Yet another winterizing question.

[AlpharettaRK]

Got a different sort of winterizing question. I keep my boat in a covered slip on floating lift. You can fish Lake Lanier 12 months so I don’t plan on taking it out of the water. One of the factors in the Yamahas favor was winterizing is non factor. My plan was to lift boat. Remove plug. Run engines for 15sec. Run livewell and wash down dry. Leave chargers plugged in. BTW the boarding ladder is savior for removing plug I’m not sure how I would get up under there without it. Then the lift installer said something like “keep the dock lines on just in case you get air leak and boat goes back in the water. Rare but it can happen”. This would be a real problem if the plug was out. It is covered but it is possible rain could get blown in, but I can’t imagine a substantial amount making it into the bilge. So I guess new plan is just like the old one except after the bilge is empty I’ll put plug back in.

What am I missing?

Cheers

Randy

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Got a different sort of winterizing question. I keep my boat in a covered slip on floating lift. You can fish Lake Lanier 12 months so I don’t plan on taking it out of the water. One of the factors in the Yamahas favor was winterizing is non factor. My plan was to lift boat. Remove plug. Run engines for 15sec. Run livewell and wash down dry. Leave chargers plugged in. BTW the boarding ladder is savior for removing plug I’m not sure how I would get up under there without it. Then the lift installer said something like “keep the dock lines on just in case you get air leak and boat goes back in the water. Rare but it can happen”. This would be a real problem if the plug was out. It is covered but it is possible rain could get blown in, but I can’t imagine a substantial amount making it into the bilge. So I guess new plan is just like the old one except after the bilge is empty I’ll put plug back in.

What am I missing?

Cheers

Randy

Make sure the raw water wash down system is empty, run the pump, I’m assuming its electric, until the you don’t get any more water out. Turn off the pump and disconnect the hose and hold it up to drain it. if there is a strainer for this system make sure you empty it and make sure the threaded part is free of water..

Maybe put some gasoline stabilizer in the tank?

 

[AlpharettaRK]

Thanks for that on the wash down. Last fillup I put in 75gal worth of Sta-bil. I’ll keep tank above 80% and add Sta-bil every time I get gas.

 

[Thermobrett]

As @FSH 210 Sport is my resident FSH expert, I would follow his advise. As you are in northern GA, I wouldn’t think there is much to worry about. It gets cold, but not extended like the NE or Midwest where temps freeze for days/weeks at a time. These engines are self draining, I don’t think you will have an issue.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

So, to be clear, when you run the engines out of the water, do that when you get back from an outing and they are still warm, I only run mine long enough to give a half dozen blips of 1/2 throttle from idle to blow out the majority of water from the water locks, maybe 7-10 seconds. But, I only do this if I know there is going to be a hard freeze, or if I’m leaving a lake with AIS, or I’m putting it up for the winter, otherwise I don’t blow the excess water out mainly because I use my boat so often. Sure would be nice if Yamaha put a bung with a bolt or valve in the bottom of the water locks to drain them.

If you are using your boat regularly I would’t worry about adding gasoline stabilizer unless you are running ethanol laced fuel, then I would add Star Tron Marine at each fill up. I run non ethanol fuel, I do add Amsoil top end lubricant https://www.amsoil.com/p/upper-cylinder-lubricant-ucl/ at each fill up, and once or twice a season I’ll run Amsoil P I performance improver https://www.amsoil.com/p/p-i-performance-improver-gasoline-additive-api/

 

[AlpharettaRK]

Yes I only run them for 10-15seconds or so warm right after it is out of the water on the lift.
Thermobrett correct, we only usually get freezing temps overnight. maybe once a year we will get a 2-3 day stretch where it doesn't get above freezing. I'm doing this just so I don't have to worry about it.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Yes I only run them for 10-15seconds or so warm right after it is out of the water on the lift.
Thermobrett correct, we only usually get freezing temps overnight. maybe once a year we will get a 2-3 day stretch where it doesn't get above freezing. I'm doing this just so I don't have to worry about it.

Important is the revving to half throttle or blipping it to blow the water out… perhaps that is what you mean, but just want to be sure. There was a thread here somewhere about a guy who had his water locks get blocks of ice in them… he could them clanking in there until they melted…

 

[TimW451]

Re: drain plug. If you are leaving it on the lift, you’re “on the water” and should treat it like you’re in the water. I would have it on the charger, as you said, to keep the batteries charged, have the bilge pump on/enabled, and all the drain plugs closed.(Definitely the main plug, lots of debate on the compartment ones.) This will protect you from catastrophic lift failure, water ingress flooding, and battery depletion. Do you have to do it? No, it’s just personal risk assessment, and there is no additional cost to take these actions.