WINTERIZING

Lakelife

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I bought my Bennington in August. This is the first boat I have ever owned. Can someone tell me how to winterize it for the upcoming cold weather?


thanks


Peggy
 
Hi Lakelife, welcome aboard.  If this is your first boat and you are like me, not very handy, then my advice to you is to let your marina do it.  If you are handy and want to give it a go then you can read articles by googling it or read your manufacturers instructions.  There are also plenty of how to winterize videos on Youtube
 
Hi Peggy.  Outboards basically drain out any water when left vertical, so not much to do there.  However, it is wise to replace lower unit gear lube in the event any water got in to your gear case.  If enough water entered it could freeze and expand and cause damage, not to mention the wear from bad lube.  Also, fogging the engine is good practice to coat the internal surfaces, which are bare metal, to prevent any moisture from rusting on them.  Also, a yearly at least, oil/filter change to remove dirty oil.   My practice is to pull prop, check for fishing line, which could damage seal, reinstall with a little "never seize" on splines  Hook motor up to water muffs bring engine up to temp, fog, shut down and let drain, change out gear lube and engine oil/filter.  Prior to all this add a fuel stabilizer, sta-bil, this will run through your fuel system and prevent fuel degradation.  As Link mentioned there are videos to do all of it, find your brand and have at it.  Be careful around hot oil/parts.  Did I miss anything? 
 
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