I have a question on Winterizing your boat. First question is - Do most of you do it yourself or do you take your boat some where?
If you do it yourself is it as simple as buying the motor flusher and spraying some fogger on it then let it run out of gas. and then drain the water?

maybe some of you do-it-yourselfers can give us some tips.
thanks
John

Lovefishn,
Winterizing your boat can be done yourself and isn't all that difficult. The main thing I do is make sure all the water is drained out of the prop hub. With the motor tilted up some water can be trapped in behind the prop, this could freeze and expand causing the prop to distort or prop shaft damage. It's a good idea to remove the prop entirely. This way the water is gone and you can check for a bent shaft, line or wire wrapped around the shaft etc. Grease the shaft and inside prop hub and replace.
Remove the spark plugs, check them for cracks or fouling. Check each plug wire for cracks. Spray engine fogger into the holes, not too much. put the good plugs back in, replace any that don't look right. Fog the carbs as well.
Check all fuel/oil hoses. These can become brittle and may cause problems next time out. Turn the engine over just afew turns with the gas line unplugged. Look for any gas, oil or water leaking from the motor gaskets or carbs.
If you have built-in gas tank/tanks, add a can of gasoline dryer to the tank. This will prevent moisture from forming in the tank. For portable tanks, use the gas elsewhere or dump it out. Check the pump up bulb, if it's stiff or looks cracked replace it, same goes for the hoses.
Check all visible nuts and bolts for tightness. Wire-tie any loose wiring. You should be all set.
Don't forget to drain any water from the boats live wells. Bilge out any water in the boats sump area. Clean out all debris from around the bilge pumps and aeriators etc. Check all storage compartments for anything that might freeze and cause problems.
Good luck, and keep in touch. Johnnie

That's how simple it really is people!
Down here in the south we can fish all year round. I do however follow these instructions consistently, some times as often as every other trip. I do it not just to avoid future problems but I learn my boat & trailer. You would be surprized how many people I've helped who could find their fuel filter, electrical fuse's, ect. I know my boat & trailer as well as I know my tackle boxs, rod & reels.

Winterize a boat? What the heck is that? lol.
Just kidding yall northern guys.

Jonnie is right as long as you make sure no water is left in the boat or motor. Also check on draining you carbs on the motor too. Old gas left in there could cause you some problems when spring does come around.

Catt is also right you need to know a few things about your boat and motor. I know that my boat won't drain all the water out if I don't raise it all the way up on the jack stand, and the motor has to be tilted all the way down to get the water out of the prop hub.

Oh yes check your lower unit oil!!If you have any kinda leak in the lower unit and it gets water in there it could freez and cause alot of problems down the road.

Three years ago Anglers Choice had a National championship on my home lake. Some of the guys had to drive through alot of cold freezing weather to get here. One guys lower unit had water in it and it froze ruining his lower unit. One guys motor came off the boat completly. That must have been a bad day for them.

Follow Jonnies list up there and you should be just fine. Great point Jonnie.

Mofish

In addition to all that, I use Sta-bil in the tank, follow the directions on the amount. I put it in and then top off the tank to mix it well then run the motor to make sure it gets all the way through the system. A larger quatity of gas takes longer to go bad, but the gas in the lines/carbs goes bad much faster. The gas will kind of gel up and can get real nasty. My motor is injected, so I don't have to worry about the fuel in the bowls, but there is fuel in the lines, etc. I have used sta-bil on many other things (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, etc.). Another consideration is where you store the boat, mine is in a heated garage unless it's in the water, which makes winterization less of a concern, but I do it anyway. Taking care if your boat now will definitely help you avoid having to "Break Out Another Thousand" later.