Outboard tilted position during winter

[kkilloy]

If a boat is left in the lake in SC during the winter with the engine tilted up, is there any reason to worry about rain water getting in the foot through the prop and freezing? How cold would it have to be for the water to freeze? I have a Yamaha F100, 4 stroke if it matters.<br /><br />Thanks in advance for any opinions,<br /><br />Kevin

 

[Admin5]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

Water will freeze at 32 degrees F. Once in awhile it does get that cold in South Carolina. <br /><br />Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

hello<br /> if I was going to leave it in the lake I would place the lower in a trash bag then tilt it back down. if the lake freezes to that depth we have a lot nore problems than an outboard.

 

[JB]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

I don't really think it would do any harm, Kevin, but I wouldn't recommend it.<br /><br />Though the risk may be small, I remember days in the NC sandhills in my youth when it went below zero for a few days. I would pull the boat and store it with the engine vertical. <br /><br />That's a lot of bux to take chances with.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[ED21]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

Whenever I tilt my Johnson down water always runs out. Besides rain water getting in, their is probably water in there already. I guess the question is will it get cold enough for long enough for any water to freeze & will it cause any damage.

 

[alcan]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

If you are going to use your boat in the winter, as many of us do. The moore it with the motor in the down position, the same in the summmer. Protect your rig from galvanic corrosion and maintain it the same in winter as any other time, with maybe the addition of some heat (via lamp or heater) depending on the type of boat and the need. If you boat was and inboard or an I/O, how would you raise the drive out of the water? You wouldn't. Now if your water is going to freeze over solid for the entire winter, your not going to be using your boat in winter. Better haul it out and dry store it (with the motor down.

 

[swist]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

Up north here no way would you leave the motor up. Frozen rain/snow/water in the exhaust hub can definitely cause damage.<br /><br />There is obviously some point as you move South that it is no longer a concern but I wouldn't want to bet my $2300 outdrive on exactly where that is....

 

[Marc J.]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

I like Rodbolt's suggestion. The previous owner of my boat kept the motor down in the water for what must have been years at a time. I cleaned up the growth on the lower unit with a wire brush and a drill attachment. It obviously never froze but I wonder if the passages in the lower unit are partially constricted with corrosion.

 

[franklina]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

Hi,

My Force 90hp (1990) outboard sits about 5 inches in the water when tilted up. I live in NY and the boat is going to be in the water the whole winter.

I'm need some suggestions how to keep the engine out of the water or how to protect it from the elements. Jet dock etc is too expensive.

I saw a lot of posts here that say to keep the engine down.
That would leave my O/B's lower unit about 4 feet in saltwater the whole winter which I don't think is a good idea.

The post that says to place the engine down in a very thick garbage bag seems like a plan but what happens if the bag leaks or if it rains. Wouldn't water collect in the bottom of the bag and freeze?

When my O/B is lifted it still tilts down about 30 degrees.
Is that good enough to prevent water freezing in the LU?

How about if I leave it up, wrap it in the garbage bag, tie it firmly and maybe pour some antifreeze in the bottom the bag in case any rain gets in.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Abe

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

the number one item is to change the lower unit oil before the first freeze. this a chance to make sure there is no water in the lower unit, that will freeze and crack the case. always lower the motor, so water will drain out the cooling system, before storing. i have made cover for my motors when longtime storing full length. also store with prop off, and shaft greased.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

Except to protect the lower unit from corrosion, putting it in a bag will do nothing to prevent freeze damage. Water expands when it freezes thus putting the big "squeeze" on the lower unit. To compound matters, if there is water in the lower unit, it wants to get out so you have a double whammy. Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees. 12 hours at those temperatures will crack an engine block or any container that contains water. That container can also be your lower unit, prop hub, or impeller housing. There is one thing going for those of you in marginal freeze areas -- that is that if the lower unit is submerged, chances are the water will not freeze to a depth of 18 inches but it might to one or two inches at best so it would be the intermediate housing that takes the forces. Wrapping the intermediate housing with a foam blanket to about one foot deep would provide the necessary cushion. Up here in Minnesota we obviously need to get boats and motors out of the water as we can se -35 degrees F. You could also leave the lower unit down and drop an areator off the back of the boat to keep the water circulating if freezing temps are anticipated. Moving water won't freeze. These are used in cattle tanks and some lakes to keep small areas open to avoid large fish kills from oxygen depleation. Smaller versions of those aerators are available. Of course if shore power is not available that option is out of the question. You might be interested to know that a large school of fish can take out several inches of ice in a short time by simply swirling the warm water beneath the ice. That's one of the reasons why we periodically fall through the ice up here in the tundra -- two feet thick in one spot and 2 inches thick in others.

 

[franklina]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

Thanks for the replies.

The issue is twofold:

1. Making sure that water will not freeze in the LU.

Will this happen with the OB at a 45 degree tilt?
Has someone had experience with this in cold climates?

2. Salt water Corrosion.

I want to keep the O/B totally out of the water, even if I have to put the OB in the down position, to prevent corrosion.

If I really need to keep the OB down and ALSO keep the O/B OUT of the water -- I could try to get a huge plastic garbage can that will fit over the LU in the water. But it dosen't seem certain that even this will protect from freezing.


Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[burroak]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

If a boat is left in the lake in SC during the winter with the engine tilted up, is there any reason to worry about rain water getting in the foot through the prop and freezing? How cold would it have to be for the water to freeze? I have a Yamaha F100, 4 stroke if it matters.<br /><br />Thanks in advance for any opinions,<br /><br />Kevin

Kevin,

Do you have AC electrical service to your boat when it is docked? If so, lower the bottom end into a plastic garbage can and fill with fresh water, drop in a stock tank heater, cover the can as best as possible and plug in the heater as needed.

IMO, if it is not critical to leave the boat in the water, I'd look for a boat lift, ramp, or some means of getting it out of the water when those infrequent cold snaps occur. Murphy's Law will surely get you. To my way of thinking, Murphy was an optimist.

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: Outboard tilted position during winter

kkilloy......If this is a lake, then it must be fresh water, correct? Leaving the engine down will be fine. I would change the L/U oil before winter, to have fresh lube in it and be sure there's no water in the LU, then just leave it down. If the lake never freezes then it will be fine, even if the air temps drop, the water will be warmer than the air.


frankina......your best bet is to drain and re-fill the LU before winter and then leave the engine in the water and get a bubble system if possible, and just deal with lifting the engine and taking a brush to it once every couple of weeks. I leave my boat in Montauk until January and start leaving the engines down in late Nov. I get very minimal growth and the water is warmer than the air. There are at least 10 boats on my canal that are in year round with bubblers.