Winterizing - What do you do

Live 2 fish

Active Member
I am thinking I might put the boat away for the winter this weekend. Pretty simple since its a smaller CC.

What do you guys do for EFI fourstrokes? I've only ever had to winterize old two strokes and smaller kicker.

Was planning to add some stabilizer to the fuel, top up tank and give engine a good run.

Thanks,

L2F
 
Will be doing same here shortly. Waiting for snow to stop. my winter routine:

Run a good dose of fuel stabilizer thru
fog
Oil change
Leg oil drain and change
Grease points on motors
Scrub and check zincs
Antifreeze thru wash down pumps, make sure all water drained out
Disconnect batts and bring inside for trickle charging
 
do a 1/2 hr freshwater lake run on main+ kicker at wot, drain fuel from tanks. motor service in spring.
 
Yep stabilize the fuel and run it once a month until up to temp...keeps good oil coating on cylinders all bearings and keeps seals from drying out
 
All above and if you are somewhere where it snows and freeze make sure leg is down all the way to let water all drain out and not fill up again from snow and rain.
 
Using it is best way to winterize. Leaving boats on trailers dormant is hard on them. I know it doesn't work for everyone.
 
Oh forgot to add if your not using change if needed and re grease all your trailer bearings. If you have any water that has reached behind your seals you will be in for surprise in spring.
 
Salt- a -way flush the engine 20 minutes. Plug out with big note “plugs out” on dash. And all the above.

Here's a quick question on Salt a way...how long should we run it on flush for? I've read conflicting reports, whats everyone doing for duration before switching over to straight water?

I have a valve installed in my raw water hose and I connect my salt a way inline. All good but that junk makes bubbles like center stage at the drake haha
 
Using it is best way to winterize. Leaving boats on trailers dormant is hard on them. I know it doesn't work for everyone.

No disrespect intended but I always laugh when I read this. Sorry but nothing wears out sitting there it only wears out when its being used. Yah seals eventually can dry if not looked after but in reality and in general mechanical terms it’s a false statement. You could fog an engine when it had 100 hours on it, park it for 20 years and after 20 years it would still only have 100 hours on it and be in the same mechanical shape it was in when parked. And that’s a true fact.
 
Winterizing first me is easy. Put fuel conditioner in last trip out for the year on fresh water. Put in the shop, set temp to 12 deg,, done. Polish and shine over winter lol.

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Do the little jobs you've been meaning to take care of, or take it to the shop and have it done. Always a gong show at the marinas in spring as everyone wants to get on the water at once. Same deal if you're a DIYer, when that first sunny weekend comes, wouldn't you rather just go fishing instead of a bunch of maintenance items? Change the leg oil now.
 
Here's a quick question on Salt a way...how long should we run it on flush for? I've read conflicting reports, whats everyone doing for duration before switching over to straight water?

I have a valve installed in my raw water hose and I connect my salt a way inline. All good but that junk makes bubbles like center stage at the drake haha

I fill the bowl up (they usually supply a hose connector kit with the salt-a-way that includes a bowl you fill). They say to run it 5 minutes. I run it for 20 minutes only because it takes that long for the bowl to empty.
 
No disrespect intended but I always laugh when I read this. Sorry but nothing wears out sitting there it only wears out when its being used. Yah seals eventually can dry if not looked after but in reality and in general mechanical terms it’s a false statement. You could fog an engine when it had 100 hours on it, park it for 20 years and after 20 years it would still only have 100 hours on it and be in the same mechanical shape it was in when parked. And that’s a true fact.

You have brand new boat? Practically brand new sitting in enclosed garage in Alberta, and dipped in salt like twice year on your trips. That is 10% of us. 90% most likely have in under shelter or driveway. It's damp out here year round, and hard on people that just leave there boats and walk away. From my experience I always have more issues with a boat that sits. Any boat I have owned been this way. Mechanical things like to be run.

If you have to winterize than do above, but it's much better to take it out if you can.
 
You have brand new boat? Practically brand new sitting in enclosed garage in Alberta, and dipped in salt like twice year on your trips. That is 10% of us. 90% most likely have in under shelter or driveway. It's damp out here year round, and hard on people that just leave there boats and walk away. From my experience I always have more issues with a boat that sits. Any boat I have owned been this way. Mechanical things like to be run.

If you have to winterize than do above, but it's much better to take it out if you can.

Well that’s true now spring but it hasn’t always been that way for me nor is it that way for everybody out here and there are a crap load of boats in this part of the world. 90% of those boats sit idle outside not used for 6 months of the year or more. But that’s irrelevant to the fact that nothing wears out sitting there it’s impossible to do,, it can only wear out by being used. I don’t care if it’s a boats or a vehicle or a piece of equipment. I’ve stated before I’m a 3 rd generation equipment man, that’s all my family knows so if there’s one thing I understand it’s mechanics and iron and engines. Doesn’t matter what that engine sits on or what those seals or bearings are in, same principle applies.
But this is just my opinion.

PS.
My post on my winterizing was just a bit of a rub and certainly not meant to apply to everyone. Anyone leaving a boat outside or running an older boat certainly needs to do more than what I have to do but that’s not what I was trying to make a point about.
 
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Pre
I fill the bowl up (they usually supply a hose connector kit with the salt-a-way that includes a bowl you fill). They say to run it 5 minutes. I run it for 20 minutes only because it takes that long for the bowl to empty.
Pretty sure the instructions say to run motor until up to temp, then turn on salt away until the foam appears :)20-:30 secs), then turn off the motor.
 
Pre

Pretty sure the instructions say to run motor until up to temp, then turn on salt away until the foam appears :)20-:30 secs), then turn off the motor.
Sorry, i said run, i should have qualified that, not starting motor just using the flushing port . Running saltaway thru the flushing port.
 
I fill the bowl up (they usually supply a hose connector kit with the salt-a-way that includes a bowl you fill). They say to run it 5 minutes. I run it for 20 minutes only because it takes that long for the bowl to empty.
yeah I do the same but did it 2 times this last time and put it under shed (leg down LOL) my mechanic asked whats this blue **** in exhaust??? LOL LOL
when we took leg off in spring told him about the salt away he did say well looks like it works .. As i flush my engine after every use as I have a special fitting that takes like 5 second to hool up and then clean boat etc while its on...
 
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