At the end of last season I purchased a winterization kit called "Winter Flush" over the internet.
I wanted to include a short "how to" and review of the product for anyone that might want to winterize their own boat at the end of the season. (Moderators please feel free to move to the proper section, as I was unsure where to share this).
I decided to buy this kit for a couple of reasons.
1st. I wanted to winterize my boat, when it was convenient for me. Not on the Marina's schedule.. which sometimes required my boat to sit there for weeks.
2nd. I trust my marina during business hours - however I do not trust the people who like to "look at the boats after hours" aka - possibly steal something from it, or uncover it and allow rain to get into the boat.
3rd. I wanted the option to dewinterize if we happened to get some freaky warm weather when it should be snowing (I live in Ohio - you never know what's going to happen). This kit should allow me to quickly drain the system - and rewinterize as much as I want.
4th.I have some friends (actually a brother in-law and a friend) that always go into panic mode at the end of the boating season . We all know that boating isn't "cheap" and proper maintenance is key to keeping your wallet happy, and your boat happy. Unfortunately - The local Marina and boat shop's have significantly raised their prices over the last few seasons (I was quoted $250.00 for my 3.0L vs $180.00 the prior season, and $150.00 the season before that). Luckily when I purchased my boat, the PO suggested I setup a "boating fund" to cover the cost of running your boat (I learned how valuable this was - especially after my first outing - which is in another thread). This fund was setup to buy gas, a small parts, life jackets, food, etc.. but most importantly it was to maintain enough balance at the end of the season to cover "winterization". Those guys do not have a "boating fund".. so I purchased this kit in hopes of not only saving myself money, but hopefully making boating more affordable for my brother in-law and another friend, as we all know it's more fun on the water with friends (well.. good friends). I was also afraid that they would skip winterizing because of the cost and end up with HUGE repair bills that would ultimately leave their boats permanently trailered
To start, I was very impressed with this kit. It simple, yet it did the job well - and I feel that my boat was very well protected over the winter months because of it. Although i have not had mine back in the water, the other two boats I winterized have, and launched without any issue
To start, the only thing you need that isn't included is a Battery. The cord is long enough to reach the battery in most boats, or you can opt to hook it up to a spare battery or jumper pack outside the boat (which is what I did, as my jump pack has an on/off switch) - The supplied cord has alligator clips so it is an easy hookup to any top post battery.
The first step will be to assemble the skirt and support poles, then position the bucket and skirt under the lower unit (just far enough under that it will NOT catch exiting water - which I will explain shortly).
Measure the proper amount of Stabil fuel additive and add it to your gas tank (it is suggested that you fill your tank completely prior to winterization) This will help to eliminate any chance of condensation, or water forming within the tank.
Next, fill the WinterFlush bucket all the way full of RV antifreeze (Fill it as far as it will go, and keep 2-3 extra bottles opened and ready to dump into the WinterFlush bucket as it is drawn into the boat.
The WinterFlush bucket has a hose that runs from the base of it (where an electric sump is located), this hose is made to screw onto the supplied muffs. Slide the muffs onto your lower unit.
Connect WinterFlush to your battery.
The little sump pump in the bottom of the WinterFlush bucket will start to push antifreeze into the lower unit. Once the antifreeze is primed through the line (which is clear) have a friend start your boat.
With the boat running, you will notice all the "old" water beginning to exit your motor. This water will be dirty, and you should not capture this water - thus the reason you do not slide the WinterFlush skirt against the transom yet. Allow the dirty water to flush from the motor. Once you notice the "clean" RV antifreeze exiting the boat - slide your WinterFlush all the way back to the transom so that it can begin capturing and recirculating the new antifreeze.
Allow WinterFlush to circulate the Antifreeze through your engine until it is up to operating temperature. Once this happens you will begin to notice a slight change in the color of the Antifreeze - this will happen as the thermostat opens and allows the remaining water to mix with your antifreeze.
At this time take a sample of your antifreeze with the supplied antifreeze tester to confirm that it has not diluted to much.
If it has diluted below the recommended concentration, turn off your boat and use WinterFlush to pump the dilution from the bucket back into the previously emptied antifreeze containers. Once this is done you may add more antifreeze to the WinterFlush bucket and reattach the muffs and restart the boat. Thus allowing a stronger concentration of Antifreeze to re-enter the engine.
Once the solution of Antifreeze is at it's maximum level of concentration/protection (boat still running) Take the supplied Stabil Fogging spray and slowly spray it into your carburetor. Do not spray it heavily at first, as you want it to suck through the system and into the intake/etc. Once you have done this spray a heavy amount into the carburetor until the boat chokes out and shuts off. Also note, with the boat running through all these steps you will have allowed the Stabil fuel additive to circulate through the fuel system, thus helping to protect your carburetor over the winter. This is very important if you are running Ethanol mixed fuels.
Once the boat is off - all you have to do is allow WinterFlush to pump the remaining antifreeze back into the empty containers. If the solution has not been diluted to far it can be reused again next season.
I was able to complete all the above step's in a third of the time it took me to try and type this lol. I estimate that it took roughly 25-30 minutes for my boat, however this included me draining the lower unit, refilling the lower unit, and greasing the trailer and any other fittings as needed. Winterizing the other two boats only took me 15 minutes each.
Below I have include a link to the WinterFlush website and the various DIY kit's that they sell.
It is a simple system - that you could build at home, but I thought the overall kit was very well thought out - and a great deal with all the supplied accessories, especially when compared to the cost of my local Marina which quoted me $250.00 to winterize my boat! This was a bargain. Between my boat, and the two other boats I winterized - we saved $100's. Plus - I didn't have to worry about my baby being left in a strange place with other boats it doesn't know lol. I was also able to make sure that the other two boats were put to bed properly (because "not" all boats go to heaven)
If you look at their product page I purchased the following kit:
WinterFlush professional boat winterizing package deal
ITEM 3-6
Includes:
WinterFlush winterizing kit (single skirt)
32oz Sta-Bil marine formula and ethanol treatment
12oz Sta-Bil fogging oil and cylinder protector
Seasense oil transfer hand pump brass
Seasense lower unit fluid pump
(2) 1 quart bottles of Lubrimatic
80/90 High Viscosity
Lower unit gear lube
Seasense motor flush universal
$219.95
No shipping charges!
No sales tax!
It also came with an antifreeze tester - although it's not listed in the kit.
I will also be using this to reclaim as much of my antifreeze as possible for this winter (I will make sure that it doesn't dilute down to much before reuse).
Anyways - I just wanted to share this product and my experience with it....... before boating season comes to a close (as we all know it never sticks around long enough - well.. at least for those of us in Ohio lol).
-Nick
p.s. .. you can get a WinterFlush and find other creative uses for it.. such as.. well.. whatever it is that this guy did lol..
Thats a great way to keep it from freezing up and also from keeping corrosion at a min. Im a fan of the antifreeze in the block over the winter months. Thanks for sharing. Looks like a good product for sure.
I'm very happy with it, and it might be a great investment for a few of the other forum members. The customer service was great, and I wouldn't be surprised if the WinterFlush people were willing to offer some type of deal for the Forum. (although I don't know this).
WinterFlush Product review and How To
. We all know that boating isn't "cheap" and proper maintenance is key to keeping your wallet happy, and your boat happy. Unfortunately - The local Marina and boat shop's have significantly raised their prices over the last few seasons (I was quoted $250.00 for my 3.0L vs $180.00 the prior season, and $150.00 the season before that). Luckily when I purchased my boat, the PO suggested I setup a "boating fund" to cover the cost of running your boat (I learned how valuable this was - especially after my first outing - which is in another thread
). This fund was setup to buy gas, a small parts, life jackets, food, etc.. but most importantly it was to maintain enough balance at the end of the season to cover "winterization". Those guys do not have a "boating fund".. so I purchased this kit in hopes of not only saving myself money, but hopefully making boating more affordable for my brother in-law and another friend, as we all know it's more fun on the water with friends (well.. good friends). I was also afraid that they would skip winterizing because of the cost and end up with HUGE repair bills that would ultimately leave their boats permanently trailered
! This was a bargain. Between my boat, and the two other boats I winterized - we saved $100's. Plus - I didn't have to worry about my baby being left in a strange place with other boats it doesn't know lol. I was also able to make sure that the other two boats were put to bed properly (because "not" all boats go to heaven)
