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Take Care of Your Boat Now and Be Glad in the Spring

November 22, 2010 - If you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you.

I don't know who said that, but I bet whoever coined that phrase must have owned a piece of power equipment with which they were perhaps a little less than diligent concerning preventive maintenance. Broken down, stranded and alone with their thoughts, they had plenty of time to devise witty slogans until they were rescued.

Spend enough time outdoors using power equipment, and you are bound to have something break down. How often it breaks down and how costly the repairs often are directly related to how well you take care of your items.

Over the years, I have become stranded due to a snowmobile throwing a piston, an outboard motor sucking acorn shells into the carburetor, a wheel snapping off a trailer axle, water in the fuel and a steering column being frozen.

So unless you are a hard-core duck hunter, most likely your boat is out of the water, and it is time to get it ready for winter.

Certainly, there are probably more 12- to 14-foot aluminum boats with motors under 10 horsepower than any other boat/motor combination in the state. These boats are relatively simple to take care of.

Mike Kunhardt of Brunswick Boat Works, who works on and winterizes dozens of boats each year, has some tips for those looking to do some of the winterization work themselves.

"If you've used your boat in salt water, the first thing you want to do is flush out your engine with fresh water," says Kunhardt.

He also emphasizes spraying down your trailer. Kunhardt estimates a thorough wash-down after using it in salt water can add 10 years to its life.

Kunhardt recommends changing the gear oil on the lower unit of your engine, and making sure the outboard engine is drained of all water. Tilting the engine so the prop is lower than the power head will take care of that, and he says to store the motor that way if possible. If that is not possible, cover the hub of the prop with duct tape in order to keep more water from coming in.

While flushing your engine with fresh water, you will want to run the motor dry of any fuel in the system.

While it is running, disconnect the fuel line from the motor, and let it run itself out of fuel. Today's ethanol-enhanced fuels will wreak havoc on marine engines, so get that fuel out of the motor for the winter.

Once your engine runs dry, take the motor cowling off so you can access the spark plugs on the engine. Remove the spark plugs and "fog" the pistons and cylinder walls with a fogging oil available at any marine store.

Kunhardt will also go that extra step to make sure all fuel is removed by using the drain at the bottom of the carburetor bowl.

Work the fogging oil thoroughly through the engine by pulling on the starting cord to move the pistons. Make sure the spark plugs are disconnected from their wires, or you may get a little jolt when you pull on the cord. Then be sure to replace the spark plugs and their wires correctly.

Kunhardt also advises taking an anti-corrosive spray and spraying down the whole engine, especially the electrical connections, as they are prone to rust.

Think this sounds hard? It really is not. Google "winterizing your outboard" or do the same on YouTube and you can see how simple this can be.

Most outboard motor manufacturers also have detailed instructions on their websites as well.

If you are not comfortable doing this, have a professional do it, but make sure it gets done.

You also need to stabilize the fuel in your tank.

Ethanol-enriched gasoline absorbs water, and after a period of time, you will get what is called phase separation. This is when the ethanol/water mixture will drop out of the gasoline and settle in the bottom of your tank. This is the exact location from which your engine draws its fuel.

To minimize the damaging effects of ethanol-enhanced gasoline, you can use a fuel stabilizer designed specifically to counter the effects of ethanol phase separation. Fill your tank and use the recommended amount of stabilizer. A full tank attracts less condensation and moisture than a partially filled tank. If you have a fuel filter, make sure you replace the filter as well.

If you have a battery on board your boat to run electronics or start your motor, make sure you take it out and store it inside fully charged.

As for electronics, if they are not hard-mounted on your boat, remove them, as they are an easy target for thieves.

Finally, when you back your boat to its winter resting place, always tilt the trailer so the bow of the boat is higher than the stern.

Remove all plugs from the hull. Tape or attach them near where they belong for easy access next year.

This will allow water to drain out of the boat instead of freezing and expanding, which will cause leaks.

Taking these steps now will create fewer hassles next spring. And even if all this preparation fails, and you do find yourself stranded on the water, make sure you have correctly programmed the cell phone number of a good friend into your own phone.

This last step should cut down on the amount of time you are stranded, as well as the time to recall how perhaps you should have winterized your boat properly last fall.

Mark Latti is a former public information officer for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and a Registered Maine Guide. He can be reached at: mlatti@gmail.com

Matt Latti, Portland Press Herald
November 21, 2010


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