines for perhaps a minute every month or so to let the oil circulate instead of fogging. If you do that you will want to have a battery charger to recharge the battery and be prepare for water to come out of the exhaust. I have plenty of length in my garage for any water trapped in the exhaust to end up on the floor instead of on the wall.

The issue with the battery is that you want to avoid it discharging. If it discharges more than 50% it will be damaged. If it is disconnected or switched off and not exposed to extreme temperatures it should be able to sit for a year or more without harm.

 

[NewBoater]

Awesome thanks for the tips. I think the switch on the battery turning it off I should be good for the winter (hopefully). Do you connect water to the flush port when running for a minute or run it dry for 1 min?

 

[Bruce]

Do you connect water to the flush port when running for a minute or run it dry for 1 min?

The water is only for cooling. The engine will not overheat if run at idle for a minute or two without the hose. If you rev the engine you will be spraying the water that is trapped in the exhaust.

It would be better to take the boat outside and run for a longer period on the hose. But a short run without the hose makes me comfortable.

 

[MicahH]

Great info guys! I'll do all of that...including the additional line!. I will have the oil changed again even though I just had my 10hr break in change like a month ago. That way all the contaminated oil doesn't sit over the winter...it's worth the risk to pony up a couple bucks for the change it will need anyway this spring. Don't know that I'll be able to get in and start up every month, is fogging necessary?