De-winterizing checklist?

[NavyShooter]

Goodday all,

This is my first spring with the boat. We bought our GT187 last spring and it came 'de-winterized' already from the dealer.

Is there a checklist that I should be following to de-winterize it?

Should I hook the battery up to a charger for a while?

Is there anything else I should be doing? Of note, it's been stored in my garage (heated) all winter.

Thanks,

NS

 

[Eric Popper]

Welcome aboard!

Being a Yamaha owner, I can't say specifically what to do to your boat, but in general:

1) Charge battery(s)
2) Make sure oil is fresh and the right quantity
3) Make sure all required safety equipment is aboard and in good working order
4) If you trailer, check all lights, tire pressures, etc....

The required work on a Yamaha to winterize and bring back in the spring is minimal but most of us do quite a bit of work on them to keep things perfect. There are checklists that may be helpful, but Yamaha specific, on the FAQ section of the forum.

Have a great season!

Eric

 

[buckbuck]

Don't forget the keys as you make your way to the launch.

 

[Mainah]

The first step in after buying a new boat, de-winterizing, and for every trip out is the same.

Fill cooler with ice and beer then carry on with the rest.

 

[captras]

This may sound stupid, but I have done it. ....DON'T forget to put your drain plug in!

 

[4x15mph]

Its a fairly new boat so I would go around and check/tighten everything. I would grease the steering and throttle cables and lubricate as needed, including trailer hubs, etc.

Then buy lots of new things for the season! 70 degrees here today

 

[Noko]

I usually get a new wife or GF, but thats just me. If you can get an owners manual or maintenance manual, that would probably have some good tips on getting your boat ready. My suggestion would be to start the boat before you ever put it in the water. Most engines can be run for at least a few seconds or minute with no issues. I don't know about your boat but Yamahas can be run in your driveway with a hose attachment that will keep the engine cool. I know outboards have a similar hose adapter for flushing. I usually crank both my engines in my driveway just to make sure they start. This makes sure all the electrical connections are hooked up right and I haven't screwed up anything from when I put the boat away for the winter. There is nothing more frustrating than getting your boat in the water and it won't start because something is messed up and you have to haul the boat home or try to fix it on the water. If you haven't a battery maintainer, I'd suggest you get one. My boat is plugged in all winter keeping the batteries charged.

 

[cozilla]

I know when you get it out for the first time you are excited and can sometimes forget a few steps in the process. One that I seem to always forget on the first outing is making sure the clean out plugs are in. Gets me every time!

 

[FloJet]

Ya My yammi don't get de-winterize. It's ready to go with a nice quickie sauce wax job, and conditioning sauce down on the seats/cushions. Batteries stay read at all times with on board charger. No prop no problems. 80s this weekend, Lets get this thing started!!

 

[Julian]

What you do in the spring depends on what you did in the fall. Many do both oil and plugs at the same time, and don't fog....so the spring routine is lube connections, load the boat and get the keys!
My spring routine is:

1. Get boat out of storage
2. Do the mods I've dreamt about all winter
3. If I didn't change the oil and plugs in the fall - do that now
4. Clean the boat interior
5. Remove damp rid containers
6. Lube steering and bucket rods again (pull back the rubber boot, wipe grease on the rod, slide boot back on)
7. Load all the essentials back on the boat (at home)
8. Clean all the vinyl with Hot Sauce
9. Put batteries back in boat (ensure fully charged)
10. Test boat starts and electronics all work
11. Check and fill all the tires
12. Ensure the f'ing Keys go to the lake on the first trip (SMH)
13. Make sure your clean out plugs are installed!

 

[FloJet]

Ok so I think we all need to start dumbing things down on this site. I appreciate all the great things I've learned but one thing I find difficult is folks make recommendations/tips to do things but never show pictures. For a Jet boat newbie like me, I start to ask myself when reading this, Where the heck is the steering and bucket rods to grease? I mean I know where some parts are but I don't want to make mistakes. You stated pull back the rubber boot? Rubber boot to what? lol Steering goes all the way from the helm to the back so this can easily be confusing where such maintenance need to take place.

When it comes to engine and electronics, I think just think it would be so helpful with pictures. I don't like reading a book with no pics like a little kid hahaha.

Either way thanks for the great tips.

 

[jameskeller76]

Goodday all,

This is my first spring with the boat. We bought our GT187 last spring and it came 'de-winterized' already from the dealer.

Is there a checklist that I should be following to de-winterize it?

Should I hook the battery up to a charger for a while?

Is there anything else I should be doing? Of note, it's been stored in my garage (heated) all winter.

Thanks,

NS

IMO the musts:
1) Change oil if you didn't before winter/check oil level
2)Charge batteries (mine are on s tender so not needed)
3)Fire up both engines to make sure they are running
4)Check pressure in trailer tires
5)Go boating

Optional:
1) Change spark plugs
2)Grease intermediate bearing
3)Grease other moving parts
4)Clean and wax (yourself and the boat, you want to be presentable)

 

[Julian]

Where the heck is the steering and bucket rods to grease?

Apologies for throwing this out there without photos....but the rods I speak of are above the jet pumps on the back of your boat. There are 4 rods in total, one for each bucket and one for steering on each nozzle. When you find the rod, follow it back up toward the boat and you will find a small black rubber boot. I grease the entire rod with the boot pulled down the rod, then then slide the boot back up the rod and into place. This traps grease behind the boot and gives a little more lube ongoing.

 

[flyingnugget]

I know when you get it out for the first time you are excited and can sometimes forget a few steps in the process. One that I seem to always forget on the first outing is making sure the clean out plugs are in. Gets me every time!

This .... Me too. if you haven't done it, you will and you'll feel like an idiot LOL....

 

[tdonoughue]

And don't forget to fill the cooler!

Edited to add: and this: https://jetboaters.net/threads/dont-forget-to-clean-your-bilge-pump-yearly-at-least.17/#post-229196

 

[FloJet]

Apologies for throwing this out there without photos....but the rods I speak of are above the jet pumps on the back of your boat. There are 4 rods in total, one for each bucket and one for steering on each nozzle. When you find the rod, follow it back up toward the boat and you will find a small black rubber boot. I grease the entire rod with the boot pulled down the rod, then then slide the boot back up the rod and into place. This traps grease behind the boot and gives a little more lube ongoing.

Ok great. No worries at all. These directions you just gave are perfect. I will look into it this weekend. What's a good grease to use for this?

 

[tdonoughue]

I just use the same grease as I use in the wheel hubs and everywhere: Royal Purple... But I think you could use just about anything there. You are not worrying about mixing it with other greases (like you do in the other locations), as this is more of a surface application, I would think.

 

[geohil]

Oh great Yamaha experts – Seeing the sun this week over here in the PNW makes me ponder de-winterizing already. The question I have is, is it worth it to have the dealer do it and do I need to do plugs? Seeing what all of you do makes me think it ain't that hard.
My boat only has 15 hours on it, only 3 hours since its last oil change. I know these boats love new spark plugs but could I get away with just swapping out the oil and filters, and cleaning up and re-gapping the spark plugs? I sprayed white lithium grease all over the steering components on the pump, but are there other areas that need lubed?

Thanks

 

[Coheeba]

This is a list I have been working on. I got it from this site and added/deleted. Its a work in constant progress.

 

[SCP1]

As someone stated keys are important but so is your lanyard. Don’t ask.