Winterizing engines using strainers

So the regular pink stuff is OK or should I use the next level? Also, on the MPI engines, how do I fog? Spray into the flame arrestors?

She will be in the water sitting for about 3 months...do I need to fog for that period of time?

Thanks
 
Regular pink should be ok, just make sure it have corrosion additives in it, Worst Marine pink -50 has it.

I think you would be ok for 3 months without fogging. If needed you can pull the plugs and squirt fogging oil down each hole and then crank over the motor.

I wouldn't bother for only 3 months, that's just me though.
 
Greg......Don't fog thru the arrestors.......the MPI's have sensors in the throttle body that can get damaged. I unscrew the fuel filter.....pour out 1/2 the fuel and fill the filter with M/M oil.....screw it back on ...... and then run it dry.

Also if you pour pink into the strainers......don't forget to drain the hose from the strainer back to the seacock......if it has raw water in it.
 
If you are going to be working on projects on the weekends, I wouldn't winterize. Throw a heater in the ER. That gives you the opportunity to fire up the engines on a regular basis as well as stress the gennie. That's what I do with Saint Max.

However, if you are not going to the boat for the winter, then by all means winterize.
 
I am debating getting a BoatSafe heater, like we have used on our previous boats. With the boat being 90 minutes away now and not knowing if the marina loses power, I like the comfort of winterizing. Plus it's not that difficult to do and I can always re-do if we get a warm day to go out. Plus it's nice knowing the pink stuff is sitting in the raw water components instead of salt water.

I would have to hard wire the heater to the AC panel and add a breaker too.

One thing I do like about the BoatSafe heater is it helps to keep the engine compartment dry. No damp engines.
 
The heater cuts down on the condensation that you get all winter, much better for the motors, gen, systems if they stay at one temp and stay dry. Do you pay for electric where you winter?

How cold can it get and for how long where you are?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Robyns Nest

The heater cuts down on the condensation that you get all winter, much better for the motors, gen, systems if they stay at one temp and stay dry. Do you pay for electric where you winter?

How cold can it get and for how long where you are?

Click to expand...


Greg is a dear friend. His current marina WRT temps sucks compared to when he was closer to RIC. That said, unless there is an ice storm as in the mid 90's, cold temps last at most 3 days.

I agree with the power situation. What is it about marinas and bad power anyway? Where I am currently (River's Rest) there is an independently owned restaurant. Any power outages are dealt with immediately as a loss of power is a loss of tax revenue for the city. The only time we have really had power problems is in the heat of the summer with A/C running full bore on all boats, the hotel and the restaurant.
 
Well Greg I winterize with an oil and filter change on both engines and the gen set. Check or replace the raw water impellers. Clean the canvas and glass. Basically get ready for the winter cruising schedule. Nothing beats waking up on a cold winter morning at anchor watching the sunrise over a southern landscape with a hot cup of Louisiana coffee.

That being written should put me in the “he is a jerk” class.
 
I winterize through the strainer too on my single inboard. I run it from my marina (no winter storage) to another marina. I tie up near the slings and winterize right in the water. We then pull the boat into the slings with a line. After doing it this way for a few years I can't ever imagine doing it on land again.
 
It puts you in the "we wanna see pics this winter" class !!

Here in southern Indiana a few years ago, I heated my engine room all winter. One cold day when the marina had about 1/8" of ice, I decided to take the boat out.

Something I learned. You can not effectively steer a boat even in thin sheet ice. I moved foreward out of my slip, broke some ice, backed back in, slightly adjusted my heading in the newly shattered ice, till I had a straight shot out the mouth into the unfrozen current.

Returning was a little easier, followed my trail back to my slip. Did a little ice crunching in order to get turned about, and back into my slip.

Also have used my windshield wipers to actually sweep snow from the windshield. Didn't work worth a hoot without defrosters.And BTW, those cigarette lighter dash mounted defrosters. . . . not so much.

Did these just so I could say I did it.

I did it.
 
quote:
Originally posted by bobalong

It puts you in the "we wanna see pics this winter" class !!

Here in southern Indiana a few years ago, I heated my engine room all winter. One cold day when the marina had about 1/8" of ice, I decided to take the boat out.

Something I learned. You can not effectively steer a boat even in thin sheet ice. I moved foreward out of my slip, broke some ice, backed back in, slightly adjusted my heading in the newly shattered ice, till I had a straight shot out the mouth into the unfrozen current.

Returning was a little easier, followed my trail back to my slip. Did a little ice crunching in order to get turned about, and back into my slip.

Also have used my windshield wipers to actually sweep snow from the windshield. Didn't work worth a hoot without defrosters.And BTW, those cigarette lighter dash mounted defrosters. . . . not so much.

Did these just so I could say I did it.

I did it.

Click to expand...


The boat is in Deltaville, VA in a covered slip, so no sun to take advantage of. My guess is we will never see 2+ freezing temp days in a row.

Same here. We had to get the boat from Richmond to Newport News a few years ago for engine warranty work. Showed up to an ice filled marina to my surprise. Left the marina in a sheet of ice, wiggled my way out to the river, nice run down then had to deal with ice again where she was being serviced.

The trip back home was the worse though; high seas, wind, cold, ice freezing on the windshield..used a credit card to scrape the ice off, wipers were useless.
 
I did this to my genny and am taking the boat to be pulled this afternoon. I am planning on doing the same thing to the engines when I leave the boat to be pulled today(they won't have to start it to move it to the crane). My question is after I run antifreeze (earth friendly) into the system and the water out, can I open the thru hull valves after the engines are shut down? If not, do I leave them closed (with af in them) until the boat is on the hard or until the boat is splashed next spring?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

max
 
You can leave the sea cocks open if you want, when they pull the boat they will drain out right away, so no risk of freezing and cracking if you unable to come back to the boat right away.

I think it's a good idea to leave the seacocks open 1/2 way when on the hard, I don't like to leave then either fully opened or fully closed.
 
"One thing I do like about the BoatSafe heater is it helps to keep the engine compartment dry. No damp engines."

Greg,
It works great to keep the engine room dry. Just an FYI, you don't need to run the heater all winter long, once the cold sets in you can turn it off. In my case, I use it in the fall, and then put it back on come the end of March.
The humidity in the engine room starts to happen when you get some warm days the end and the beginning of the season.
 
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