Winterize Your Boat

Sun., Oct. 18, 1998

It’s the sailor’s version of the do-it-yourself project gone awry.

The man was trying to save some money by winterizing his boat by himself. He was one the right track, too. He poured antifreeze into the outboard engine.

Unfortunately, he neglected to start the engine to make sure the liquid ran through the pumps. Once winter set in, the engine block froze and cracked.

Here are a few more tips for winterizing your boat:

Drain any water system on board and fill with antifreeze.

Run out all the gas from outboard engine lines. Consider “fogging” the engine. The process prevents engine corrosion by coating the interior metal surfaces with a light lubricant.

Metal gas tanks should be left full for the winter to prevent interior rust, or they should be emptied completely.

If empty, leave the cap off to allow air to circulate. For full tanks, add a gasoline stabilizer to prevent the gas from getting stale over the winter.

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