Daily Archives: November 15, 2012

For many this time of the year is time to winterize and secure the boat until spring. The term winterize is a very general term and can mean many different things depending on the product being considered. For example winterizing an inboard/outboard is different from winterizing an outboard engine and an inboard/outboard that is fresh water cooled is different from one that is raw water cooled. So first learn and understand exactly what you have.

If you are planning to do your own work make sure you know your product. Consult your owners manual, many are now available for download if you do not have a hard copy. If you are unsure, do yourself a favor and take your boat to a reputable service dealer and have it taken care of properly. Some basics to consider:

Protection from freezing- anywhere water can collect is obviously a problem, use common sense –drain freshwater tanks or protect with proper antifreeze, check all compartments and make sure they can drain, when the boat is hauled and blocked or on the trailer remove the drain plug from the boat.

Protect your engine – Inboard/Outboards will freeze, if yours is freshwater cooled make sure the antifreeze is at proper strength, a raw water engine should be flushed and protected with antifreeze or at minimum drained of any water. Outboards should be stored vertically if possible as water will drain from the power head.

Don’t forget your fuel system! We see more fuel related problems than any other issue. Most manufactures today recommend removing fuel from the tank if possible. Even with stabilizer today’s fuels do not have a great shelf life, this is especially true when the fuel sits in small areas like a carburetor. In this environment: small volume, exposure to air and temperature variation fuel will break down rapidly.

We stock winterizing products from Yamaha, Honda, BRP, Suzuki and many aftermarket suppliers. Stop in as many items are on special for the do it yourselfer. Items like Yamaha Ring Free, Yamaha Fogging Oil, Combustion Chamber Cleaner, all Yamalube products both 4M and 2M even Yamaha oil change kits. Bulk Yamalube, just bring in your container and save! We stock Honda fuel stabilizer- one quart treats 320 gallons of fuel- an excellent solution to the problems created by ethanol. Other fuel stabilizers like PRI-G and K-100. BG fuel products like 44K. Gear case lube from Yamaha, BRP, Honda and Mercury, even gearlube pumps for the do-it yourselfer.

Hope to see you in the store!