Winter Fishing, And Boat Winterization.

[Mr_Scrogg]

Im going to be fishing as much as I can this winter, what should I do, as far as winterizing even though Ill still be fishing?

[slonezp]

If you're going to continue fishing throughout the winter, make sure you let all the water drain from the motor. Store it trimmed down and don't forget to trim it back up before traveling. I like to bump the starter to force any additional water out of the motor. Same with the livewell. If the livewell doesn't start immediately because it's frozen, don't let it run. You don't want to burn it up. Keep the livewell door(s) open so they don't freeze as well. Change the lower unit oil. Keep up with the normal fuel additives. 

[Mr_Scrogg]

Exactly what I wanted to know bud. Thx.

Right now Im using Dons cocktail. Quickcare and quickleen. Should I add Stabil to the tank as well?

[Siebert Outdoors]

Exactly what I wanted to know bud. Thx.

Right now Im using Dons cocktail. Quickcare and quickleen. Should I add Stabil to the tank as well?

 

That should take care of it.  No need for sta bil.

 

http://www.mercurymarine.com/parts-and-accessories/product-overview/fuel-care-system/

 

I use seafoam but there are a lot of great products out there.

 

Like Slonezp said.  The biggest worry is water in the motor. 

[BassnChris]

These guys are right on.......water in the boat/motor is what to be worried about.

I think bumping the starter is a good idea to keep the motor from holding any water in the cooling passages.

I use startron .......Long Mike got me to using that stuff.....it's great.

I just finished winterizing my boat.....I hope this is that last year I have to winterize it.

Hope to have a nice warm place for it to sleep next year......that way I can get out during the winter a little.

[BassnChris]

I found some more tips about wintertime bass boating. Some have already been covered here. Take a look guys and chime in........I am now contemplating taking my boat out of winter storage status and enduring the chill.

Immediately after pulling your boat out of the water, lower your motor all the way down. Then, either pull your starter rope or turn the motor over with the ignition. (If motor starts, that’s ok. Just hit the kill switch) Doing this will spin the impeller and force all of the water out of your water pump and lower unit. Let it sit for a few more minutes till you are certain all the water has drained from the lower unit.

Next, if you have used your electric t-motor, give the prop a few spins to make sure there is no water holding in the plastic prop.

If there is concern of bilge or livewell pumps being damaged by freezing weather pour a little RV antifreeze in the live well and run the live well pump for a bit. I would just not use them in the winter. Or Shop Vac to suck water out of live well. A 2" hose stuck right in the livewell drains and sucks the water out. You can feel the water as it comes up the hose.

When you get home take a wet rag and wipe off any road salt that has sprayed on the trailer or hull. Helps in keeping the trailer from rusting.

Look out for floating chunks of ice! Hitting one can put a pretty good chunk out of the hull.

As a courtesy to the next guy who shows up at the ramp, let the water drain from your boat trailer before pulling up the ramp. That is both launching and loading!

Keep a 5 gallon bucket of Salt/Sand mix in the truck just in case the ramp has turned to an ice rink.

For 2wd trucks a set of tire chains. Also bring a tow strap.

Bring a shovel and an ice chisel in case there is snow or ice to be removed. Especially a “Lip” of ice at the water's edge.

Spray silicone is useful for keeping the t-motor shaft from freezing in up or down position. W-d 40 works well too.

If you have console steering, it’s a good idea to spray w-d 40 on the linkages directly in front of the motor. This will help keep the steering from freezing.

Let your motor warm up fully. If you don’t see a stream of water from the “pee hole” right away don’t panic. The water pump is probably working OK, it probably just the frozen line from your motor to the exit hole. Once the motor gets warmed up, the line will thaw out and you should have a water stream from the pee hole.

The motor will cool off very quickly when you stop to fish and can make restarting the motor difficult when you are ready to run to the next spot or back to the ramp. Cold is also hard on batteries.

Run Fuel treatment in the gas all winter. Treats the fuel in case we have one of those month long cold snaps where the river pretty much freezes over.

Two more things, one...to grease the linkage on the motor to force out water and refills the cavity with grease,

and two, maybe only on Yamaha 4 strokers, the flush tube MUST BE removed, and allowed to drain (usually about 1/2 cup of water in it)

or the hose will freeze/crack under the cowling.

Anything else you all can think of?

[sprint286]

If you are going to fish in the winter charge your phone and bring a mobile charger because there is not as many people to give you a tow if something breaks down.

[Tom 513]

Hey Guys, trying to read threads here to learn more about boating, I actually decided last year to get back into fishing, I fished fairly often as a kid but at 54 I am taking it much more serious now. I bought a old fiberglass tri haul last Fall (my first boat) to see if I would like it and I am hooked (parden the pun) I fish 2 to 3 times a week and get the boat out about every other weekend. Ok so much for my history, well my question is do I need to winterize a small outboard? its  9.5hp Evenrude and yeah not laugh its a 1968' model and is very reliable and I'd like to see it last many more years! I did take it out last Sat, and launched into 1/2" of ice, but I doubt I will take it out again unless we get a warm spell here in SW Ohio this Winter. Thanks ahead of time

[Nitrofreak]

Great job guy's !!!

 

A couple of things to add here , don't forget about your trailer , and don't forget about your batteries and electronics . when speaking of cranking the engine to remove access water from the impeller , I would suggest that the kill switch be used in the beginning , I would not risk the engine starting at all out of the water , 5 seconds is all it would take to kill an impeller , not only that but if someone gets close to the prop without you seeing them or a pet , it could be dangerous .

 

Service your trailer , double check your lights and make sure you dont have any standing water in the lenses , tubed trailers will have pockets that water can stand in , beam trailers can build up ice from a wet ride home , the bunks themselves will freeze which makes it easy for the boat to slide and move around if the boat is not fastened properly , double check your straps and ratchets , make sure that when you get it home that the trailer angle is stored high in the nose to allow any access water to exit the rear of the trailer and allow water to excape the hull , always make sure your hubs have a shot of grease to push any access moisture away from the bearings .

 

Batteries can and will freeze , the best thing is to remove them and store them in a warm enviroment , and charge them as soon as you get them home , charge before removal or charge in the house if you have a battery tender , either way it is a good idea to purchace a battery tender to keep life strong in the batteries . 

 

Your electronics need to come in as well , make sure your connector ends get a little dielectric grease to help fight corrosion , both the battery connections and sonar connections .

 

Hey Guys, trying to read threads here to learn more about boating, I actually decided last year to get back into fishing, I fished fairly often as a kid but at 54 I am taking it much more serious now. I bought a old fiberglass tri haul last Fall (my first boat) to see if I would like it and I am hooked (parden the pun) I fish 2 to 3 times a week and get the boat out about every other weekend. Ok so much for my history, well my question is do I need to winterize a small outboard? its  9.5hp Evenrude and yeah not laugh its a 1968' model and is very reliable and I'd like to see it last many more years! I did take it out last Sat, and launched into 1/2" of ice, but I doubt I will take it out again unless we get a warm spell here in SW Ohio this Winter. Thanks ahead of time

 

All outboard engines need to be winterized , if it is not going to be run for a while I would also suggest fogging the cylinders , as well as following the above post's , remove the spark plugs , slightly fog the cylinders , rotate the crank via pull cord or starter , then liberally fog the cylinders once more , there is good info on the web about how to do this , this is the method that I use .