Least exspensive winterizeing kits for 2 stroke outbored

[Daniel Beavers]

Just woundering if you guys know were to get a good deal on a do it yourself winterizeing kit that doesnt cost a arm and leg. It will be used on a 50 hp mercury thunderbolt 2 stroke. Thanks

[Fishing Rhino]

There are times the least expensive is also the least effective.  You can always do what was done years ago.  Lay the motor on the floor with the spark plugs up.  Remove the plugs and put a teaspoon of two cycle oil in each cylinder and spin the motor over two or three times to get the cylinders and pistons coated with oil.  Replace the spark plugs.  That was it.

 

That was then.  Now engines are fogged which gets all of the internals in the powerhead coated with a waxy oil. Google "fogging an outboard motor".  You'll get more how tos than you can read.  

 

Servicing your motor is not the place to be concerned with the cheapest.  That may be more expensive in the long run.

 

[Way2slow]

Where it's stored makes a huge difference, in a garage, under a shelter, or outdoors.  Even outdoors, is it where the sun will shine on it or shaded.  If outdoors and especially in the morning sun, they really need to be fogged.  On a cool/cold morning, after the sun has been on it for about a 1/2 hour or so, open the cowl and it will look like someone sprayed it with a water hose from such a heavy condensation.  I've seen numbers of two stroke motors ruined over the years where the condensation rusted the cranks and sleeves.  If you are one the disconnects the fuel line and let it run out of gas that makes it even worse because that also pulls the residual fuel and oil out of the crankcase so there is little to no oil film left in the crankcase.  Even on four stroke, the sleeves and parts can rust.

Also, if stored where it's exposed to  freezing temps, the live wells and drain systems need all the water blown out of them or possibly some antifreeze poured in them. 

Two other things that are often destroyed people don't think about is the water pressure gauge and speed ohmmeter if you have them.  The line needs to be disconnected from the backs of them and blown out, and the inputs to the meters.  Water can freeze in them, creating enough pressure to destroy of make the very inaccurate.

 

There is a bunch of other stuff that should be done to the boat and the trailer no mater where it's stored.  There's plenty of info already written on those.   

[ww2farmer]

Winterizing a boat is not difficult....I do it every year myself for the last 12 years.

 

My system:

 

I run treated/stabilized fuel from Oct. 1st till the end of the season. I never know when mother nature is going to pull the rug out from under me, and it's one less thing to worry about at the last minute.

 

Before it goes into storage for the winter,  I do the following:

 

Clean it out

 

Drain the lower unit and refill it with new gear case lube.

 

Put RV Antifreeze in all Bilge and Livewell plumbing.

 

Unhook and remove TM batteries. 

 

Take prop off outboard and TM, clean any gunk out that's behind them, lightly lube the prop shaft splines and put it back on. (I do this daily on my TM during the season, and weekly on my OB)

 

Grease wheel bearing hubs.

 

Drive to storage place. 

 

Trim motor all the way down,

 

Take each spark plug out, squirt a little bit of fogging oil in each cyl. Turn motor over a couple cranks with kill switch out.

 

Drain any remaining fuel in carb.

 

Remove cranking battery.

 

Liberally distribute moth balls around the boat

 

Cover, and close the door.

 

Some years I Fog the motor through the air intake until it stalls, some I don't. Depends on if my last time out is a planned last time out....this year it was not. And I don't want to dunk the lower unit in the water again to fire it up...my garden hose and muffs are put away already as it's been below freezing at night already. So the spark plug removal method is how I do it in those situations, and it's always been fine.

 

In the spring when I get it out, put batteries back in charge them up, put gear back in, and I run it on the muffs to burn off the fogging oil, warm it up, and get gas back into the system. Change plugs, motor oil/filer (I have a 4 stroke), add gas and seafoam, and go. I change the fuel filter AFTER the first tank of gas in the spring has been run through it.

 

All said and done I have this much $$ into winterizing my boat:

 

$3: Gallon of RV antifreeze

$5: Can of fogging oil (which lasts a long time, I have used 3/4 of ONE CAN TOTAL in 12 years)

probably $20 worth of fuel stabilizing products used from October - end of the year

$10 or so for a quart of 90w lower unit gear oil (my LU takes 1/2 a quart, so a quart lasts me 2 years, and the little hand pump was $5 and I still have the first one I bought 12 years ago)

$5 for a box of moth balls

$5 for a tube of grease that lasts forever ( a grease gun is $20 and lasts forever)

 

To "summerize" it and get it ready for the next year it costs me:

 

$5 for fuel filter

$10 for oil filter

$30 for 3 quarts of 10W30 synthetic 4 stroke marine grade motor oil

$8 for a can of Seafoam to run in the first tank of gas

$8 for new spark plugs.

And how ever much gas I want to put in it. ( I store with tank near empty as I can get it)

 

 

 

 

[Log Catcher]

Anything I would tell you has already been covered. The only thing said I disagree with is about the gas tank. I have always been told to leave the tank full with fuel stabilizer in it. This is what I have done and had no problems. My boat is stored in my garage when i'm not using it.

[ww2farmer]

24 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

Anything I would tell you has already been covered. The only thing said I disagree with is about the gas tank. I have always been told to leave the tank full with fuel stabilizer in it. This is what I have done and had no problems. My boat is stored in my garage when i'm not using it.

I have been told both....either as empty as you can get it, or full, but never somewhere in the middle. I have always done the "empty as you can get it" route and never had an issues either. FWIW.....  Oddly enough, the ONE year out of the 12 I have owned this boat that I stored it with a full tank of stabilized fuel, I had problems in the spring from the get go. Nothing short of getting rid of all that gas, refilling it with "fresh" gas  and running an extra potent dose of Seafoam through it solved it. Was fine before that, and has been fine ever since on the "store it empty" method. Bad gas that year? Bum batch of stabilizer? Bizzaro weather conditions that winter that led to terrible condensation in the tank?...Who knows. But that's my one and only exp. with storing on a full tank. The only thing I can think of that may have factored into it was, I legit "ran out of gas" on the water (the only time I ever let that happen) one day late in the season the fall before I had the trouble the next spring. But I filled it up, ran it several more times that fall (with stabilized fuel) with no issues. Topped it off and added the required amount of stabilizer, and put it away.

[mcipinkie]

In Georgia, what are you talking about winterizing a boat?  The best fishing of the year is just now starting.  I'm in KC.  It was 9 degrees here Friday night.  We fished a tournament today.  We run a winter circuit until the lakes freeze.  Some years they don't freeze, some they do.  If they freeze, then open up, we fish.  I've got three bass boats plus a pond boat.  I never winterize any of them.  My newest one is a 2002 200 HPDI Yamaha.  Fish all winter out off all three.

 

If it's not up for over three months, just put it up.  Charge the batteries a good idea.  New LU grease.  Need that at least once a year, anyway.  Pull the hose off the water pressure gage, good idea if it gets real cold.  I've gone through a half dozen in the Yamaha in 16 years.  Run some Stabil through it if you want. I never do, but I never put my boats up.  Other than that, get your clothes on, and go fishing.