Cold weather outboard questions?

[sfjtm]

This is my first year owning a boat, and I keep it in the water at a slip in the Chesapeake Bay. I'm planning on winterizing it, but want to be able to use it while the fishing is good, up until it gets too cold (center console). I was thinking sometime around the beginning-mid December and was wondering what I need to do to prevent any problems.

From what I've read, people have said that as long as the engine is kept down and is used at least once a week, there won't be any problems. Since I keep my boat in saltwater, I'm not sure if keeping the motor down is a great idea because it defeats the purpose of rinsing the salt out for 10 mins+ everytime I use it during the other times of the year.

What is the best thing to do? Currently the low's have been in the upper 40s, but I want to make sure I do the right thing for when it does get below freezing.

Also, I bought some pink (for potable systems) anti-freeze. How much of this should I pour in my livewell (15 gallon) and freshwater washdown (6 gallon)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

Outboards are self-draining which means all water in them will drain by gravity PROVIDED you lower the engine. If you tilt the engine out of the water, some water can be trapped in the prop hub and exhaust area of the lower unit. Water freezes with tremendous force and since it can bust engine blocks wide open, it would have no trouble at all ventilating the lower unit.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

No such thing as too cold to fish in the Bay unless the skim ice gets too thick and you can't get out of the slip

If your only leaving it in til Mid-December leave your foot down and don't worry about it. The average water temps in November and December is still above 40 degrees so you don't have to worry about any raw water freezing.

The only things I do in while still fishing in December is drain the freshwater washdown and drain the raw water hose at the end of the day so it doesn't freeze on me over night. If it gets really cold as it did a couple of times last year your thermostats may freeze but no problems there. My usally thaw out by the time I get out of the no wake zone.

Once the boat comes out of the slip and back to the house I drain all the hoses and put a cup or two of pink anti-freeze in each of the drains on the boat. Don't forget the cockpit drains and the scuppers. Leave the seacocks to your livewell and raw water washdown open and put the cover on it till early March.

 

[sfjtm]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

Thanks for your responses. So I guess the best thing to do is just keep the engine in the up position, unless the low is in the mid 30's the following morning I'll run down to the marina and lower the engine into the water (just on the days it's supposed to get near freezing)? I just live a few miles from where I keep my boat.

While the boat is still in the water and as long as I use it once a week, everything else is safe? I just want to make sure I don't need to put anti-freeze in anything. I've been empyting the freshwater washdown until no more water comes out of the sprayer. Is that good enough?

I'm going to have a local mechanic winterize my engine. Is there else that I need to do besides what I listed below once the boat has been taken out for dry storage?

* Pour a few ounces of potable anti-freeze in my freshwater washdown, livewell, and drain (runs from back of boat deck to scuppers)
* Remove batteries and leave on a trickle charge in my basement
* Leave center console door and fish well seats open for ventilation
* (going to have the marina shrinkwrap it)

Do I need to pour anti-freeze down in the bottom of my boat where the bildge runs?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

I plan to keep mine in the water all winter, and to lower the motor if it calls for freezing. However my across-the-creek neighbor has left his cocked up no problem for a couple of years. Might just be lucky, though.

You're right that they can't drain if they are up. If you are on a lift you can drop it. I wouldn't leave the motor in the water, though, exzcept for freznig, both due to barnacles and electrolysis.

You can still flush your motor and lower the foot; the primary object of flushing is to clear salt water out of the upper reaches of the motor. The lower unit can handle it. And how do you flush at the pier? If you use the built-in hose connection, you don't run the motor and it only gets the top. If you use muffs, you have to tilt it down anyway, right?

 

[bowman316]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

i think he flushes it by raising the motor, then putting the muffs on, and running the motor while raised?

Is that bad for the motor?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

Thanks for your responses. So I guess the best thing to do is just keep the engine in the up position

Leave it down so the block drains.

 

[tboydva]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

This is a bit of aside, but on really cold days, be careful of ethanol-based fuel. I had ice crystals form (from what I can research) and my outboard wouldn't run (my kicker did TG!). I run (or like to) in the winter. I'm thinking a racor fuel-line heater might be a good addition for cold-weather operation.... Maybe see this thread.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

This is a bit of aside, but on really cold days, be careful of ethanol-based fuel. I had ice crystals form (from what I can research) and my outboard wouldn't run (my kicker did TG!). I run (or like to) in the winter. I'm thinking a racor fuel-line heater might be a good addition for cold-weather operation.... Maybe see this thread.

I run probably 100 hours a year in conditions you described and have never had a fuel line freeze up on me. I?ve had my speedo line freeze and my pisser is typically frozen in the morning but no fuel problems.

Water in solution in E-10 fuel will not freeze until something like - 40 C. If you had a freeze problems it was because you have free water trapped somewhere in your fuel system, most likely in your carburetors.

Using an in-line fuel heater is not the solution. If you have that much free water in your fuel supplies its time to drain the system and start over again.

 

[tboydva]

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

dingbat,

I hear what you're saying. I researched the chemistry because I couldn't believe ice crystals could form in my carbs. All I can say is I use clean, fresh fuel and use dry-gas in every tank. This was a fresh tank and I was running for about an hour before the engine died at idle and would not restart. This day was in the teens and very windy (normally I'd bag on a day like that, but it was a scheduled sampling trip with folks from out of town). I have a colleague who runs a marine operations facility. He's the one that said they've lost their last no-ethanol fuel supplier. It's an issue for the outboard-powered Avons they deploy off their vessels. You're logic makes total sense - cars run fine all winter long in worse conditions, so it's the water. I've gotten a fuel-water separator now (awaiting install). If your car locks up, you call a tow truck. The water is not so forgiving. Having several fail-safes is always my goal. I think new boaters ought to at least beware that ethanol-based fuel is hygroscopic and water-in-fuel can be an issue in very cold weather.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Cold weather outboard questions?

A fuel line can freeze. Keep a spare if you are running small boats and the line is out exposed going from tank to motor. It can especially catch you after the sun goes down and you are getting back from duck hunting.