Winter engine routine if left afloat

[sprocker]

We will be leaving our boat on the water in the Marina this winter (First time ever), and would appreciate some advise. We have a Merry Fisher 645 with a 2014 Suzuki DF115 outboard.

The engine was serviced on July this year, and I will probably give it an interim oil & filter change before the winter (I have always done 6 monthly engine oil & filter changes on boats and cars).

My current engine routine after every trip is tilt, support with tilt bracket, and flush with fresh water for 5 minutes. I presume that this only flushes the lower half of the leg.
Is it possible that with the engine tilted this may leave fresh water in the very bottom of the leg that could possibly freeze? Should the engine be left down over the winter?

Hopefully the boat will get regular use, so I guess no requirement for winterising at all, or am I wrong here?

What do others with outboards do during a winter left afloat on the water?

We have shore power available, and the boat is rigged for it, so the batteries can be kept topped up, and I may put a de-humidifier in the cabin if we start to get a lot of condensation.

We are relatively lucky in Torbay that the winters are usually fairly mild, but I would like to be confident that I have covered all eventualities.

Any other tips and advise that anyone can give would be very much appreciated.

[Ianfs]

Sounds as if your are doing everything you can. Interesting question about water draining from an outboard if its tilted, but I'm afraid I don't know the answer. I would have thought that if your were to leave it down, you would have to antifoul it otherwise you'll end up with all sorts of growth when spring arrives.

The thing about using it, if you are going to use it all year round, the only thing you will need to think about is water freezing in the engine, my understanding of outboards though is they completely drain down.

[ChrisH]

I used to have a 50HP Suzuki but kept it on a trailer.
What I noticed after removing the boat from the water onto the trailer was that when I tilted the engine back all the way down after recovery ready to run her up on the flush muffs, some water would drain out. This to me left me to believe that not all water would drain if the engine was tilted.

I used to have my engine winterised with fuel stabliser added, run the engine so some of it would run through the engine to stop it gunking up and also fogged.
Are you able to remove the boat from the water onto a trailer, winterise then but her back somehow on the mooring without running up the engine?

[sprocker]

Sounds as if your are doing everything you can. Interesting question about water draining from an outboard if its tilted, but I'm afraid I don't know the answer. I would have thought that if your were to leave it down, you would have to antifoul it otherwise you'll end up with all sorts of growth when spring arrives.

The thing about using it, if you are going to use it all year round, the only thing you will need to think about is water freezing in the engine, my understanding of outboards though is they completely drain down.

I agree about anti-fouling Ian, although I would rather not do this unless really necessary, I may leave it this year and keep an eye on things to see how bad it may get.

I was hoping that the engine would drain right down also, but am concerned that fresh water may be retained inside the propeller housing if the engine is tilted. I am assuming that the skeg is not hollow so wont actually retain any water? One thing I don't know, and is something I need to check at the weekend, is if there is an intake/drain point at the back of the propeller housing which would allow it to drain when tilted.

I guess in some terms we are lucky in that the boat is only 15 minutes away so it's easy to do regular checks.

[sprocker]

I used to have a 50HP Suzuki but kept it on a trailer.
What I noticed after removing the boat from the water onto the trailer was that when I tilted the engine back all the way down after recovery ready to run her up on the flush muffs, some water would drain out. This to me left me to believe that not all water would drain if the engine was tilted.

I used to have my engine winterised with fuel stabliser added, run the engine so some of it would run through the engine to stop it gunking up and also fogged.
Are you able to remove the boat from the water onto a trailer, winterise then but her back somehow on the mooring without running up the engine?

I used to get the same drain from my previous boat, which was a Mercruiser with an Alpha 1 outdrive, which made me think it may be the same with the Suzuki outboard.

I don't have a trailer for her, although do get free storage ashore after I've paid for a lift out. I was intending to lift out at the end of January for a month or two to allow time to get her fully serviced, re-antifouled, and a few 'modifications' that I have planned.

[Ianfs]

My current engine routine after every trip is tilt, support with tilt bracket, and flush with fresh water for 5 minutes. I presume that this only flushes the lower half of the leg.
Is it possible that with the engine tilted this may leave fresh water in the very bottom of the leg that could possibly freeze? Should the engine be left down over the winter?

You've mentioned that you flush your engine every trip and that you presume it only flushes the lower leg. I'm therefore guessing you flush it on the tilt and with the engine off? Some guys I know flush there motors in the water by attaching muffs, water on, lower the engine fully then fire it up. The muffs with fresh water flowing through them probably wont stop a minute amount of sea water getting in but you'll certainly get some fresh water around the block.

I've done a bit of research this morning and the general consensus is that in order to drain an outboard completely it has to be vertical.

One more thing, gearbox oil, however if it was serviced in July, it should last until next July.

[sprocker]

You've mentioned that you flush your engine every trip and that you presume it only flushes the lower leg. I'm therefore guessing you flush it on the tilt and with the engine off? Some guys I know flush there motors in the water by attaching muffs, water on, lower the engine fully then fire it up. The muffs with fresh water flowing through them probably wont stop a minute amount of sea water getting in but you'll certainly get some fresh water around the block.

I've done a bit of research this morning and the general consensus is that in order to drain an outboard completely it has to be vertical.

One more thing, gearbox oil, however if it was serviced in July, it should last until next July.

Thats right Ian, I use the static flush point at the top of the leg whilst it's tilted. I had thought about trying to get the muffs on whilst tilted, then lowering it down, and flushing that way, but getting the muffs on would probably mean me taking a dunking at some point as it's quite a stretch and just out of reach!

Just as I suspected about it needing to be vertical to drain completely, I guess leaving the engine vertical when it gets really cold shouldn't cause too much trouble.

[Ianfs]

I hadn't realised you had a flush port.

According to various bits of information, the flush port at the top is there instead of using muffs, consequently I would say that it doesn't just flush the lower leg, but instead the entire engine, probably down to the water pump. I've read that the manual says, if using the flush port, do not start the engine. This must be because most people would do it without the water impeller having any water running through it.

I think you are pretty much there with all that you do. Ed is the real expert with outboards and Nick has had one for years without any issues.

Back to leaving it down in the water. I think if you could visit the boat regularly and clean off any weed or debris, then there may not be a need to anti foul during the Winter. The trouble would arise if you left it for a few weeks and the sun was shining a lot, algae and weed growth increases attracting shell critters!

One more thing, if Suzuki are thoughtful enough to have a flush port on the engine, I would have thought that if the engine was titled they would have arranged for all the water to drain out.

[sprocker]

One more thing, if Suzuki are thoughtful enough to have a flush port on the engine, I would have thought that if the engine was titled they would have arranged for all the water to drain out.

I would have thought exactly the same Ian. I'll take a good look at the weekend and see if I can find anything.

[ChrisH]

Recommend giving this guy a call - He is super helpful
http://www.winsormarineservices.co.uk/