Winterizing Your Boat
The last thing any boat owner wants is additional maintenance. However, they also don’t want to be the cause of any costly emergency repairs, either. Let’s look at how winterizing your boat could save you money, down the road.
Getting Started
It will depend on what kind of motor your boat has as to how it will need to be winterized. Pontoon boats have outboard motors which, unlike inboard motors, are easily removed for storage or repairs. It’s for this reason that outboards are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft.
Consider your own local weather patterns to help you decide if you need or want to winterize. When there is water sitting inside your engine or gear case and the temperature falls below freezing, it can lead to a cracked block or housing. This could result in thousands of dollars in repair costs. So keep this in mind while you weigh the pros and cons of what you want to do.
For this blog, we will only go over how to winterize an outboard motor. An inboard motor has different actions to take, so consult additional methods for this. The following steps represent some, but not all, outboard motors, so make sure to consult your manual as you follow those steps.
Winterizing Your Outboard Motor
- Freshwater Flush
- Empty fuel lines and carburetors
- Fog the carburetor intakes
- Drain cooling passages
- Lubricate linkages and the electric starter drive mechanism
- Drain and refill gearcase
- Touch up damaged paint
- Drain fuel tank and supply lines
- Stabilize the fuel
- Clean and liberally lubricate propeller shaft
- Store upright
It is understandable that not every area will have to winterize, but sometimes it’s better safe than sorry. If you have any questions on how or if you should think about winterizing your pontoon boat from Fiesta Boats, contact them today. They will be more than happy to assist you. Happy Boating!