How often should I run it during the winter?

[switch22]

Hey everyone--

Just bought my first boat, a '95 Sport Nautique, a few months ago. Sorry about all the questions, but as a first-timer, I just want to protect my investment from my ignorance. :? I'm really glad I found this site of fellow Nautique owners!

I'm located in the Pacific NW, a few miles north of Portland, OR. We don't get really cold winters here, so I'd like to forgo the all-out winterization so that I can take the boat out on the water on the occasional sunny/mild winter days we have here. I store the boat in an enclosed garage that I don't let get even close to freezing, so that's not a concern.

My question is, how often should I be taking the boat out and running it for a while during the winter? I don't want the oil, water, gas, and other fluids to sit for too long, right? (to avoid corrosion, acids, sludge, etc.) I am guessing maybe once a month? Or does it need to be more often?

Also, is there anything else I should be doing to the boat/engine with this strategy in lieu of winterizing?

I'm guessing I'm not the only inboard owner who goes this route for the winter. For you owners in warmer (or colder) climates who don't winterize, what's the minimum frequency of operation you recommend to keep things in top shape?

Thanks for all your help!

--Tony

[Hollywood]

Once a month should be plenty. I know inboard owners who use their boats less than that even when they're on the lake in summer.

[Onthewater]

once a month should be "adequate". When you go out make sure everything gets up to operating temperature, go through the entire range of throttle, use reverse a few extra times. blah blah blah. I'd dump some fuel stabilizer in because going out once a month you aren't going to burn a tank of gas for probably the whole winter.

I'd try to go every 2-3 weeks just because it is nice to be out on the water.

[Hollywood]

it is nice to be out on the water.

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[Onthewater]

^ post whore alert.

[Hollywood]

^ post ***** alert.

^ post ***** alert

[tryan]

you better run it everyday and tell us about it. 8)


boats run pretty cool, so you need to run the motor long enough to work all the moisture out of the oil. if you are going to start it, you need to run it for 40-50 minutes to get ALL the moisture out of the oil.

[switch22]

thanks for the tips! I think I'm going to shoot for a minimum of once every 3 weeks, more if the weather's good. yeah, onthewater, it truly is a great place to be!