Winterization

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

Just got the boat back from the boat mechanic on annual winterization. He put in the clean out plugs and filled the ports with antifreeze to the top. He has never done this before. New help, I don't know? But isn't it recommended to pull the plugs over long storage periods so clean out seals do not get messed up and sit in water? Any thoughts out there? Boat stays inside the shop during winter, no outside storage here.

 

[zipper]

I would pull them. Not knowing if the antifreeze they used is alcohol based or glycol based. Alcohol/ethanol based (cheaper than glycol) can react with the rubber seals, drying them out. For example, I only use glycol antifreeze to winterize the engine and intake strainer in our sailboat.

 

[Babin Farms]

I just don't understand why he would do that. That would be like not pulling the main drain plug on the transom, dumping antifreeze in the bilge and calling it good instead of just removing the plug and leaving it sit dry. My guess was there was water on top and he had no clue on how to remove them and just dumped AF in the hole.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

RTM, read the manual.




I pull mine and then put them back into the well inverted, this allows the water to drain out. They get reinstalled as part of the pre op check.

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

Thanks guys, will pull them

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thanks guys, will pull them

Get some silicone grease and put some of that on the soft sealing surface too if you want. If the plugs start to get hard to turn just give them a liberal spraying of silicone spray.

 

[Scottintexas]

what a shame and you paid for that service, the mechanic is telling you something, are you listening,

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

what a shame and you paid for that service, the mechanic is telling you something, are you listening,

All I can figure is new help. Idk

 

[zipper]

All I can figure is new help. Idk

Agree, they do not know Yamaha boats. Or they don't read the manual. Never used antifreeze in my Yamaha. There was no pressurized shower or live wells to winterize. Just made sure there was no water to freeze on top of the co plugs by pulling them and putting a thin layer of o ring greese on them so they don't dry out over the winter. Make sure all the water is out of the hull, by pulling the drain plug and jacking the boat up as high as you can, on a block of wood if possible. I would check as these boats hold water on a level surface under the ski locker. If no water? Let the jack back down. Who knows, maybe they dumped a bunch of antifreeze in the bilge too. Unnecessary. The engines are self draining and the only part on the engines (exhaust system) to winterize is the water box by blowing it out with a little rpm on the trailer, out of the water on the last outing of the season while the engines are still warm. Takes about 5 seconds.

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

Another issue I got which I just found out. The transducer was just replaced during winterization. Problem I have had is, as soon as you turn on the boat keys, the low depth alarm and notice comes on the connext screen. We have just be silencing it. We figured it was time to replace. We can set the depth to 1 ft or 20ft on the screen while the boat is sitting on the trailer in the shop and alarm still will goes off. Mechanic said he consulted with yamaha, and they said oh ya transducer is the problem. Well obvious not. I even asked him did you test it. He said No. Wtf! What's next guys? Hope we are not talking about a new connext screen. Highly doubt he will refund transducer. What would everyone else do?

 

[zipper]

Transducers do not work out of water. If it sounds off on the trailer, silence it. They need to be in water for the beam pattern to work correctly. They send a signal thru the water and bounce off the bottom and recieve that return signal to calculate depth. Air, even air bubbles in water will cause a false reading.. The one on my Yamaha had to be silenced frequently in shallow water most likely due to the signal returning off a thick weed bed. I set mine to 3' and sometimes it would sound off at 6-10'. The new transducers on our Raymarine Axiom 9rv (sailboat) and the Lowrance elite fs 9 (Whaler) can discriminate between weeds and a hard bottom. The Raymarine can even find the thermocline.

It's an electrical part that has been installed. They will not take it back. Even though you never touched it. Bummer.

 

[Babin Farms]

Another issue I got which I just found out. The transducer was just replaced during winterization. Problem I have had is, as soon as you turn on the boat keys, the low depth alarm and notice comes on the connext screen. We have just be silencing it. We figured it was time to replace. We can set the depth to 1 ft or 20ft on the screen while the boat is sitting on the trailer in the shop and alarm still will goes off. Mechanic said he consulted with yamaha, and they said oh ya transducer is the problem. Well obvious not. I even asked him did you test it. He said No. Wtf! What's next guys? Hope we are not talking about a new connext screen. Highly doubt he will refund transducer. What would everyone else do?

I would find a different shop to take it to or do the work yourself. These boats are easy to work on and if you are unsure about something there are plenty of people here that can help.

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

Transducers do not work out of water. If it sounds off on the trailer, silence it. They need to be in water for the beam pattern to work correctly. They send a signal thru the water and bounce off the bottom and recieve that return signal to calculate depth. Air, even air bubbles in water will cause a false reading.. The one on my Yamaha had to be silenced frequently in shallow water most likely due to the signal returning off a thick weed bed. I set mine to 3' and sometimes it would sound off at 6-10'. The new transducers on our Raymarine Axiom 9rv (sailboat) and the Lowrance elite fs 9 (Whaler) can discriminate between weeds and a hard bottom. The Raymarine can even find the thermocline.

It's an electrical part that has been installed. They will not take it back. Even though you never touched it. Bummer.

The connext screen still should read depth no. ?

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

The connext screen still should read depth no. ?

When I scroll thru videos of dealers demonstrating the features of the connext on the showroom floor, the screen reads depth.

 

[zipper]

The connext screen still should read depth no. ?

Yes but No, not accurately. Transducers will not shoot thru air and send back accurate readings. There maybe reading but not accurate
on the connext screen. Not sure what the Yamaha manual states, but this is Garmin. Some units out there have a showroom program to show the buyer it's capabilities.

 

[dgbroyles @gmail.com]

Interesting, guess will have to wait till old man winter leaves to and put her back in the water.

 

[The Mia Fay]

Question I have a Yamaha yr 2021 252S , looking a video from JetBoat pilot you do not have to winterize the engines with antifreeze. They are an open system self draining only talking about the engines you do have to do other things. Has anyone where it gets cool , did not winterize their engines with antifreez .????? And if you didn’t did you have any problems

 

[zipper]

Never used antifreeze on my mr-1's. Just drained the hull and blew the water out of the exhaust water boxes at the ramp after the last outing while the engines are still warm. Any shower system will need to be winterized. I use about 6 gallons of -60° to winterize the systems on our sailboat.

 

[biffdotorg]

Question I have a Yamaha yr 2021 252S , looking a video from JetBoat pilot you do not have to winterize the engines with antifreeze. They are an open system self draining only talking about the engines you do have to do other things. Has anyone where it gets cool , did not winterize their engines with antifreez .????? And if you didn’t did you have any problems

You picked an old thread with good advice in it (there are many). A post above says “read the manual”. You will not see the word winterize or use of antifreeze. Folks that do it are doing it for their own comfort as they do it with RV’s and other things that hold water. Like I/O boat engines etc.

 

[The Mia Fay]

Yes I agree I did it with my other I/O boats , I guess it’s that I feel better putting antifreeze in ???????? . Thanks for your reply