water removal

[steve hoy]

I was wondering how anybody winterizes there boat,in particular how to get all the water out of the lines to the livewell and the bilge lines.I hope its not a dumb question but it just seems to me like I cant get all of the water out of the lines and of course I dont want to risk it freezing.

 

[Jimmy Easterling]

Not a problem down here. There is plenty of room for one more family, come on down.

 

[TrepMan]

Ahh Jimmy lives WAY to far north, we got a 4 bay garage, still have 1 bay open, bring her down here to HotLanta, I promise to take her out every other weekend and run her so the gas doesn't go bad!!! LOL

 

[ND Bass]

It may not be the most economical but it gets done right. I take my rig to a dealer and have them treat the gas, change oil, lub lower unit, blow out all lines (bilge, live well, etc) and fog the motor, etc. It costs a bit but for me, worth the hassle/insurance it's done right. There's also the bonus of gaining a good relationship with the dealer in case something goes wrong. e.g. he checked my onboard charger for some issues this year and didn't charge for that. I'm no mechanic so for me, there's a value in someone who knows their stuff to keep me running.



An added bonus would be that they know the boat if / when you're ready to trade up and they know it was well taken care of.



sorry for the rambling but.....

 

[Jim in VA]

Steve - get some RV antifreeze. A gallon will do it. Then follow these steps:



First the livewell:

1. Close the livewell flap (or insert the plug).

2. Pour in a the full gallon of RV antifreeze straight into the livewell.

3. With the system set on "recirculate", turn the pump on and run the antifreeze through the lines and the pump and out the sprayer back into the livewell.

4. Run this for a few minutes until you're sure that the RV antifreeze has gone through the system fully.

5. Turn off the pump, place a bucket under the livewell drain point at the transom and place the livewell switch to "empty" (or remove the plug).



For the bilge:

1. Insert the plug.

2. Pour in all the RV antifreeze you collected from going through the livewell into the bilge.

3. Place the catch bucket under the bilge pump drain.

4. Run the bilge pump to run the RV antifreeze through and out the drain.

5. Pour the RV antifreeze back into the gallon jug it came in, cap and save for next winter.



Make sure you get RV antifreeze - the kind that's safe for water lines - NOT the car radiator stuff (that's pretty toxic stuff). The antifreeze is typically reddish in color. Come the next spring, for the livewell, fill it when you get to the lake/river/wherever and then run the system and empty. Do that a few times to rinse out any RV antifreeze residue and then you should be good to go.

 

[TrepMan]

Ok if you guys up in the frozen tundra HAVE To winterize the boat, PLEASE put her in the garage! I could not imagine my boat outside, let alone in freezing weather - brrrr!!! LOL



Last 2 houses before this one, my car/tow vehicle always stayed outside, heck even my 14ft Johnboat got the garage! OK so i'm a bit obsessed with keeping the boat warm!!! LOL That's OK cause in November i'll be in the old USSR on business, talk about COLD!!!



Bassfisher - Listen to these guys, they know their chit!

 

[ND Bass]

Trepman....I am lucky enough to have a 3 car garage; two care and one boat



My 16 year old daughter has to park outside. She's learnin' how to scrape her car and warm it up on those cold ND mornings.



I figure since I bought her car and pay the insurance, she can pay for boat storage and have slot #3 once she can afford it.

 

[Jim B]

Jim nailed it 100%



Trep, Lots of guys myself included leave their boats outside for the winter, its not a bad thing. My 882 spent its entire life outside and it still looked fantastic when i got rid of it. In my opinion getting the boat shrinkwrapped is key. The wrap sheds snow nice and keeps under the wrap it actually gets warm inside( i crawled in once on my old boat since i could get in between the plate and the motor) and it keeps the moisture at bay. Its well worth the money to have it done if its going to sit outside.

 

[steve hoy]

thanks for the great advice guys,I was thinking that was how to do it but just wasnt sure and didnt want to take any chances with a new boat.and it is covered and parked in the garage

 

[Berry Lindley]

Don't forget the engine......

 

[Randy Walls]

Don't forget to proof it for rodents! They have chewed up a lot of guys wiring etc.... during the winter months.



I always load the boat with little containers full of moth balls and have never had a problem.





And unhook the hose to the back of the water pressure guage as this has frozen and broken on several boats here also.



Lastly, it is best to set it up on blocks to help save the tires. It can cause bad spots, broken cords etc...



Little thing but a real pain if they go bad in the spring.



Randy!