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Attending Winterization Class


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Between looking through just about every winterizing thread on here, PN and TMC as well the two check lists that were recently posted on here I've developed by own version of a winterization check list for myself that I'm prettty comfortable with. But just for the hell of it I'm going to attend a winterization class at the local Sea Ray dealer next Monday night. I figure I may as well spend the couple of hours to insure I'm not spending $5k in spring to replace a cracked block.

I've got an idea on a couple of questions to ask the tech that does the class, but if anyone has any questions they'd like me to ask I will do my best.

Mike

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Pose the anitfreeze/no antifreeze question.

Red versus green antifreeze?

I refuse to ask questions for a local Waukesha owner that's probably less than 15 minutes away from Skipper Buds and is too lazy to get out there and attend the class themselves. :)

Edited by mlange
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You could ask if they have any plans to develop a new "skiray" based on the inboard boat market/wakebaord trends. :)

At the rate things are going, in a few years, a nice 32' Searay will be the hottest thing going in the wakeboard market (and cheaper than the offerings from the ski boat manufacturers). :)

Edited by rts
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Pose the anitfreeze/no antifreeze question.

Red versus green antifreeze?

I refuse to ask questions for a local Waukesha owner that's probably less than 15 minutes away from Skipper Buds and is too lazy to get out there and attend the class themselves. :)

Hey MLange,

You asked. So I responded Biggrin.gif

Does Skipper Buds even sell competition ski boats? I thought they only carried I/O's and outboards.

Dave

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Hey MLange,

You asked. So I responded Biggrin.gif

Does Skipper Buds even sell competition ski boats? I thought they only carried I/O's and outboards.

Dave

Dave,

I'm just giving you crap. I'll definitely ask about the anti-freeze for ya.

They don't carry any tournament boats, but from a winterization standpoint that doesn't matter.

Mike

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Dave,

I'm just giving you crap. I'll definitely ask about the anti-freeze for ya.

Mike

I figured you were Mike - just giving you a little back.

Speaking of winterizing, my neighbor asked me tonight if I could help him winterize his Response Lxi (two years old and dealer did it last year). What a train wreck. He knows nothing about boats. Hopefully he'll be a "good student" so I don't have to do it again next year. :) I should demand that he goes to Skips Winterization Class!!

Dave

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Dave,

I'm just giving you crap. I'll definitely ask about the anti-freeze for ya.

Mike

I figured you were Mike - just giving you a little back.

Speaking of winterizing, my neighbor asked me tonight if I could help him winterize his Response Lxi (two years old and dealer did it last year). What a train wreck. He knows nothing about boats. Hopefully he'll be a "good student" so I don't have to do it again next year. :) I should demand that he goes to Skips Winterization Class!!

Dave

Why a train wreck? The dealer wrecked it or the owner?

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Dave,

I'm just giving you crap. I'll definitely ask about the anti-freeze for ya.

Mike

I figured you were Mike - just giving you a little back.

Speaking of winterizing, my neighbor asked me tonight if I could help him winterize his Response Lxi (two years old and dealer did it last year). What a train wreck. He knows nothing about boats. Hopefully he'll be a "good student" so I don't have to do it again next year. :) I should demand that he goes to Skips Winterization Class!!

Dave

Why a train wreck? The dealer wrecked it or the owner?

Baddog,

I was speaking tongue-in-cheek - it is just that my neighbor has no clue - nothing is wrong with his Bu. For example, when he was backing the boat into his driveway, I noticed the trailer wheels were locking. After further inspection, I noticed that he had wrapped the surge brake cable tightly around the trailer tongue. He drove with it that way for 100 miles! Just stuff like that that makes me shake my head.

Dave

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ask about tricks to keep mice out of the boat.

this is a simple one, mothballs are the answer

Yeah, but then the boat smells like mothballs. Ski partner does this and the smell is very noticeable for the first portion of the season. I keep my boat in the same garage over the winter and put Bounce® sheets throughout the boat. Never had a problem and the boat smells spring-time fresh!

I must say, however, there is DeCon placed strategically in the garage, so YMMV.

A mouse (mice) did get in my old boat, stored outside with no Bounce sheets. Fortunately I left a roll of paper towels in the boat and that's what the varmints went after--no chewed carpeting or vinyl. Now I leave a roll of PT intentionally as a decoy, just in case. :)

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Dave,

I'm just giving you crap. I'll definitely ask about the anti-freeze for ya.

Mike

I figured you were Mike - just giving you a little back.

Speaking of winterizing, my neighbor asked me tonight if I could help him winterize his Response Lxi (two years old and dealer did it last year). What a train wreck. He knows nothing about boats. Hopefully he'll be a "good student" so I don't have to do it again next year. :) I should demand that he goes to Skips Winterization Class!!

Dave

Why a train wreck? The dealer wrecked it or the owner?

Baddog,

I was speaking tongue-in-cheek - it is just that my neighbor has no clue - nothing is wrong with his Bu. For example, when he was backing the boat into his driveway, I noticed the trailer wheels were locking. After further inspection, I noticed that he had wrapped the surge brake cable tightly around the trailer tongue. He drove with it that way for 100 miles! Just stuff like that that makes me shake my head.

Dave

A little scary. How does he do backing the boat up? Unloading/loading on the trailer?

A little Darwinism here?

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ask about tricks to keep mice out of the boat.

this is a simple one, mothballs are the answer

Yeah, but then the boat smells like mothballs. Ski partner does this and the smell is very noticeable for the first portion of the season. I keep my boat in the same garage over the winter and put Bounce® sheets throughout the boat. Never had a problem and the boat smells spring-time fresh!

I must say, however, there is DeCon placed strategically in the garage, so YMMV.

A mouse (mice) did get in my old boat, stored outside with no Bounce sheets. Fortunately I left a roll of paper towels in the boat and that's what the varmints went after--no chewed carpeting or vinyl. Now I leave a roll of PT intentionally as a decoy, just in case. :)

I use the dryer sheets in my fold down camper, mainly to keep ants out. Will definetely try them in the boat this winter. I keep the boat in a car tent and set traps, but I have to rebait them alot. The mice's just keep coming.

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Well, I think the class was a pretty big waste of time. I was expecting that they would actually winterize an engine in front of us - no such luck.

Instead they had a couple of mercruisers sitting on stands, both of which had their blocks cracked - one was a carb, the other an MPI. They made a half-hearted attempt of showing what to do on each engine.

My buddy and I left after 45 minutes when they moved on to the stern drive portion of the winterization.

Anyway, to answer the questions that were posed:

1. Anti-freeze vs. No Anti-freeze

ANSWER: They suggested pulling the plugs to drain the block, then pouring antifreeze into the block and manifolds until it flows out the drain holes and then stopping right there. So, they only put in the anti-freeze to counter any potential water that may still be in there, but to not fill it up all the way after putting back in the drain plugs. In short - it's ok to fill it up, but it's overkill and not necessary.

2. Pink vs. Green Antifreeze

ANSWER: Since they don't even leave anti-freeze in the engine, this isn't even a valid question.

3. Fogging the Cylinders

ANSWER: A waste. Fogging the engine itself would do the trick. No mention was made of hydro locking the engine and snappnig a rod.

One interesting note is that they suggested that you do NOT fog an MPI engine directly through the air intake. The comment was that you don't want to risk clogging up the injectors. They instead suggested putting a couple of ounces of 2 cycle outboard oil into the fuel/water separator and running the engine off of that. Obviously, that wouldn't work on most Indmars that don't have fuel/water separators.

Attached is what I came up with for my check list. I took a lot from the other check lists that have been posted, so it should be pretty similar.

Mike

Winterizing_Checklist.doc

Edited by mlange
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Keeping the mice out! Mice aren't much of a problem, I had a family of coon living in my storage shed one winter. Lucky that they focused on my boat (pre-bou era) and not the others stored in my shed. I still haven't found the key that was in the ignition with a rubber floatie on it. There were pieces of the floatie all over the boat.

So, only way to deal with the mice and coon: 12 guage shotgun, very effective and fun! I declaired war on coon since that spring and have probably killed about a hundred coon around the shed in the last five years.

By the way, thanks for the checklist. I'll be using it in a few weeks.

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Hhhhmmmmmm. . .

If I put the snake in my partner's MC, will it leave long enough to eat any mice in the vicinity, then return to her boat? Crazy.gif

No good rattlesnake would be caught dead in a MC!! Biggrin.gif

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ask about tricks to keep mice out of the boat.

this is a simple one, mothballs are the answer

Yeah, but then the boat smells like mothballs. Ski partner does this and the smell is very noticeable for the first portion of the season. I keep my boat in the same garage over the winter and put Bounce® sheets throughout the boat. Never had a problem and the boat smells spring-time fresh!

I must say, however, there is DeCon placed strategically in the garage, so YMMV.

A mouse (mice) did get in my old boat, stored outside with no Bounce sheets. Fortunately I left a roll of paper towels in the boat and that's what the varmints went after--no chewed carpeting or vinyl. Now I leave a roll of PT intentionally as a decoy, just in case. :)

I use the dryer sheets in my fold down camper, mainly to keep ants out. Will definetely try them in the boat this winter. I keep the boat in a car tent and set traps, but I have to rebait them alot. The mice's just keep coming.

The trouble with using bait is that the mice do not know it is bait. they think it is food and are attracted to the area. You could be luring mice from a much larger territory than you think by using this method. Bounce sheets and or mothballs do seem to work, maybe that is all the mice smell and have no reason then to go into the boat.

Edited by Cervelo
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