The Outdoor Line Forum

Hey boys.

As we have all seen, there is a bit of cold weather moving through our region this week. I know some of you have your boats out in the elements because you intend on using them through out the winter. My question to you is; what are your preps for protecting your main motors from the extreme cold? I was planning on wrapping a moving blanket around my motor, then wrapping a smaller tarp around that, but other than that, do you guys do anything else? Should I be worried about any water remaining in the cooling system freezing or damaging the motor in any way?

I started it up this Thanksgiving and it started up just fine. However, now I know there could be water in the system which may not have drained all the way.

Any tips or prep tricks would be very beneficial.

Hey T,
You're right, a few preventative measures right now will save you a big headache later and I like your wrap idea!

It sounds like we are talking outboards here and one of the best steps is to tilt the engine down to allow all the water to drain.

If you leave your engine tilted, water can accumulate in the exhaust hub and the forward portion of the engine block.

In freezing temperatures, a dry outboard is a happy outboard.