Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

[scanman]

I've always heard to store it down, so water won't collect in the foot & rust the seals. What do ya'll think.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Down it is.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Seated on a stand or at transom and definitely down.

Happy Boating

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Up all summer because I am lazy and don't want to remove the transom saver and unhook the boat. Down in the winter to drain the water out. When down the skeg will hit the ground unless i remove the trailer from the truck and let the jack down. I leave my boat connected to the truck in my garage most of the time.

 

[Philster]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

In summer, it gets drained, then I don't much care if I decide the slap the transom saver on 'er til next trip.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

I've always heard to store it down, so water won't collect in the foot & rust the seals. What do ya'll think.

water won't rust the seals. In fact, rust forms more in the air than underwater. The problem with water collecting in the foot is when it freezes and cracks.

In many many previous discussions on this point, in addition to freeze damage, the carbs and similar parts drain better when it's down.

However, for all of us who leave the boat in the water (mine is year round) it has to stay up due to barnacles, except during occasional freezing weather. No apparent harm done. But for my boats on the trailer, they stay down. Anyway I voted "up" on behalf of those who moor/slip their boats.

 

[scanman]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

I'm not lazy, but George has a point. My E60 skeg hits the ground with the trailer unhooked & jack down. The coupler is 2" from the ground. It's not a perfect rig, it's a practice rig. The trailer needs work, too. I was really askin 'cause my dad taught me.
In North MS, It froze every year. I hadn't thought of that since I moved to the MS Gulf Coast. Carbs do drain better though.
I didn't consider the saltwater, year round mooring, freeezing weather, either. It seems that it depends, mostly, on the conditions I'm dealing with and the maintenence I'm willing to do. Since I AM from MS, I have to ask this question.

Since my skeg hits the ground, and it dosen't freeze much here, can't I just throw a BUCKET over it!?!

 

[R Socey]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Down is what I was taught.

 

[RMasters]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

I would say it depends on the motor and setup.

In the manual of my motor it states to insert a support bar into the trim mount, and then lower the motor till the "catch" hooks rest on the support bar, and to leave it like this.

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

I have a pontoon so its allways down anyway-

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Down and hard to port. Helps blocking out the feral cats!

 

[catfish58]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

I always store mine down with the bow as low as it will go. Since it is in the garage I don't have to worry about rain water in the bilge. (Except when a tornado took off part of the roof on april,27,2011.)

 

[crb478]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Out of the water on the trailer down, In the water up so the foot doesn't get nasty.

 

[twebb]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

down all the time

 

[roger56]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Down on Pontoon(Cubtoon) all the time

 

[5150abf]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

I keep mine down but only because it won't fit in the garage up but you should keep it down, the lower will drain and the carbs won't and I am pretty sure seals are made with stainless, never seen one rust.

 

[Davem3]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

i was always taught down, unless mooring at a slip,mine is a driveway creature, so it stays down, or on the stand

 

[yaltasydney]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Glad someone asked, was curious about this and now after reading will be storing it down from now on in the driveway. Have I been doing any damage storing it raised up? Am curious because there is a holding arm for the engine to sit on - or is this just for transit?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

The one we have sits in the water for 5 months a year - with the motor up. Not sure why it would matter in non freezing temps, every boat on the lake that is not on a shore station has the motor up when docked.

 

[saxrulez]

Re: Do you store your outboard motor up or down?

Mine stays up. My boat is garage kept in an insulated garage. Even during the winter, my garage stays well above freezing. With that said though, I leave it down during the winter just in case.

I can't see there being any difference during the warm months. Every boat in a slip anywhere leaves it up from spring through winter.

I take the boat out 2-3 times a week during the warm months. Saves me some hassle from having to tilt it up every other day before I take it out.