Home and Dry for Winter

By SCOT MAGNISH

It’s been a hazy, crazy summer of waterskiing and fishing - but autumn is fast approaching, and with it, the dreaded boat storage ordeal.

It might be tempting to damn the torpedoes and leave the vessel marooned on shore until next spring, but Rob Egan of Brooklin Cycle says you’re taking your chances if you do.

Water left in a boat motor will almost certainly destroy its engine - and Egan warns water left in hulls over the winter can reduce your pride and joy to scrap in a matter of months.

"It’s the old stitch in time adage," Egan says. "A little preventative maintenance now can save you a world of trouble later."

Even if you’ve got a boat house, there are a few basic steps you must take to ensure your vessel continues to look and performs like it does right now.

Here’s what you’ve got to do:

• First, fill your tank with a strong mix of gas and gas stabilizer. "Not only will this prevent corrosion from forming on the inside of the tank, it will help prevent gasoline from going bad in the carburetors," Egan says.
• Now start the motor and with the covers off and the rpms around 1,500, spray fogging oil into the intakes until the engine stalls. "On two strokes, this protects everything from the carbs to the bottom bearings," Egan says. On four strokes, it will coat the cylinder walls and rings with a protective layer of oil.
• Egan says most outboards made today are self-draining, but that doesn’t mean there’s no work for you to do. "Scum builds up in the water jackets and the trick is to get it out now while it’s still soft," he says. Cleaning all of the holes and vents thoroughly today will save you hours of labour tomorrow.
• It’s time to drain the oil. Four strokes will require you to remove the filter and drain the crank case and all outboards need their lower units drained (you’ll find the drain plug at the front just below the propeller shaft plane). Watch the oil coming out; if it’s milky, you have a bad seal that will have to be replaced by a mechanic.
• Check the anodes - little zinc and lead balls on the surface of the engine that are designed to attract corrosives and save the finish. If they are worn, replace them.
• Assuming everything is a-okay, Egan says it’s time to park the motor for the winter. "If it’s outdoors, wrap it up tight," he says, adding even motors stored indoors should be sprayed with an oil like WD-40 to keep the surfaces protected from corrosion.

Just as important as proper motor storage is proper hull storage, Egan continues - and its just as important regardless of whether the boat is wood, fiberglass or aluminum.

To ensure your boat continues to serve you well, take tender loving care with the engine before storing.

"You want it drained and dry, dry, dry before you leave it for the winter," he says.

All boats should have their plugs removed and any water drained before they’re stored. Wooden boats should be kept off the ground and any vessel small enough to be flipped or placed upright against a building should be. Of course, that’s not always possible - and when it isn’t, Egan says the best alternative is to cover the vessel with a tarp.

"You want to build a tee-pee like structure in the middle to make sure snow and ice doesn’t pool in the middle," he says. "If you end up with water inside the boat, it will freeze and expand and rip your boat apart."

Larger boats with a head or plumbing of any kind should have water drained and then non-toxic antifreeze pumped through their systems. And very large boats with inboard motors should be stored by a marina, he advises.

"Big boats with V-8 engines and the like have all kinds of orifices that have to be drained separately," Egan says. "Even guys who know what they’re doing can miss things - sediment can trap water inside manifolds and the wrong mix of antifreeze and water can do as much damage as plain water can."

Stored properly, Egan says your boat and engine will provide years of trouble-free fun. Ignored, he warns, and your investment could be worthless in a matter of months.

"The best advice I can give someone is this: When in doubt, ask a professional," he says, inviting CottageLink Magazine readers with technical questions to post them at brooklincycle.com.

"We should be able to help you."

Scot Magnish is a Toronto-based writer who hopes to own his own cottage one day