Winterization has begun

[FreeBeeTony]

Changed the oil last w/e and am pulling the boat from the water this morning, as soon as my son gets outa bed!!

Not bad of a season......had to replace batteries, starter slave solenoid, and now the alternator failed..........I'm not complaining, nothing catastrophic!!

Just hate winterization more and more each year!!

 

[twostroke87]

Re: Winterization has begun

any specific parts you hate?

 

[ziggy]

Re: Winterization has begun

for me

any specific parts you hate?

trailer wheel brg. repack.
i got a white rock driveway. most uneven. gotta shim up to even jack it up. then the water resistant grease that don't come off yer hands.... what a mess.

well, that's my least desirable job at end of season anyways..

second comes waxing. highly time consuming plus laying on my back in my white rock driveway, waxing the bottom of the hull with the trailer axle in my ear ain't much fun either..

do what ya gotta do though...

 

[Don S]

Re: Winterization has begun

Just hate winterization more and more each year!!

Just out of curiosity Tony, how does winterizing compare to spending the winter months engine rebuilding and replacement and then it doesn't work as expected.

 

['83Crestliner]

Re: Winterization has begun

Have never done it before. This will be my first year. You guys really give me a lot to look forward too

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Winterization has begun

Just out of curiosity Tony, how does winterizing compare to spending the winter months engine rebuilding and replacement and then it doesn't work as expected.

Don, are you speaking of years gone by? If so, then yes, this is much easier......

The only possible problem I saw yesterday was when I disconnected the remore oil/lube feed to the top/vent on the outdrive......usually have oil come out, this year there was nothing. Before I drain the outdrive I plan on removing the top cap just to see how much gear oil is in there.

Also, guess I did a good job on the bellows...........nice and dry in there!!

 

[Don S]

Re: Winterization has begun

Don, are you speaking of years gone by? If so, then yes, this is much easier......

Yeah, that's what I was referring to.

If you pull that top cap, just be sure to put a new oring on it. It's a thin oring to begin with, and you really don't want it to leak.
Did gear lube leak out of the hose when you took it off? Reason I ask, is the Hi Performance gear lube additives can sink to the bottom of the reservoir and possibly block the tube to the drive. That reservoir needs removed and cleaned yearly to keep the sludge out of it.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Winterization has begun

Good point but yes, gear oil did leak out of the tube, however, it was slow.

Already thought about the seal but thanks for the reminder.

Guess the lube wasn't too low........didn't sieze........

 

[Lou C]

Re: Winterization has begun

I did mine last weekend, they were predicting a freeze warning but where I am on the North Shore it never gets as cold as inland, always a few degrees warmer because we are only 350 ft from salt water...
On my boat the main nuisance of doing it is having to remove the rear seats (big sun pad, fill width seat, wood bulkheads etc) once that's out of the way, the access is very good, I can get at all the drains, oil filter, etc with a bit of stretching but not too bad...
I see boats still out on the moorings, and my fingers hurt thinking about winterizing them when it really gets cold in Nov, I never understood the logic of letting the boat sit in the water, you're not using it and not pulling it to winterize it on a nice 65* October day...

 

[dubs283]

Re: Winterization has begun

I never understood the logic of letting the boat sit in the water, you're not using it and not pulling it to winterize it on a nice 65* October day...

most people don't winterize their own boats, so if they didn't make an appointment to have it done early enough, they are gonna have to wait

some folks like to keep their boats in late so if they have it stored somewhere, they are the first ones out in the spring

some folks just don't realize that, yes it gets cold in november and they have to get the boat ready - it happens every year - and if they wait too long, the only pain their fingers feel is cramps from writing huge checks for repairs

also - wave action on the water will help keep water inside the boat from freezing - for a bit and if it doesn't get too cold!!

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Re: Winterization has begun

Pulled the top cap off last night........oil level was just below the vent screw.

Guess I will be removing the remore container and cleaning it.....