Winterize splinterize, with an outboard why bother ?

[Clever screen name]

Keep your motor tilted down in the water during freezing temperatures to keep the water pump from icing over. ... Mercury Marine, for example, rates all of its outboards to operate at temperatures as low as zero degrees, just in case you can still find open water when the air is that cold. And a reason to be out there.Oct 18, 2007

Can an outboard motor freeze ? http://www.google.com/search?q=can+a...d+motor+freeze

You make want to make sure yours can't but mine never did all the water drains out.

I thought it was fun taking the boat out in winter in the north east, winter coats , some beers, just be real careful not to fall in, don't drive stupid cause you don't last long in that cold water.

Winter is so boring already, why take the boat out of commission ?

 

[JustJason]

Your post is very generic and misleading. For decades just about every outboard motor was self draining of water, but that is no longer true. Many different makes and models of modern outboards have different types of coolers (fuel and oil) on them that must be properly blown out or else they will freeze and crack.

 

[boobie]

Can you give us a few examples of some ??

 

[flyingscott]

I would not winterize my outboard either if I was going to run it all winter. Lucky you that you can find open water where you are, I am envious.

 

[Watermann]

I don't normally winterize my OB motor as I fish the Columbia River which has only frozen over once in my lifetime and that was in the early 70's.

 

[jimmbo]

If you can run your outboard year round terrific. A lot of boaters do have to do a long term storage and if newer outboards are no longer totally self draining, they need to be prepped for freezing temps. However any outboard laid up for a few months, freezing temps or not, should have fuel stabilizer added and fogging oil applied to protect the internal bearings. I know many will be saying 'I had a engine sit 20 yrs with no fogging and it fired right up'. I guess it is your engine to do what you want. Years from now, I know if I were selling something, I can say with clean conscience to the buyer that it was properly maintained and properly stored.

Get an I/O then you learn what a PITA boating can be when it is 5C(41F) in the daytime and -10C(17F) at night for several weeks