Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Winter Is Coming, Is Your Boat Ready?

Everyone has heard the saying; “Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later”. The real question is, will your boat run in the Spring or  will it leave you at the dock?

Some anglers store their boats over the Winter, while other anglers fish all year round. Both groups need to prepare their boats differently for Winter.

Boaters that put their boats away for the Winter  should get their boat ready for storage so it’s good to go Spring. Engine storage has changed in the last couple of years, mostly because of Ethanol that is now in regions gas. Ethanol seems to be great for farmers that grow corn but it’s bad for your outboard if it sits around for 90 days. It “Phase Separates”, becomes unblended like ice tea in the sun. When it does it looses octane, creates an acid that eats aluminum and it absorbs water, lots of water. Oh Yea, your outboard is made of aluminum and won’t run on water. Ethanol needs to be treated differently. You should add Ethanol Fuel Treatment to your gas, then run your boat as low on gas as you dare before parking it till Spring. This gets the fuel treatment through out your fuel system. This simple maintenance will save you a lot of money and possibly a bad day on the water next Spring.

All boaters need to pull the drain plug and drain live wells after use so the pumps don’t freeze. Check the wheel bearing and lower unit for water and repair as needed. Crank the motor once a month or fog the engine to keep rust from coating your cylinders. Charge your batteries monthly, they can’t freeze if they’re charged. Pretty Simple Stuff.

Hearty boaters that continue to fish all winter, don’t need to drain their fuel, it won’t be in the tank for 90 days. They do need to warm up the engine to 120 degrees at the ramp before running down the river to prevent pistons from cold seizing.  Also let the water drain out of the trimmed down engine in the parking lot after use so the fuel rails don’t freeze. When the engine stops dripping water, you are good to go.

Follow these simple steps and your boat should be ready for Winter. MARE performs these service if you would like us to. Call the shops if you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment.






E-Mail: brian@mareinc.com
Phone: MARE Inc.: 301-898-3717
MARE of Aquia: 540-657-1136
Web-site: mareinc.com
Facebook: MARE Inc.
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MARE Inc. Boating & Fishing
Twitter: @MAREMARINE



Sincerely,

Brian@MARE MARINE

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