winter operation

T

tavi

New member
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
 
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
SleepyC :moon

IMG_2044_sized_1.thumb.jpg
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
tavi":q48c721l said:
... 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. ...
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
homerjack":1w8b12fg said:
Keep mine in harbor year round to fish up here in AK. Harbor sometimes freezes. Motor down. 2014 Honda 90. No issues.
Click to expand...

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 :mrgreen:
 
Back
Top