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BOAT STORAGE
Equipment Check
1. When you winterize your boat, remove your boat's safety equipment and check or replace each item.
2. Check the expiration date on your flares. If they are expired, or if they will expire before or during the next season, don't
throw them away. Keep them to use first in an emergency. Buy new flares with an expiration date good for at least three
years. Replace flares that show signs of leakage or delamination of the case.
3. Remove all the lifejackets and cushions from the boat and inspect them for rips, wear, and torn, broken or missing
hardware. Wearable lifejackets and throwable devices, like some seat cushions, count toward the legal requirements only
when they are in good, serviceable condition.
4. Remove your first aid kit from the boat and replenish supplies.
5. Remove your fire extinguisher from the boat and check its condition and pressure. If the pressure gauge indicator points
in the green area, the extinguisher should be usable.
I say, "should be" because most small-boat marine fire extinguishers
use a dry chemical that can harden like a brick. If your extinguisher uses a dry chemical, turn the extinguisher upside
down and bang the bottom with a rubber mallet. Then turn it
right-side up and bang the sides a few times. If you can't
feel the powder moving around inside of the extinguisher,
you should think about replacing it.
OUTBOARD STORAGE
First of all, put some gas stabilizer in your fuel tank in the recommended ratio for winter storage. Shake your
gas can (if portable) or tow your boat around to mix in the stabilizer.
Larger boats with built-in gas tanks need to be run to spread the gas stabilizer
through the engine
Second, use some engine tune-up (de-carb) spray on your engine prior to winterizing. Start the motor with the motor
flusher attached (make sure it covers the intakes). Turn the water on before starting the engine. Spray 3/4
of a can of tune-up spray into the carburetors. Stop the engine and let it sit for at least an hour, or
overnight if possible. Re-start the engine, again with the flusher attached, and run at fast idle. Spray the
remaining 1/4 of tune-up spray into the carbs. This helps remove carbon build-up from the motor piston
heads, rings and walls, and will clean gunk out of carbs. Now follow winterizing steps below.
Winterizing Directions:
1. Use the motor flusher, this fits over the lower unit water intakes and attaches to a garden hose -
make sure it covers the
intakes. Turn the water on before starting the engine. Start the engine and
make sure water is coming out of the telltale.
Run the engine for about 5 minutes at fast idle to
ensure the gas (with stabilizer mixed in) has entered the engine carbs
and floats.
2. Run the engine at about 1500 RPM's, or at fast idle (keep it below 2200
RPM's). Spray the fogging spray into the carbs,
switching between them, (some of the larger engines
have a connection built on the engine for cleaning) until the engine
stalls. If you have two cans of spray and two carbs use one in each until engine stalls. This will cause
a great deal of
smoke, so make sure you do it outside with good
ventilation. Make sure you follow the manufacturer's directions for
the fogging compound/spray.
3. Next, pull the spark plugs and spray some fogging solution liberally into each
cylinder. Crank the engine or turn the fly
wheel by hand and spray again. This stuff inhibits rust - you really want to get
it throughout the motor.
4. Next, change the lower unit gear oil. There are usually two screws on the lower unit - one under the gear casing
toward
the front of the bullet-shaped housing and one just below the cavitation plate.
Put a oil pan under the lower unit housing
to catch the oil. Next, remove the bottom screw first.
Then open the upper screw allowing the gear oil to pour out into
the pan. Water in the oil will be indicated by
the oil being a milky color and indicates the need for a new shaft seal
and/or new gaskets. The bottom screw may have a
magnet built in it - check this and the oil for excessive metal shavings.
The metal shavings indicate possible gear problems.
After all the oil has
drained out, the loser unit is refilled by squeezing
or pumping new gear oil in from the bottom hole until it flows out
of the top hole. Now comes the tricky part! Hold
pressure to the oil tube or pump and replace the top
screw. Replacing the top screw first will aid in holding the oil in while
you fight to replace the bottom screw without loosing much
of the new oil. Make sure that the nylon gaskets are in place
on both screws before replacing them. When you
tighten the screw remember that the screws are steel and the housing
is aluminum. If you over tighten the screws you
will ruin the housing. Also be careful not to cross-thread the screws.
5. Grease all motor fittings with grease.
6. Gap & install new spark plugs. Keep in mind that the plugs
are steel and the threads are aluminum.
7. Most outboards will either have an internal fuel filter or one will be
mounted inline in the fuel system of the boat. Check
this out and replace it. If you have both -
change both.
8. Disconnect the boat's batteries. Remove them from the boat & clean
the batteries with a baking soda and water solution.
Next, the batteries should be dried thoroughly, have
the posts or connections cleaned, and re-installed in the boat. If
you store your boat in a public facility consider
taking the batteries home so that you can periodically charge the
batteries during the winter (once a week is
enough).
TRAILER STORAGE
When your trailer will not be in use for several months, you can insure that it will
continue to give you good performance by taking the following steps:
1. If at all possible, park your trailer rig in a protected area, your garage,
carport, etc.
2. If you must park the trailer outdoors, install a boat cover that is tight
enough for adequate protection but not air tight.
3. Service or repack wheel bearings according to manufacturer's
instructions.
4. Jack up the trailer and place blocks under the trailer frame to take most
of the weight off trailer springs and tires.
5. Loosen tie-downs and winch line, but be sure the boat is resting properly
on hull supports.
6. If the boat has a drain plug, remove it and elevate the trailer tongue
slightly (just an inch or two) to allow water to drain
out and keep the boat dry. Tie the plug to something obvious, like the steering wheel, so you will
remember to replace
the drain plug before you take your next trip!
7. While boat is in storage is a good time to touch up rust spots, nicks and
chips, replace damaged tie-downs, winch line,
wiring, etc.
8. Lubricate moving parts - rollers, winch, etc.
AXLE BEARING RE-INSTALLATION
1. When installing bearings in a hub or hub drum for a "plain" spindle axle, it is necessary to
pre-pack the bearings prior to
installing them in the hub. To prepack your bearings, you can buy a bearing packer at your local auto
parts store, or you
can pre-grease your bearings using the grease in the palm method.
2. If you do not have a bearing packing tool, you can achieve the same results with the
*grease in palm* method.
Yep, it's a messy process, but it is equally effective if done properly and carefully. As the name
says, you put grease in the palm of one hand and then with the other hand, you
methodically roll and rotate the bearing into the grease, carefully forcing grease through all
of the rollers. Once you have pre-packed both the inner and outer bearings, carefully lay them on a
totally clean surface. Dirt in a newly greased bearing will act as an abrasive on the bearings and
races and can really shorten bearing life.
3. Next lay the hub or hub drum face down on a table and fill the rear of the hub cavity with liberal amounts of
grease, carefully coating the rear race surface. Now install the inner bearing
(axle seal side) into the rear of the hub,
matching the cone of the bearing to the race.
(BE CAREFUL TO INSTALL THE BEARING CORRECTLY!)
4. Now, with the pre-greased inner bearing sitting in the hub drum, add more grease on top
of the rear bearing. There will
be a space of about 1/4" between the inner bearing and the
seal. It is essential that this cavity be filled with grease.
5. Now set the double lip seal (the inner lip with the spring goes inside the hub) squarely atop the rear hub bore. Set
a
wood block on top of the seal and tap with a hammer until the seal is flush with the rear
hub bore.
This completes the rear bearing and seal installation. At this point, turn the hub over on the table,
being careful not to get dirt into the grease at the rear of the hub (set
it down on a clean cloth). Now pack liberal amounts of grease in the inner hub cavity.
NOTE: Be sure that the grease you use is a low to medium viscosity (high temperature) grease. Low to medium
viscosity grease will flow around and through the hub cavity and bearings providing more total lubricant to the bearings
than a high viscosity grease. High viscosity greases tend to centrifuge to the outer hub cavity wall where they stick and
stay with only the small amount of grease in the bearing rollers providing lubrication.
TIRES
Tire inflation pressure is one of the most important factors in tire life. Tires
should be inflated to the pressure recommended
by the manufacturer for the
load. Pressure should always be checked cold before operation. Check inflation
pressure weekly during use to insure maximum tire life and monitor tread wear.
The following Tire Pressure Chart lists the standard recommended pressure for
most common trailer tires.
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