Boat Help

Greetings,

Purchased a used boat in July . Went for a test run,been sitting since.

( no Time ) Can I store for winter in ( non heated garage ) without winterizing ? Can I do the following things:

1)  Lower motors and let drain  ( 90hp evinrude 2 stroke 96 yr)

9.9 nissan 4 stroke 

2) Refill in spring

3) Add fuel stabilize ( what is a good one)

4)  Can i leave batteries 3  and put charger on a timer for 4 hrs a day

Any other tips would be Great also leave cover on or off ??

Thanks in Advance !!!!

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Some guys run RV antifreeze through their bildge pump, live well, and bait well...

I’ve never done that before, and have not had any issues, however it certainly can’t hurt anything, and may help...

I’ve had many different brands of boats over the years, yes even Rangers. I winterized the Ranger just like a Mirrocraft.

I have never taken my batteries out of a boat, ever. Charge them fully, top them off with distilled water and charge again, disconnect the cables and leave them in the boat.

Question, what's up with the RV antifreeze ?  I have been doing my old 15ft a certain way for years and it's been good , but now because I have ,my ranger which is a lot newer , I wonder if I am doing enough, I fog motor since I still have a 2 stroke on the back, will change lower unit and refill before I take it to storage,  I cant plug onboard charger in since boats off site , I use to take batteries out of old boat and store inside,  I might do that again with this one since I now have three batteries.  Your thoughts on the antifreeze ? 

For me:

*Full tank of gas (to prevent condensation) along with a full can of Seafoam

*Drain / change oil in lower unit

*Fog cylinders

*Put steel wool in the exhaust port by the prop (one year had a mouse crawl up the exhaust and make a nest filled with bird seed)

*Put lavender deodorizer all over the place in the boat (cheap and potent stuff available at Mendards) mice can’t stand the strong odor, and they leave your boat alone

I do one other thing. I pull the prop on both motors and inspect for line wrapped around the shaft. I find some more often then you would expect.

Schweee ...........I think I will try in Sell It   (LOL)

Thank All of you for your detailed reports, and taking the time to do so.I will use alittle of everyones suggestions. 

Thanks Again !!!

Stay Save and Healthy

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I change the lower gear oil, put stabil in the gas and fog the engine. I hook a battery charger up about once a month to top off the batteries. The last two years I completely empty the boat and leave all the compartments open with the cover off, haven't had a problem with mice since. I put some moth balls in the engine under the cowling. 

It only takes a half hour to change the oil and fog the engine. 

Yep same thing every year for me got a 16.5 ft Monark by statecraft 40 hp mercury outboard. I first put stabilizer 360 marine stabill in 13 gallon gas tank run motor for 5 minutes then pull gas line and let it run out of gas.then I drain lower unit and then refill and I add 2 new nylon washers to the lower unit screws and then I spray mercury motor touch up paint on the screws to paint in screws personal choice. Then in unheated garage i put the boat and trailer on 2 Jack stands because I have had tires create a flat spot from sitting on cement for the winter. The flat spot caused the tire tread to separate and tire was junk. I then charge both starting and trolling batteries and store in basement. This has worked flawlessly for 20 years.

All good comments. 

One caution - I've heard people drain the lower unit and leave it empty for the winter. Don't do this. Drain your lower unit and refill before winter. That way if there was any water in the oil you will have fresh additives to help stop corrosion over the winter.

Also I've replace more lower unit than I can remember because they forgot to refill come spring.

If you do not run AGM batteries in your boat don't forget to check the water level. If it is low you need to add distilled water. I have been running non-ethanol gas in my boat forever never added seafoam or any other additive to the gas. Starting a dry motor is the worst thing you could do for a motor impeller.

Activate the kill switch and give each motor like 10 seconds of cranking to clear any water that might be in the water pumps. . Add Seafoam or Stabil Marine to the tanks if not emply. I usually drain my tank for the snow blower over winter and fill with new non-reformulated in Spring. Fog the engine by pulling the plugs, spritz fog in, give it a few cranks, spriitz again and replacing them with the spark plug wires reconnected for spring... lol (experience). Remember to reactivate the kill switches after. If your not sure when the lower unit lube was changed last, it's also a good idea to be fresh for the spring run. Blow out any live well tubes with a leaf blower or recommended, put RV antifreeze up the intakes and down the drains till you see solid pink. I can blow my drain with a leaf blower. Water comes shooting out the back for 10 ft, so have a bucket ready or be outside.

Batteries.: I leave mine in and plug in my onboard charger like once a month overnight. 

This is what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years with zero issues at all. It was suggested by my marine mechanic after I ran into headaches using regular Stabil.

I don’t “winterize” at all. I run Seafoam in my gas towards the end of the year. It stabilizes the fuel.

About once a month I crank the engine over a few times until it fires. Its a direct injected 2 stroke. The idea behind this is to keep the cylinders from drying out. 

I have an on board charger and I plug that in for a few hours once a month on the days I crank the engine.

Trailer is jacked up and jack stands are placed under the frame to get weight off of the springs.

Trolling motor is removed and stored in the house.

Different ideas on what to do for rodent prevention. Some say moth balls, some say just get a cat, some say to use dryer sheets. I use dryer sheets. It won’t keep everything out but it does a good enough job to keep them at bay. My boat has been stored in a shed on a farm where there are plenty of mice roaming around looking for shelter.

In the fall (or spring) when you use your boat and temps could dip below freezing lower your motor all the way and let it drain out after using it. Once it’s done draining raise it all the way up and back down all the way again. Water finds ways to get “trapped” inside. Before putting my boat away I’ll always drop the oil in the lower unit and put fresh stuff in.

You might get many different responses to this and none of them are wrong. I’ve just shared what has worked for me for a decade and a half and it’s what was recommended by a mechanic.