Re: Carbs
What kind of motor do you have? I/O's and outboards are set up for winter a bit differently.
"Getting your carbs done" usually refers to having them cleaned out, or serviced prior to spring commissioning. It is not totally necessary if the motor is set up properly for winter. As far as winterizing goes, it is very important to prevent the negative effects ethanol has on engines, specifically carburetors, when it phase separates from the gasoline. This happens for a number of reasons, one of them exposure to cold/freezing temperatures.
Regardless of where you use the boat, if the gas you put in it is E-10 (blended with 10% ethanol) you should be using Sta-bil or Startron or some other kind of fuel stabilizer to prevent phase separation. This way your carbs should not suffer from ethanol's negative aspects.
I have a two stroke engine so this is how I winterize it. I take a small 6 gallon portable tank and fill it with 2? gallons of gas, a pint of 2 cycle oil, a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil and a pint of Sta-bil. Mix it up nice and run the engine on that tank for about five to ten minutes, in the water at idle preferably but on rabbit ears if necessary. Once the motor starts to smoke real good you're done with "fogging." Shut down the engine, disconnect the fuel line from the tank and start it up again. Let it run until it sputters out. This should use up most if not all the gas in the carb floats and the lines. Any that is left will have plenty of oil and sta-bil mixed in to prevent phase separation.
The main tank on your boat should also have plenty of sta-bil in it if you've been adding it all season long. To set up the main tank for winter most manufacturers recommend filling the tank rather than leaving it empty. Obviously if you are running a four stroke you won't want to put any 2 cycle in that mixture but the Marvel won't hurt and neither will the Sta-bil.
