de-winterizing....

[78LS2]

it has been a rough, busy spring and summer so far. but the boat is FINALLY going in the water on Friday.

The boat was winterized by the marina, and the plugs were left out. As I'd rather just get up to the lake and throw the plugs in myself, instead of waiting for the marina to do it... I want to know what all is involved.

Do I just insert the drain plugs, torque them and that is it? Or do I need to replace the spark plugs, and/or anything else?

Thanks

[east tx skier]

I think, to a certain extent, it will depend on what the marina did at winterization. The term is kind of general and different shops do different things. The process my also depend a bit on what boat/engine combo you have.

That said, here's my checklist for winterization/dewinterization and annual maintenance. I'm not a nautique owner, but to a degree, the process applies across brands. I'm also tend to do things likchange my spark plugs every year, while some will do that less often. This is just what I do, doing less or more may suit some people better.

Hope it helps.

WINTERIZATION CHECKLIST

[] Top off gas tank and add appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer.

[] Warm up the engine to operating temp and change the oil, filter and gasket. Replace with amount of oil recommended for your engine (remember some of this will be poured directly into the filter before installing it to avoid dry starts).

[] Change Transmission fluid. Keep track of how much comes out and replace it with the same amount.

[] Warm boat back up to operating temperature, lift the flame arrestor up, and fog throat of carb intake until it smokes or the engine dies (approximately 10 seconds or 1/3 can). Kill the engine. If you’re adding antifreeze, add 5 gallons of Pink RV Antifreeze or Sierra (propylene glycol) to a bucket and suck it up with the intake hose; fog as it runs out. Some newer engines do not need to be fogged.

[] If you have a metal flame arrestor, spray it from the inside out with carburetor cleaner. Dry thoroughly before you reinstall it.

[] Top off the tank with stabilized fuel.

[] Pull the plugs on either side of the engine block and remove the plugs on the back of the exhaust manifolds (don't PCM engines have a 5th plug?). If fuel injected, remove knock sensor. Use a coat-hang wire to make sure the openings are free of rust particles and debris. Wrap the plug threads with Teflon tape so they won’t be hard to remove in the future (you’ll be excited in the spring and won’t want to do this). Put plugs (including bilge drain plug) in a ziplock bag and zip-tie to the stearing wheel so you won’t forget to reinstall them come spring.

[] Disconnect the hoses at their low points and shake them a bit. Blow through them if necessary. Remove the hoses from both sides of the transmission cooler. Make sure the tranny cooler doesn’t have debris in its screen. Leave the hoses disconnected. Remove cap and screen from raw water strainer and make sure it doesn’t have any water sitting in it.

[] Remove engine safety lanyard and spin the engine over for a few seconds to remove excess water in the pump bodies. Reinstall the safety lanyard so you don’t lose it.

[] Remove impeller. Mark the housing so you can replace it easily in the spring. Keep this impeller in the glove box as a spare.

[] With a needle, check the speedo pickups to be sure they are not blocked. Remove the speedo lines at the front of the boat and blow the water out of the lines and ballasts. Reconnect them when you’re done.

[] Wash and Wax boat. Vacuum the carpet. Spray the seats down with 303 protectant.

[] Drive the boat around on the trailer for a bit (at least 10--15 minutes). Make sure there are some hills. This will allow things to drain. Once you do this, you can put it in the garage. The rest of the procedure can be done inside.

[] Clean/Wipe down motor and bilge.

[] Disconnect the battery (always remove negative terminal, then the positive terminal) and charge it. Grease the leads and store it in a cool, dry place.

[] Lubricate the trailer winch and any other moving parts on the trailer. Grease the wheel bearings. Some suggest that the tires need to be over-inflated for storage. The safest bet is to put the boat on jack stands and just take all the weight off the tires completely.

[] Spray down the engine with silicone spray.


[] Prop the motor box up at least four inches. This keeps condensation from collecting in there, which can mess up the starter and other things that rust.

[] If you have problems with rodents or the like, put duck tape over the exhaust flaps.

[] Put the cover on the boat.


DEWINTERIZATION CHECKLIST

[] Remove Tape from exhaust flaps.

[] Check exhaust pipes and bilge for rodents or other nesting animals. Clean as necessary.

[] Install new impeller and gasket. Coat it with dish soap or other water based lubricant before hand so it doesn’t get dry started.

[] Reinstall fully charged battery. (Always attach positive terminal first, then the negative terminal).

[] Reconnect all hoses (if you used antifreeze, the hoses and plugs will still be installed).

[] Reinstall engine block plugs and exhaust manifold drain plugs (and knock sensor if applicable; do not use thread sealant, follow torque specs in manual). Put some Teflon tape on the plug threads to make them easier to get out next winter if you did not do so at winterization.

[] Connect your boat to a water source and start the engine. If it doesn’t turn over right away, allow a two-minute cool down for every 30 seconds of cranking. Let it warm up to operating temperature. Keep a close watch on the gauges and listen for any abnormal noises.

[] For those of use with teak platforms, break out the teak oil if you haven't done so already.

[] Install new spark plugs and fuel filter(s).

* On carb boats, check the fuel screen on the carb. Be careful reinstalling the fuel line. Overtorquing it can cause it to leak.