It's winterizing time again

[Jan from Humboldt]

Or close to it for some.

In my case I've got to put her to bed early this year due to the wifes health issues.

I'm always pleasantly surprised how easily these boats clean up compared to the others I've owned and my little electric 1600 psi pressure washer makes the chore a snap

My rig gets stored with a full tank of fuel and I give the boat a serious cleaning from stem to stern. I also change oil, all filters, pull the prop regrease the shaft and do the lower unit oil.

I figgure that winterizing is another word for serious prevenative maintenance, as for the fuel I've switched from Stabul (Alcohol based) to some stuff called StarTron which is an enzyme based stabilizer.

Since I switched to Star Tron and Ring Free at the advise of Yamaha my fuel related motor problems ceased.

It was a good year for fishing at least.

[elroy]

If you have an e tech winterizing is very simple and takes little time. As for grease I have read that it is better to do it in the spring because if done in the fall it has until spring to collect dust and dirt. Also are there any other thoughts on which is the best fuel stabilizer to use. I live in maine and there are large temp changes {if this makes a difference} thanks

[ksr5]

I too have tried using the startron enzyme it is suppose to eat the water in the tank. Now it might be my imagination but the motor seemed to run very well after using this stuff. What i am most concerned about is starting up next year this gas phase seperation has me very worried. They say you are suppose to store your boat with a full tank so you don't get condensation. The new ethanol gas is not supposed to stay as fresh as long as the old gas did.
So do i not fill my tank so i can put some fresh in next year I don't know. I guess we will see who guessed right next spring. I talked to my local marnia and they say they expect a lot of problems next year. Im not sure anyone know's what is going to happen. I am going to fill my tank up since gas is cheaper now and see what happens next year.

[Jan from Humboldt]

I bought my boat in May 2005 and the carbs had to be rebuilt/and unclogged 2 times (Yam. 40hp 4 stroke) due to water induced white crap which was corrosion, I tried Stabul and it worked a little but still didn't keep the moisture from messing up the carbs Yamaha suggested an enzyme stabilizer.

You can do a search for the whole story using ethanol as the search word.

I'm sold on the Star Tron / Ring free thing, I use one oz. per ten gallons... Of course a good water fuel seperating filter like a Raycor with a ten micron element is also a must.

With me it's not a guess it's the facts.

[stephan]

Hi I dont know if this applies to everyone or just in my area we have gone to an ethenol mix in our gas [10% ]. I have read several atricles that this is causing problems with fule systems when it comes to long term storage of gas in boats, first thing is ethenol is a solvent and it can cause problems with fittings and fule hoses, also it does not mix well with the old formulated gas [mtbe] . the article also said the mix can cause sludge to accumilate in the tank. Ethenol will absorb its weight in water and then release what it cant absorb leaving water in the bottom of the tank. If the motor isnt winterized right, that moisture will get into the motor when not in use for prolonged periods of time. Not that it appies to us but it also said that it breaks down fiberglass, I guess some boats use fiberglass fule tanks. It further states that a water separator filter should be used and recomends a 10 micron filter to prevent problems in the carbs. I will try to get a copy of the article and post it. Also check out this site for more info http://www.chevron.com/PRODUCTS/prod...term_gasoline/

[Davey]

I have a Suzuki 115 4 stroke i live in the north country. I use mecury fuel treatment and fill the tank to the top. fogg the engine with a fogging agent,change engine oil and lower unit. grease prop shaft. lower motor jack trailer up off it wheels take tension off tide downs cover her up and head to florida. boat stay winterized for 6 months . Ive never had a problem in the spring. might add though we do not have ethnol in our state as of yet.

[Genelie]

You know once I post this I will problem get @$##%$#% knock on wood. I have yet to have a problem with my fuel. I have never added fuel stablizer, and she sits from late October untill May . She always fires up and runs smooth.

[ksr5]

Genelie do you use high test or regular? I use regular that is what my manual suggests

[Jan from Humboldt]

Genelie I lived over in Santee by the lakes untill 1997, the humidity down there is pretty low like 25-30%, up here it's 85-90% most of the time with 30-60 inches of rain every year. Last winter I tallied 71 inches and at that point I was growing webs between my toes.

Point being you might skate with the E10 fuel down there due to the better weather, but why not add some stabilizer just to be safe rather than sorry?

[Genelie]

Originally Posted by ksr5

Genelie do you use high test or regular? I use regular that is what my manual suggests

I use Regular, .....and Jan from H Your right I should use STable