Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

Welp, I waited to long to have my boat winterized and that local marina decided to jump up pricing after Nov. 1st. The price last month was 149.99 - now it's 249.99????? I've waited until Nov. the last 3 years so we could venture out one last trip to see the fall foliage along the Ohio River. I figured for that price I could easily winterize it on my own.

I wanted to get some opinions - what should I buy? and where should I buy it? I've priced stuff at West Marine, Overtons, East Marine, Boat Bandit, and locally. Overtons seems to have the best price on what I looked at due to free shipping and a discount code online. I also found this contraption and wanted everyone's opinion.

Winterflush : Boat Winterizing : Boating Supplies : Fogging Fluid : Bilge Pump : Motor Supply : Boats Winterization : How to Winterize a Boat

I also looked at the complete kits from wholesalemarine.com

-200 Complete Sterndrive Winterization Kit from Wholesale Marine

I would like to do everything under $200.00 (change engine oil/filter, change lower unit oil, flush/fill engine with antifreeze, place odor/moisture absorbers in hull, fog carburetor, etc) I just wanted to see what would be best and the quantities needed for my boat.

2001 Mariah Diablo 180 - 3.0L w/Alpha 1

Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated

Nick

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

I would like to wait and change the engine oil/filter in the summer - as we only placed around 4 hours on the boat this summer :( and it's kind of cold outside lol. Changing it looks fairly simple since the drain line pulls out the backside of the hull. Just want opinions on if it's okay to wait till summer. I'm thinking full tune up this summer (although I doubt it needs it).

Thanks,
Nick

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

Hi Nick, I had the same power package in my old Sea Ray. Piece of cake to do it yourself. You'll need a pump to remove the old oil (remember to do it after warm-up) and a pump to add new out drive oil. I personally never used anti-freeze in mine. properly emptied there should be nothing to freeze in the block. Just remember to use a piece of wire to lean out the drain ports to make sure they aren't plugged with lake gunk. Other things to think about; when was the last time the water pump impeller was changed? I used to do mine every other year. Another great tip I got from a friend, plug the transom hole with brass wool. Won't rust, lets air circulate and keeps the critters out over the winter.
Hope we hear from other DIYers.

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

Thanks for the quick reply. My boat has a quick block drain on the side of it (two blue hoses) that quick connect. I took those off and drained the block, not sure where else to drain it. It also has a hose that pulls out of the hull to drain the oil pan. Both seem convenient, but i'm not sure how well they work. I just got a call from the owner/inventor of the winterflush kit. It sounds expensive, but it looks like a quick and easy way to winterize my boat, and my brother in-law's boat. I'm really thinking about ordering it, i just need to locate some -100 antifreeze locally.

Thanks,
Nick

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

There should be a drain plug in the exhaust elbow, too.

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

A nice run down of what to do.

techlife: Winterize Your Boat

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

You'll most likely need to drop a little more than $200 the first time. You'll probably spend $200 in just the equipment to do the necessary work. But, that investment will pay off over the years, as it's a one time expense only.

The wholesale marine kit is a decent looking kit. It should get you by!

The -200 antifreeze is a bit overkill, but diluted it should last you for this year. Usually I'm running about 5-6 gallons thru using -60 (purple), which runs about $6/jug, or you can use the standard -50 (pink), which is what every marina around here uses. You can pick that up for around $4/jug, or check places like hardware stores for specials. I bought 15 gallons of -50 (pink) RV antifreeze for $2.49/jug at Menards. I have to buy a ton of it to winterize all the onboard plumbing systems like water, a/c, etc.

As far as oil changes, you should change it before you winterize... You'll always hear people talking about bad oil and contaminates staying in your oil and corroding parts, however you'll really never see an example of it... It's just good practice to do, that way your boating season starts off with you being ready to go in the spring! You've got it good with the block drain hose. Not many boats have that, and it makes it incredibly easy, and saves you the expense of buying a dipstick oil pump. Doing your own oil changes will cost you usually around $75 (more for big block V8's) if you use the Mercruiser oil and filters. You can save if you use store branded oil, like West Marine's stuff. Just make sure and read your service manual for the right weight oil, and don't cheap out and use auto stuff.

It is a little scary doing it the first time, but it's actually pretty easy if you've got the service manual, or if you do your research online. If you've got questions, just ask, we're here to help. Good luck! :wink_thumbup:

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

I don't see the point of the huge $160 funnel for recycling the antifreeze. As Chris said, the pink stuff is cheap and your 3.0L isn't going to take much of it. It's environmentally safe so you can just run the motor until it starts running pink stuff out of the exhaust onto the ground. You can buy a 5 gallon bucket, some hose, some fittings and build your own setup for like $15. Just set the bucket above the water intakes so gravity can help feed the anti-freeze. Maybe I'm missing something though...

Re: Winterizing on my own this year - need some opinions
 

I agree about the $160 funnel system... I saw a video of a guy winterizing his 290 Sundancer by using a plastic kiddie pool filled about halfway up with antifreeze, and a sump pump. He hooked the earmuffs to the sump pump, and slid the pool underneath the outdrive. When he ran the engine, all the exhaust fluids went right back into the pool, mixed with the antifreeze, and pumped back in the drive. Almost no mess, and for probably a $30 investment, it's pretty smart thinking!