Winter boating

[Siebert Outdoors]

How do you guys keep your lower unit from freezing in the winter fishing months?

[zam]

I usually change the lower gear oil at the beginning of winter and check it for water intrusion throughout the winter. I also trim the outboard in a verticle position when its parked in my yard so it can better drain

[Ben]

Not sure what you're talking about freezing.  If there's water inside the gearcase, it has problems and needs repaired.   If your'e talking about trapped water, make sure when you pull the boat out of the water, you trim the motor back down at the ramp until all water drains out of the power head and LU.  

I fish year round.  During the winter, if it's freezing when I pull my boat out of the water, I pull back in my parking spot after loading the boat.  I trim the motor all the way down, remove the drain plug and make sure the live well drains are open.  I sit there a few minutes until everything has stopped draining, trim the motor back up and head to the house.  When I get home, I always park the boat with the motor trimed all the way down.

[dink]

Ditto to everything already said.  Also, my Yamaha has an access hose to the water line (cooling) that unscrews like a garden hose.  I undo that also after loading up at the ramp and blow it out or let it drain.  VERY IMPORTANT!!!.....If you fish one day and temps go below freezing that night and you plan on going the following day, do NOT unhook the front strap from the bow eye until your boat is in the water.  Your trailer bunks will freeze and your boat could slide right off the trailer should you brake check before you are in the water.  I have seen it countless times and is sickening every time!

[jb_from_texas]

always amazes me the great info made available here. i was going to ask a freind of mine about lowering the motor when parked.

I'll ask here instead...

other than lowering it to do the initial drain does it need to sit in the vertical position when parked at the house?

Also, would keeping the motor lowered make a difference in initial start of the day? i ask cause my engine usually takes 4-5, sometimes more (rarley though) cranks before firing. this is after the fuel bulb is full too.

once it starts all the additional starts of the trip are fine.

i thought maybe the fuel, although primed, is having a hard time making it to the carb (1985 Mariner)

thx

[Yankee_Bassman]

Two reasons I know of to keep the motor in the down position when parked:

1.) If in an area where freezing can occur, water can collect in the prop shaft housing area, freeze, and crack the housing if the motor is tilted up.

2.) Some motors, especially older motors, continue to pull fuel through the carbs when the carbs are tipped forward; this wastes fuel, and can cause flooding of the carbs, which leads to harder starting. You might be getting some flooding when trailering to the ramp, leading to the hard start. You might want to try cranking without priming and see if starts quicker when you first launch. You could also try disconnecting the fuel line if it's an accessible quick attachment, before you tilt the motor up. Just remember to reattach before you launch, after you've tilted the motor down. (Been there, done that, heard the hooting from the shore....). These tricks might save tearing the carbs down to replace floats and/or needles and seats.

BUT ....4-5 cranks, unless each one is really long, is pretty darn good for a twenty-year-old motor.....