I didn't winterize my boat!!!!!!!!?

I have a 15ft boston whaler with a 75hp Mercury outboard on it.

all I did to it for the winter was pull the drain plug for the boat in the bilge and empty the fuel tank and i also pulled out the

battery I live in jersey and it can get pretty cold, I'm pretty sure

that can effect the motor.



What can i expect to deal with when i try to start it in the spring?I didn't winterize my boat!!!!!!!!?
Just make sure the engine is in the full down position so that it has drained out and no water is standing in the exhuast /prop hub area. When you are ready to use it lube up the fittings, and test run it using the flush out attachment and make sure its all good. Next year winterize it by running the engine on land with the flush out, fog it till it quits, let the water drain out while you lube it up (grease fittings on steering and engine pivot) and spray it down with silicone spray. Top off fuel tank and add Sta-Bil. Change lower unit oil and water pump, install new zincs. Remove battery and store for winter by covering and keep boat bow up. If you stored it like that I bet you have no damage at all.
Wow, lots of interesting/wrong answers here.



You are not going to crack your block. If you will crack anything, it will be your gearcase, but thats only if you have a large amount of water in there, which you likely don't.



I really wouldn't worry too much about it, but don't make a habit of skipping winterization. The whole idea of winterization is to protect your engine through the cold weather, and to assure it fires up for you in the spring time.



One important thing to take care of over the winter is your fuel. This new fuel with ethanol in it does not last very long unless you stabilize it, and it is prone to attracting water.



When spring rolls around, give your engine a basic tune up (change gear oil, grease the fittings, and steering cable,) and run it up on fresh fuel for a little bit.



If you haven't done a water pump in 2 years or more, I'd do that too, along with the thermostat and poppet valve. You'll be ok.I didn't winterize my boat!!!!!!!!?
Dont worry so much!

It all depends on when you last used the boat. Winterization of outboards is more about "storage" than keeping the engine from freezing. When the engine in in the full down position, it only takes a few minutes to drain 90% of the water out of the engine. There are a few areas that trap small amounts. The real concern is the cold temps cause condensation which can cause problems on the crankshaft bearings, and wiring. If you kept the engine in a dry environment, that's better than covered with a tarp. But, first, I'd spray everything with WD-40, which is intended to drive out moisture. Then start the engine as soon as possible (now)and let it run up to temperature for half an hour or so. Then spray some "fogging oil' in to the engine....carb....... keep it in the full down position and let drain. Then take whats left of the fogging oil and spray everything. You should make sure that snow or water hasn't cracked the gear case where the exhaust comes out thru the prop. Cover it next winter. Lube the steering and engine mounts. Get it started early this spring and use it as soon as the weather clears and warms u some. More engines fail due to lack of use than ware out. Bottom line, don't worry too much. Edit: Boating in No.VA, has a good question, If water/snow was piled up or filling the lowerunit thru-hub exhaust it can crack from just behind the prop down about 3 to 4 inches. Not always visible, but it stops when it reaches the back of the bearing carrier. It can be welded but if you do, you can't take the carrier out again, which means if you have bearing or gear failure later, your looking at a new expensive housing, more than the motor's worth in most cases. I've never seen any....I repeat any ... powerheads that had a cracked block from freezing. It's always at the bottom. The crack can expand over time and threaten the gearcase integrety, but the oil would be gunmetal gray or green now. If the seals had already been leaking, the oil would be white, but would seldom freeze.....I've never seen one. If there was that much water in it, the gearcase is toast anyway. Thanks for the input..........EDIT......... It's good news that the motor was down, it makes it much more likely no lower unit damage. But go back to the early advise, to start the engine and fog it, and spray everything, i know it's a lot of trouble but a few weeks or a couple moths can make a difference.. Good Luck!
You might have cracked the block or the bottom end of the motor. You should definitely take your motor into a marine repair shop to have them inspect the motor for damage before you operate it. There could be a simple inexpensive repair needed that will otherwise result in serious damage.



There are other things that you should do with your boat besides removing the drain plug. Covering the boat will protect it from snow and dirt and make your investment last longer. Doing some of these things now could be better than doing nothing. Better late than never, as the saying goes.



See the source link below for a quick guide for winter lay up for next fall.I didn't winterize my boat!!!!!!!!?
if there was no sand in the cooling system you should be ok. outboards are self draining. you should have put fuel stabilizer in the last time you had it out. worst case scenario, you will have gummed up fuel in the system. i would take it to a qualified dealer in the spring to get summerized. for now i would pull the spark plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders and turn the flywheel bt hand 10 or so times, and do this a couple of times.
i know alot of people that dont winterize there outboards. because the outboard is in the down position most of the water did drain out. draining the gas is good all though alot of people like to run fuel stabilizer so it gets all the way to the carbs. keeps them from gumming up. also keeping the tank full will keep air from destroying the octane in the fuel that is left in there. your probably fine. might have a little trouble starting it when spring comes, if so rebuild the carbs.
Just fog the inside of hte motor, which is really the only thing that you didn't already do anyway. It will probably be fine even if you do nothing though.
Question for Richard as I know nothing about o/b's but...



Can he tell if he has done any harm to the engine by checking the oil and seeing if it's milky white or any other shade than what oil should look like?
you should have emptied the lower unit, they can

get water in
Get the engine straight up and down, that is the biggie. Outboard engines will drain themselves if you trim them all the way down. If it is not, get it warm, and then trim it down.



You are gonna want to drain the lower unit as quick as you can. If there is any water in that gear lube it can be trouble. She is going to come out like molasses so just leave the pan under it for awhile and don't refill until the temp. comes up.



Can you drain the carb? Do that if you can to keep from get varish in there. On the first tank of the spring run premium gas and an additive called SeaFoam, as a matter of fact run this for the first couple tankfuls to clean it out.



When you first use the engine in the spring watch the engine temp. If it begins to climb or the tell tale is not spitting shut her down and replace the impeller. Water freezes in the lower unit and plays havoc with those rubber blades. Make sure when you change the impeller to get all the little pieces out of there.



Other than that you should be good to go.
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's a good chance you may discover a busted block and bottom end come spring! Not winterizing your boat and motor is a HUGE NO NO! I hope your a very lucky guy and everything's O.K. because if not, your outboard may now be best used as an anchor! I'd look at it now because there's still a lot of cold weather left. If it managed this far undamaged, try to go ahead and winterize the motor anyway! You could be talking BIG $$$$$!!! Hope your luck's better than mine!