Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

I have a 1500sqft shop in a commercial building that I share with a buddy of mine. This is where I keep my boat 95% of the time. With the mild winter we got last year (a total of 3 nights that got below freezing) and what looks to be a mild winter this year (80* plus in November) I dont think I want to get my boat winterized. Unfortunately I only made it to the lake a couple of times over the summer and put maybe 5 hours on it so I figure all the fluids are good. I had my impeller changed out this summer so its good to go another year or so. My shop isn't climate controlled but it's still much warmer inside than it is out and just the opposite in the summer.:D

I felt I wasted money last year getting my boat winterized when I probably didn't need to.

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

My feeling is better safe than sorry.
Every spring you see hundreds of boats for sale from people who thought they'd be OK too.
A couple hundred now is a lot cheaper than thousands later!

JMO

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

As long as you are absolutely certain there is absolutely no chance of anything freezing within the shop then i'd say go for it. But the one person you cannot trust 100% is the weatherman......or woman.

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

+1 Better safe than sorry...

One word of advice, pull your block drain plugs and let all the water drain. This MAY help, but nothing is a sure-fire bet except winterizing. It'll put a real damper on your season if you find a cracked block in the spring. The average engine replacement repair will run you anywhere from $2k - $7k, and you'll be kicking yourself for not winterizing. Just my $.02

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

I like to keep anti freeze in the block and exhaust manifolds. I think it prevents them from rusting from the inside out. When you fog the engine you get vital lubrication into parts of the carb and cyl head that is normally without lube. These precautions will help the engine live a long life. Don't forget, even though your boat is in a nice warm place, the temperature changes that occur in the 5-6 months that the engine is not being run will create moisture. I'd say do a thorough winterizing just to be safe. Treat the fuel with a stabilizer, the fuel nowadays is not stable over long periods of time.

And oh, by the way--has the weather man ever been right??

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

What part of the country is your boat stored at?

I used to live in the Carolinas and went for years with my garage never coming close to getting below freezing. Then, I think it was about two years ago, maybe three, we had the coldest winter since sometime in the 19th century. It got down in the single digits for over a week straight and it froze everything I had stored in my garage. Just saying you never know.

On a side note, do boat engines have freeze out plugs? Just wondering. I had a buddy who blew a head gasket in a Jeep and filled his block with water and drove it home and parked it for the winter. When we fixed it, we were expecting a cracked block, but the plugs saved it, thank god.

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

Only when he 'forecasts' the weather by looking thru the window to see what its doing outside... :rolleyes:

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

Did you just come on here to brag!? :p

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

I live in TX.

Jeez now you guys got me all scared even though Im still not convinced.

I might just take it in and get the engine fogged and the block drained.

Re: Dont think Im going to Winterize this year
 

You may be okay with simply running some anti-freeze thru the system if its only 2-3 nights per year that you have to worry about the cold.