Winterizing -- or not?

Ghostprof

Active Member
I have a brand new 25hp 4-stroke Yamaha bolted onto the back of my lil ol' Lifetimer. I was thinking of getting it properly winterized, but we may want to use it over the winter -- winter springs, etc. -- so I'm not sure. But as it's bolted onto the boat, I can't take it off and store it inside like I used to do with my other outboard. So: what is the best way to keep it safe over the winter if I can't bring it inside and might not want to fog it, etc. for a full winterize? I've already put stabilizer in the gas tank, but how do I make sure, for example, that any water in the cooling system won't freeze and crack something? (Sorry for the question -- not very knowledgable about motors.)
 
dont bother. ive kept my motors outside for years including yammys, mercs and hondas with no issues. and no i dont winterize. just drain the fuel into your car and do a oil change before december and youre ok.
 
Similar situation for me with a newer 30HP Yammy. Never winterized. Use it a couple times a month and you’re fine. After you flush it after use, keep the motor down for a bit to make sure all the water is drained out. Started using Salt Away as well as I don’t use mine as often as previous years. I also bought a motor cover and also made sure the boat is properly covered outside with a boat cover. If there’s ever a nice day, I pop the shroud off and check things over and make there’s no moisture/corrosion happening. Clean and put dielectric grease over your battery connection as well.
 
I’ve never winterized my 90 merc outboard. If leaving it with freezing temps coming up I’ve been told to dry fire it for a few seconds to push out any water. And leave motor trimmed down as said in earlier post when storing.(I also use it periodically throughout the winter to fish/prawn) Disconnect battery too if not using for extended period.
 
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Putting a quality fuel stabiliser in your fuel tank along with some "ring free" is the easiest thing to do. As your Yamaha is new, make sure you do your 20 hr service before putting it away (replace engine oil and filter, replace leg oil etc.). Before parking it and after doing your engine flush, tilt your engine up, letting it it sit in the raised position for a minute or so and then tilt back down to vertical to make sure any water caught in nooks and crannies has a chance to drain. It seems that you live close to the ocean, so freezing temperatures are not a constant. If you are concerned you can wrap the leg in water pipe tape for those cold times. Nobody wants to spend hours preparing the boat to go winter spring fishing, so simply disconnect the ground wires on your battery, and give it a charge before storage, you should only need to connect it back up to be ready to go. If you have a spin on water/fuel filter, replace it (water will freeze if there is any in the bottom).
The only other thing I might suggest is to make sure the motor is secured against theft, four bolts and a few wires etc are no problem for a thief.
 
Thanks everyone -- I'll get on the few extra recommendations today and hopefully we'll be good for the winter.
 
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