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winter operation

 
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tavi



Joined: 27 Dec 2016
Posts: 8
City/Region: cambridge
State or Province: MD
C-Dory Year: 2004
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 2:09 pm    Post subject: winter operation Reply with quote

I have a C-Dory with a 2004, 90-hp, 4-stroke Honda outboard. I live in Maryland and want to keep this rig in the water all winter and run it when the weather permits. We get ice here some years - some years not. Some folks tell me that fishermen run these engines all winter and there is no issue - that when the engine is tilted up, all the water drains out. Others say that the engine should be kept down, because the water is warmer than the air. Anybody have any thoughts/experience on winter operation?
Thanks
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yup, Yup, and Yup.

You will probably get a bunch of thoughts, and they are all best according to someone, but YMMV as some say........

Kudos for wanting to boat year around. If you are in salt water, then it its good to be flushing your Out Board after each use. It is true that they will drain (better) in the down position. It's hard to do that when they are in the water and down. There are several ways that have been discussed her before.

If it was mine I would be putting it on the trailer and then the OBs can be down and drained.

If you don't have to worry about the water freezing, maybe the growth will be minimum too, but leaving the OB's down allows for more marine growth. Again, my reason for pulling the boat out.

I'm sure you will be getting more help here from those who leave their boats in during the winter.

Stay safe,

Harvey
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TyBoo



Joined: 23 Oct 2003
Posts: 5310
City/Region: Warrenton
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 1996
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruise Ship
Vessel Name: TyBoo
Photos: TyBoo
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 2:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The motor must be tilted down, not up, for the water to drain. When tilted down with the boat in the water, the motor will drain to the water surface and not freeze below the surface, effectively eliminating the danger of trapped water freezing.

I leave my boat in the water with the motors down through January for crabbing and find the algae growth slows way down in the colder months. We do not get extreme cold temps here but it is cold enough to freeze water inside an engine and crack it open. I lost a kicker on a night with temps barely below freezing because I forgot to tip it down. Cast aluminum breaks easily and does not insulate from the cold at all.

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Slipknot



Joined: 10 Aug 2017
Posts: 25
City/Region: Scappoose
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 2016
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was wondering the same things, and plan to leave my 25 in the water all winter.

What about leaving the motors tilted up, and flushing them with some safe non-toxic anti-freeze? I have a 12V washdown pump that I'm planning to hook up to a tank or a couple of 5-gal buckets.
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Pacificcoast101



Joined: 29 Sep 2007
Posts: 717
City/Region: Torrance
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Vessel Name: No Pressure
Photos: No Pressure
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What about raising the outboard and covering it?

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ssobol



Joined: 27 Oct 2012
Posts: 3360
City/Region: SW Michigan
State or Province: MI
C-Dory Year: 2008
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Vessel Name: SoBELLE
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even out of the water you should keep the motor vertical, not tilted. Tilted up water (snow, rain) can collect in the exhaust at the bottom of the lower unit (connects through the hub) and freeze. This may crack the plumbing in the lower unit.
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Aurelia



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Keep them down and if you are in the water, it could still be flushed then lowered and you are still combating salt build-up internally.

I would do at least an occasional fresh water flush, and keep the motor down in the water throughout the freezing period of your local area.

Greg

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homerjack



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 186
City/Region: Homer
State or Province: AK
C-Dory Year: 1988
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: 49er
Photos: 49er
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Keep mine in harbor year round to fish up here in AK. Harbor sometimes freezes. Motor down. 2014 Honda 90. No issues.
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tavi



Joined: 27 Dec 2016
Posts: 8
City/Region: cambridge
State or Province: MD
C-Dory Year: 2004
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks to all who have responded to my request for thoughts on running an outboard in freezing weather and keeping it in the water all year. Some good things to think about. I will see what develops and let you know. My plan will be to tilt the motor up after use (to get as much water out as possible) and then immediately put it down until the next use. If algae becomes an issue, I will have to brush it down from time to time. Since there is no power at the dock in winter, providing heat is not possible. We'll see . . .
Thanks again
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ssobol



Joined: 27 Oct 2012
Posts: 3360
City/Region: SW Michigan
State or Province: MI
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: SoBELLE
Photos: SoBelle
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

tavi wrote:
... My plan will be to tilt the motor up after use (to get as much water out as possible) and then immediately put it down until the next use. ...


How does tilting it up and then down again get rid of "as much water as possible"?

AFAIK, the vertical position lets the most water out.
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tavi



Joined: 27 Dec 2016
Posts: 8
City/Region: cambridge
State or Province: MD
C-Dory Year: 2004
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It just seems to be a prudent thing to do - when I tilt the motor at the end of a day, a lot of water comes out, some of which is likely in the upper portion of the engine. If I just stop running and leave it tilted down, some of this water may be trapped. I don't have any proof of this, but I prefer to do what I can to protect the motor.
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designbug



Joined: 02 Sep 2007
Posts: 61
City/Region: Annapolis
State or Province: MD
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Bella II
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've kept my CD25 in the water year round in Annapolis since 2007. The first year I kept the motor down but didn't like the growth I got on the motor. Since then, I've kept the motor tilted up with no problems.
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OP, do you do all your mechanicing or do you have a good OB tech you deal with? I guess I would ask your mechanic what his thoughts are and probably go with his recommendation.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon
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tsturm



Joined: 01 Nov 2003
Posts: 1134
City/Region: Soldotna
State or Province: AK
C-Dory Year: 2003
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

homerjack wrote:
Keep mine in harbor year round to fish up here in AK. Harbor sometimes freezes. Motor down. 2014 Honda 90. No issues.


Same here, Used year round in Homer, Below freezing engine down in water. Had Honda 90 & Yamaha F115 on the 22.
& 175 Suzi on the 25 No Problem. Engine down, power head & exhaust drain to water line.


Wink Beer Mr. Green
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