Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

[greenjeans]

Howdy folks,

Traded an old CB750 for a 95 Bayliner last week. It has a Force 120OB. Boat is in great shape - was stored in a garage and was maintained pretty well for the most part.
I've put a new impellor on it and changed fluids - all the routine maintenance stuff. I have a few questions -

When I get back from the lake, I hose off the exterior of the boat and dry off the seats. I loosen the straps on the back and the winch & take out the drain plug.

Should I keep the motor up or down between uses ? Does it matter ?

Should I run the water hose through the bottom with muffs or anything ?

Any tips or tricks greatly appreciated

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

Keep the motor down to let the water drain out.

Where you're located and whether it's fresh or salt water makes a big difference here. If fresh water, I see no need for flushing. Make sure the trailer is cranked up a bit in the front so any water that may have accumulated in the hull can drain out.

 

[109jb]

Re: Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

^^^^agreed^^^^

However, whether you can leave the OB down can depend on the trailer setup. My boat sits pretty low on the trailer and I have to keep the OB up to be able to raise the front of the boat so the hull can drain. What I do is at the ramp, I lower the OB as low as it can go and let the water drain out of the motor. I raise the OB before going home, and at home I just raise the bow of the boat with the plug out. This is fresh water mind you. If salt water then I would flush the motor with fresh water at home before putting it away. Also, for winter storage, if you are in a climate cold enough to freeze, you should have the motor down. On my boat I drive the trailer up on some car ramps and I have a wood box basically to put under the jack for winter storage so that I can keep the motor down and bow up.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

Are you keeping your boat in a garage? If not you need to cover it after each use to keep storm water out of it and UV break down of your vinyl and such.

 

[greenjeans]

Re: Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

Yep - I alwasy cover it. It came with a really nice cover. Summer, I plan to store it outside under a shade cover.
Winter, I can roll into the shop.

 

[haley]

Re: Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

I just purchased a float charger for my battery. I will move battery to basement (I think) for winter. But in between uses I want to keep the battery ready to go. When I am on the lake the motor is on about a third of the time - otherwise we are swimming, fishing, etc. I was not sure if the usage was enough to re-charge the battery.

jh

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Newbie with some launching and inbetween use storage questions.

Third of the time is plenty to charge the battery, but there's nothing wrong with putting it on a battery tender either.