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Posts: 30
| I want to keep fishing for the big girls until the end of the season. My problem is I can't fit my boat in my garage. I leave the motor down when I park the boat to get all the water out but I want to know if I am going to get myself in trouble with any water left in the motor during the freezing nights? I have an indoor building I can use to winterize it at the end of the season but I am just not ready to hang it up for the year! Thanks |
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Posts: 2097
| There won't be any water left if the motor is down. |
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Posts: 32910
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Trim it down once out of the water, fire it up for a couple seconds, and you are good. |
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Posts: 537
Location: Gilberts IL/Rhinelander WI | Steve, is this only safe to do for the freezing nights at the end of the season? Is the deep freeze what can damage things? |
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Posts: 1760
Location: new richmond, wi. & isle, mn | What Steve said is not only correct late season, but should be done all year to prevent the spread of invasives.
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Posts: 2097
| My luck I would run it to long and blow it.
Edited by cave run legend 11/6/2013 9:49 PM
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Posts: 32910
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Couple seconds is all you need. You will see the water blow out the prop. |
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Location: Waukesha, WI, USA | Do the same with the livewell and water pumps to livewell if you are using suckers. Learned that the hard way. |
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Posts: 30
| Thanks for all of the helpful advice! |
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Posts: 7
| Asked my Yamaha dealer the same question last week and was told to lower the unit to drain it when you take it out. When you put it back in next time, let the lower unit sit in the water for a couple of minutes so that the water pump has a chance to flood before starting it up. The idea being that the water pump impellor could be frozen to the housing. Flooding it with water and letting it sit a few minutes would free it up and eliminate the possibilty of damaging the impellor. |
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Posts: 5874
| Good advice Woodie.
I will let the water drain with the motor down at the ramp while wiping the boat and trailer down. Pull the plug, empty the livewell, then run bilge and livewell pumps to make sure they are empty. Then, when the motor stops draining, I will start the motor just till it fired, and then shut it off. Trim the motor up for the transom saver, and off we go. Don't forget the kicker, do the same for it. Don't run the motor for more than a second or two. It doesn't take long to ruin an impellor.
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Posts: 2097
| Good advice guys. I just worrie about melting my impeller by using the motor out of the water even for a second. In the manual under winterizing it says to run in the water or muffs and to just leave the motor down. It does not say anything about purging.
When I go out in the cold, I will let lower unit sit for a minute or so just to warm it up. |
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Posts: 1220
| I use a cooler with a battery operated aerrator once it's below freezing...never the live well. It's not just the impeller in the livewell pump, it's the cable controled valves that take the tank between empty, normal and recirculate...just not worth it. As to big motor, I'm told my 250 Verado is perfectly OK to run a few seconds dry so I'm with Steve on that. I also bought that new camo vest at Cabelas with the battery powered heat and it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. People over sixty have no wuss factor, it's just about feeling nice! |
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Posts: 2097
| Can you take off the hood and rotate the flywheel to get the remaining water out? |
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Posts: 833
| I have to store mine outside to, it sucks. I regularly fish Tonka which is full of invasives so the proper technique is to drain your skeg all season long. I haven't had post freezing temp issues the past 4 seasons. As said above, just trim it all the way down. I've never fired her though. |
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Posts: 5874
| It's only OK to pop the motor when leaving the lake after draining the lower unit. I'd never do that on a motor that had been sitting. if the impeller and housing were dry, you can ruin the impeller.
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Posts: 42
Location: Ontario | If your worried about blowing the motor pull the kill switch then it won't fire up but will still turn over thus removing the water |
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Posts: 1220
| Here's the cooler |
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Posts: 1220
| No, maybe here is the cooler
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | You sure you're on the right thread Marty?  |
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Posts: 1247
Location: On the Niagara River in Buffalo, NY | If your in waves water will go backward through Livewell drains and can leave water in the circulation pump of the livewell to freeze and damage the pump.Put clip plugs in the livewell drain holes and pour some pink antifreeze in each livewell. |
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Posts: 1220
| Sorry about that, I guess I was just so proud of my cooler that I wanted to show it off. Really though, I think the thread can easily be expanded to all the stuff you do to make fishing when it's really cold work for you. I know that there are some pretty good tricks out there. I always thought I was pretty slick having 10-12 pairs of gloves in the boat so that I could keep changing into a dry pair, and then one day I bought a pair of gloves that never need to be changed and have as good a spool feel as my thumb. It's a moving target! |
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Posts: 288
Location: Oconomowoc, WI | I think that's a great idea Marty. I've kept a three suckers alive in a similar set-up in my garage for the the last two weeks.
Why risk it, when the suckers are just as happy in the cooler as they would be in our livewell. |
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Posts: 1145
Location: Minnesota. | I'd just like to say "THANK YOU" for all you guys who obviously take enough care to do as much as you do to shield against transporting those #*^@able invasives. Wish more fishermen would take your care!!
Jeremy....off my pulpit now! |
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Posts: 208
Location: Sun Prairie, WI | You wont blow the motor in a sec or two or 30 or even 5 min. All you need is to watch the pee stream. as soon as the solid stream of water stops kill it. Should take no more than 5 seconds. |
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Posts: 2097
| 5 minutes? |
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Location: Waukesha, WI, USA | Also, in cold water let your engine run for a few minutes before taking off from the ramp. Let the engine warm up. It doesn't like cold water until it is warmed up. |
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Posts: 208
Location: Sun Prairie, WI | Yes its not gonna blow up in 5 mins without water. The water pump wont last but the motors not gonna just expode. Would I do it? No. I was just sayin that a few seconds without water isn't gonn hurt the motor.
And yes always let it warm up in cold conditions. It can cold seize otherwise. This happens when the aluminum pistons warm up and expand faster than the steel cylinder walls. Things get tighter and tighter then they stop. |
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| Wouldn't be a bad idea to change the fluid in your lower unit if you haven't in a while. |
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Posts: 1220
| Got several PM's about the gloves. They are made by a company called Ice Bay, and purchased at Mills Fleet Farm! |
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Posts: 566
Location: Elgin, IL | Gloves might be the most important part of cold water fishing. You can't do much with cold, wet hands. Carry spares. I carry 3 different hats.
Some good tips here about outboard care in cold temps. I carry some spare plugs and now I'll be carrying an extra realay for the tilt/trim. I make extra sure all of the batteries are charged and in good working order. Don't ever forget the cell phone, and don't run out of battery power either.
I make sure the outboard is warmed up well. Actually, I have to, it's 17 years old and doesn't run all that great until she's warmed up anyway.
I've had 0 problems with water left in the lower unit...I simply tilt and trim the motor once she's on the trailer, and most runs right out. I don't start it up.
* A lot of little things to remember, but they can save a lot of time and trouble.
And Marty, I like your sucker tank. Great idea. I just convert my front livewell into the same basic idea. Then I can refresh the water easily during the daytrip with the aerator.
Edited by Northwind Mark 11/10/2013 9:31 AM
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Posts: 3902
| Gloves in Freezing Conditions 101
Assumption: you fish without gloves whenever you can. So,
carry three sets of gloves:
1) Running Gloves
2) Warm Yer Hands Gloves
3) Release Gloves
Running Gloves are insulated, waterproof 5 finger deals worn when you are putting in or out, and running the boat from one spot to another. Store these anywhere, doesn't matter if you put them on cold, you'll be wearing them a while.
Warming Gloves are big mittens (Choppers) loaded with handwarmers. Pop the handwarmers as you hit the landing and store mittens in your parka hand pockets. Sorta like holsters. Reday to dry and warm you hands anytime, just poke your hands in.
Release Gloves (Lindy's or whatever) are always 5 finger and once wet must be wrung out and stored in a gallon ziplock bag along with a popped handwarmer. It is impossible to put a set of wet > frozen Lindy gloves on your hands.
Class over, hope it was helpful.
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Posts: 3902
| Nets in Freezing Conditions 101
Point the wet net away from you and twist handle till the basket is folded over itself as much as possible. Place in boat with as little contact to the boat as possible. The basket will freeze up like a spatula, no way to stop it. The only way to thaw the basket is to dunk the net in the water. Expect your fish to freak out.
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Posts: 3902
| Rods and Reels in Freezing Conditions 101
Based on my limited experience, you can get ice off the rod but you cannot stop a reel from freezing up. Ice crystals poking up thru the line on the spool at first, then the reel gets sluggish on releasing line and the drag system tightens up and then it gets really frozen. To the point you cannot reel at all. All I use are Abus and thumbars freeze up much faster than push buttons.
I never experimented with thawing reels. By the time everything is frozen its dark and I'm ready to get off the water. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | gloves get in the way ... |
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Posts: 3902
| Um, I never gravitated past sophmore. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | So do condoms, but one bad experience without them may change your mind... 
jonnysled - 11/14/2013 9:30 PM
gloves get in the way ... |
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Posts: 1220
| Last Saturday's Ironman event on Pewaukee in the midst of sustained 30 (plus) MPH winds was the very first time brand new batteries lost all power to the bowmount for me with at least 3 more hours to go. We then let the Verado run at idle, just nudging it in and out of gear for forward and back motion knowing the alternator was giving some juice to trolling motor battery #1 as well as the cranking battery. This gave us the ability to use the bow-mount just for left/right adjustment, maintain pretty OK control of the boat and complete confidence that we wouldn't lose the crank battery, even with all the electronics at full function. Naturally, Verados can run all day at idle without making a sound, hurting the engine, or burning more than a couple of gallons of fuel. Yes, we didn't catch a fish (again) but there is clearly something to be said for not feeling nervous out there in what was a signature rough day...and I mean waves crashing over the bow of a Ranger 620. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | nothing i've seen on the water is any worse than being in a tree for deer gun season or out on the ice. under armour, good quality boots, down vest for your core and neck and head cover keeping yourself free to move comfortably works. amazing what a positive attitude toward conditions can give you too. if your core is warm and dry it translates to the extremities.
another tip for multiple days … if you don't have a boot drier, get one. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Shout out to all the guys who mentioned draining and firing up the motor upon exit from the water to prevent the spread of invasives. My employees and I greatly appreciate your diligence! Keep it up. |
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Location: Waukesha, WI, USA | I also carry jumper cables in the boat. Batteries drain easier in cold conditions. I've had to use the trolling battery to jump starting battery. |
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Posts: 1220
| One of the better tools you can use to remain safe in really cold weather is a little kit made of two glass balls sitting on thin glass tubes. The balls and tubes come pre-filled with water and you simply put this little apparatus on your boats console. When it gets cold enough to freeze the liquid and expand it to the point where the glass breaks, that's when you know you're freezing your balls off and it's time to go in! |
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Posts: 1247
Location: On the Niagara River in Buffalo, NY | Freezing reel dragwasher fix in subfreezing weather, shooting muffs with handwarmers placed over your reel when trolling keeps everything warm, shad oil on the spooled up line stops freezing and adds a sent trail. |
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Posts: 3902
| Oooooh, Larry yer making my nipples hard. |
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Posts: 32910
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Geeez |
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