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Do I Winterize in Seattle / Pacific Northwest, also is shrink wrapping a do it yourself project


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I am new here from the midwest. It would be great to save the money. I understand it does not really get below freezing for a prolonged period of time. So can I get away with not winterizing my boat?

Or do you have a recommendation for a good inexpensive service provider for winterize and shrinkwrap in the area?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

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Russian Roulette, we can get Artic Blasts that keep temps at or below freezing for extended periods of time. Are you going to store your boat outside? In addition to avoiding cracking the block or tranny, winterizing can provide benefits to your engine and cylinder walls by fogging, to your gas tank by Stabil, to your ballast system, fresh oil, fresh fluids in the tranny, etc.

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I don't know your area but if it doesn't get below freezing for a prolonged period of time. This is what I do you can get 3 different sizes and safe. Yes the up front cost is a little high but after that one time cost you are golden. and you need 120v.

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1769

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For the amount of time, and low cost, if there is any chance that you will get and stay below freezing, then you need to winterize it.

As far as shrinkwrapping, it is NOT a do it yourself job. If you watch the guys that have done it for a while they make it look easy, and its not.. Make a mistake with the torch and you could trash interier, gel coat or worse, not to mention how much shrink you may need to use when you melt it.

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Do it! I have seen a dozens of cracked blocks at bakes. It's not worth the risk. Call Paul or Andrew and make an appointment. It's a small investment in a happy boating season that's not spent wishing your boat was working.

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First of all, welcome to the rain forest. That said, by all means winterize. It's just not worth the risk to your boat. Another consideration is moisture. We get a bunch of rain here and any bare steel will rust if it's not coated.

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I lived on Lake Sammamish for about 7 or 8 yrs. There was always someone who thought he could get away with not winterizing. Even if you don't end up with a cracked engine block, there are numerous other components in your boat that can crack & cost you a bunch of money, ie; heater, shower, mufflers, water pump, trans cooler, etc. And as many times as we lost power there.... sometimes for DAYS at a time..... I wouldn't risk it. Especially when it's not that difficult to learn to drain everything. After you get it down, it'll take 15 minutes out of your life.... and you'll sleep better at night.

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If you can turn a wrench, then you can winterize your own boat. I will take you an hour of your time to winterize and a block replacement and build up will be in the 4500 dollar mark.

If you are interested in doing it yourself, then we can help you thru the site. I would think a dealer would charge to you around 200 for a basic V drive winterization.

Also, if you have a heater or shower on the boat you will need to rid them of water as well.

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If you shrink wrap a boat & store it outside on the west side of the mountains, you better have some sort of dehumidifier inside it or your going to have a TON of mold & mildew inside it in the spring. Some shrinkwrappers have a vent that will install in the cover too, which is a pretty good idea.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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I've been having the Bakes team winterize (and unwinterize) my boat(s) every year since 2006.

If I add up every penny spent on these services over the years it's total is approx. 15% the cost of a new engine let alone the heartache and headache.

I drop the boat off, let them work their magic. I sleep well knowing all I have to do is turn the calander pages and and wait for spring when they unwinterize the boat and I'm off to the lake worry free for another great season.

Absolutly money well spent, IMO.

If you want to gamble, hit the casino.

http://www.bakesmari...12winterSVC.pdf

Edited by Olivertuft
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At the very least, drain out your block, and throw some stabil in your fuel tank. If you dont feel comfortable doing this yourself definitelly worth the peace of mind having a dealer do it.

For the cost of a new motor its a no brainer. There are many links on this site on how to winterize. It cost me about $45 doing it myself. This includes engine oil change, trans and vdrive change, sta bil, draining block and exhaust manifolds, etc... only takes about an hour. Definitely worth learning how to do it yourself.

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I am new here from the midwest. It would be great to save the money. I understand it does not really get below freezing for a prolonged period of time. So can I get away with not winterizing my boat?

Or do you have a recommendation for a good inexpensive service provider for winterize and shrinkwrap in the area?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

That is a misunderstanding used in this context. It gets below freezing plenty of times enough to crack your block if your boat is outside. If you have your boat in a heated garage then you can get away with it as long as you don't lose heat.

Edit - about 30 days / year on average min. temp is 32 degrees or less measured at Sea-Tac airport.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/min32temp.html

Edited by MalibuTime
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