www.iFourWinns.com

Well I am very depressed that it is that time of year to put the boat away! It was my first summer of owning a boat and I never thought I would have had so much fun! As for getting it ready for winter storage, I went through the Four Winns boat owners manual, and Engine manual, and followed everything they had listed to do prior to storing the boat. I was just wondering if there is anything else you experienced boaters do to get your boat ready for winter besides the typical change fluids/drain the water from the motor etc. I will be storing the boat inside, but its not a heated environment. Is there anything you guys use to help collect any moisture in the boat? Any tips and suggestions would be awesome! I figured the best way to learn is to ask the ones with experience!

Thanks!

two words "battery maintainer". had one on my 190H three winters and haven't had a spring time startup issue.

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2007 190H 4.3 volvo Gxi
2014 Chevy Silverado 2500hd

Agreed on battery maintenance. Many people prefer to take the batteries out of the boat and put them on chargers. I have an onboard charger that I keep plugged in whenever the boat is in the garage. It ensures me long battery life and batteries that are always topped off when we are ready to hit the water. I have 3 seasons on my batteries..never an issue, even with a loud stereo and two amps.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Buy some Damp Rid and put in the boat to prevent mold/mildew.


Also, stuff some Bounce dryer sheets everywhere you can in the boat, they keep it smelling
fresh, and do repel any rodents that might want to make a home in your cold stored boat.

Battery maintainer is cool, if your storage facility allows you to plug it in all off season.
If not, either unhook the batteries, or take them out for the lay up.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Should the damprid be used even when storing outdoors? I don't consider our hatch to be a perfect seal so I imagine air will be exchanged simply by the wind blowing the cover around.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

I would suspect it wouldnt hurt, especially in a couple spots of the boat, like the head etc...

As stated....stored inside or out....bounce dryer sheets will do you a lot of good.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I used Damp Rid for 9 years when we stored our SR in the back yard. Always worked for me.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Yep I'd definitely use the damp rid outdoors as covers are never water tight and some moisture always gets in. I like to open up the cover about 1 x a month weather permitting so that I can air it out and put the batts on the charger. I wound up building a support frame so the custom cover does not collapse from the snow. And make sure you take out the garboard drain plug, you want any water that gets in to be able to drain out. Don't want water and ice in the bilge....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I use calcium chloride from homer depot instead of damprid. Just pour a couple inches in some gallon milk buckets. I also put it in my camper. Keeps the mildew away from the big temp swings in the fall & spring.

You may want to consider blocking your trailer to take pressure off the tires. Some people do this some don't.

Make sure you pull your drain plug to allow any water to drain out. Store your boat bow up. Maybe poor a little AF in the bilge area if you have water that collects there and doesn't drain properly. As far as the drain plug goes, I use a trick from a boat mechanic that winterized my boat. Put it in a plastic baggie and stick the ignition key through it. Guaranteed that you won't leave the dock without realizing that it's not in

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'99 Horizon 200

Thanks for all the great suggestions guys! They have been very helpful! I have another question though. After draining the motor I decided to fill it with anti-freeze just for extra insurance. I followed the instructions in the mercury manual, and as I was filling it up it would just start pouring out the back of the boat. When I poured it in the exhaust manifold it would come out the exhaust at the back of the boat, when I fill up the hoses running to the water pump it would pour out the cooling water inlets and outlets on the outdrive. Is this normal and mean the engine is full? Just from what I had read on here I really expected it to take more antifreeze.

And also I have read in a few different threads on here about a power steering cooler. I cannot find anything on this in either my Four Winns or Mercury manuals. My boat is a 2003 Horizon 180 with 4.3 Merc. My boat has 5 drains plugs that I removed and drained. If the manual doesn't mention a procedure about draining the PS cooler should I just assume it would be drained through one of the other plugs?

Thanks!

It's normal for the AF to come out the exhaust. That's the sign that you have enough AF. I'm not sure how much AF to expect with the 4.3 Merc, but I would think 2-4 gallons would about do it. Did you pull the hoses off the manifolds & raw water pump, etc. too? Don't forget to crank the engine over a couple times to get some AF in the raw water pump. I believe if you have a closed cooling system, then you don't need as much AF like a full raw water cooling system. It sounds like you've done everything correctly. I can't speak to the PS cooler. I'm sure someone else will chime in on that.

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'99 Horizon 200