At what temperature should i winterize my boat

Use it to flush all these systems to clear out the water in the lines and leave a little in the lines in toiled bowls tanks and other areas where water accumulates. This will give you ample time to prepare your pipes for the winter months.

Change oil Filter Fill the tank full of fuel add dry gas storage brand additive flush the engine with fogging oil remove spark plugs hit each cylinder with fogging oil flush your exhaust with anti-freeze place battery on trickle charger for the season.

At what temperature should i winterize my boat. The answer starts with a few key pieces of data. Here is the straight scoop on when to winterize as well as important information on how to extend your boating season. Setting the Date The first step in boat winterizing and this will sound like odd advice is to check with The Old Farmers Almanac.

It has been predicting the weather since 1782 and has a handy breakdown by city. Do you boat in winter. I dont get freezing temps in my garage until the outside temp drops below 10F You should be fine if you keep your doors shut yes park the car outside for a night or 2 if you have to.

Lower the outdrive to drain the water from it. Place a thermometer on the fender of the trailer and keep an eye on it. One thing to keep in mind is that boating in cold water requires greater vigilance and more attention to safety because a person who falls overboard in 40-degree water can be incapacitated in minutes.

But the benefits are huge if you can keep your boating. Winterizing your boat. Seems like a crazy thing to do to me.

But Im kind of lucky in two respects. First I get to keep my boat in. As Ed Sherman makes clear in Winterizing Your Boats Fuel Tank when your boat will sit for more than two months leaving it filled to the brim may do more harm than good.

Instead you may want to run it down as low as possible treat whats left in the tank and fill up with the fresh stuff come next spring. At its most basic winterizing means draining any water aboard or replacing it with enough of the right kind of antifreeze to protect against the lowest temperatures your boat might experience. Freshwater expands in volume by about 9 when it freezes and can push outward with a force of tens of thousands of pounds per square inch.

In most cases the water will not freeze solid leading to cracked engine blocks until the temperatures stay below 32 for several days and nights. This is an average does not guarantee against frostfreeze. Do not play fast and loose with something as expensive as a boat.

A frozen bilge can sink your boat if you leave enough water in it at the end of the season. If through-hulls are in the water and it freezes they can get cracked or damaged - terrible below the waterline. If your boat has a hull plug for draining ice in the bilge this could force it out or loosen it.

Bilge pumps in frozen water do not fair well. Ethyl alcohol-based products are corrosive especially to rubbers which will eat away at your rubber hoses seals and gaskets. Propylene glycol will lubricate and coat the inside of your engine and hoses to prevent them from any corrosion over the winter.

Marine anti-freeze is good for up to -50 degrees Fahrenheit. Winterizing a Marine Battery. Just like when you winterize your boat motor you should also winterize your battery.

Look for damage Inspect the battery case for cracks and any other signs of damage. If the battery case does have a crack you should replace the battery. In many areas of the country youll want to winterize a boat before freezing temperatures set in.

Deciding on an option for boat storage is only the first step in preparing your pride and joy for its winter slumber. Even if you use your boat all winter longa practice we most certainly endorsethere are some systems and items aboard that. 3 Drain the engine block and manifolds and fill the engine with anti-freeze.

4 Drain the lower unit gear oil and refill with fresh oil stern drives only 5 Grease all external fillings on stern drives. 6 Disconnect the batterybatteries and store somewhere warm. 7 Cover your boat.

Before you start the winterizing procedure build a boat winterizing kit pick up a few gallons of RV antifreeze a can of fogging oil motor oil an oil filter lower-unit lube and drain plug gaskets an oil suction pump and a lower-unit lube injection pump. Then gather up your screwdrivers sockets and combination wrenches. As a general rule of thumb you should not leave your boat in the water through the winter months if you live on a coast with notoriously brutal winters.

In areas where the temperature gets extremely low and stays low for long periods of time winterizing your boat may not be enough to keep it safe. Thus it is important that you remove your boat battery before you put the boat in storage. To prevent it from freezing over in the winter keep the battery charged through the winter.

It is a good idea to place it in a cool place that does not fall below freezing temperatures. Oct 19 2017. Hey Just winterized my jet boat.

If BRP Rotex engines. Change oil Filter Fill the tank full of fuel add dry gas storage brand additive flush the engine with fogging oil remove spark plugs hit each cylinder with fogging oil flush your exhaust with anti-freeze place battery on trickle charger for the season. Before you stored your boat away for the winter you should have hopefully drained the cooling system.

This prevents the coolant line from freezing and causing you issues in Spring. When it comes down to how dewinterize a boat check the cooling systems hoses for holes and cracks and dont forget to empty the strainer too. Updated weather report says it is only supposed to get down to 34 now so its not quite as bad.

Ive heard mixed stories as far as winterizing goes in my area of Texas. A friend of mine owned a Malibu Wakesetter inboard for 5 years and said he never winterized it. The inexpensive -50F burst rated pink RV antifreeze works well in household systems and winterizing the engine.

Use it to flush all these systems to clear out the water in the lines and leave a little in the lines in toiled bowls tanks and other areas where water accumulates. To do a complete winterization you MUST be able to run the engine and bring it up to operating temperature. To do this your boat must be in the water or be attached to a water supply via a hose and suitable adaptor that will allow an uninterrupted supply of water to the engine.

Winterizing is about preventive maintenance and the steps needed for proper storage and where and how you choose to store your watercraft will vary depending on temperature exposure weather duration of storage etc. Non-use can be damaging if specific procedures and maintenance products are not used leaving you on the shore next spring. As a result you should start to prepare for the winter months once the temperature gets to around 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

This will give you ample time to prepare your pipes for the winter months. This way you wont risk being too late and your pipes wont freeze.