www.iFourWinns.com

So we have been lucky here in MO this year. We have only had one night that got very cold. I was given bad info that as long as we don't get 3 or 4 days in a row of teens or below than I"m ok.

I know now that was bad advice.

Hopefully the boat is not already toast.

I found two petcocks on the side of the block and opened them. No water came out.

The boat has not been started for the last two summers although we did try a few times this summer and had it connected to water in the driveway.

Is it a good sign that no watercame out?

What do I need to do to get it winterized?

Please keep in mind I'm unable to get it started.

thanks in advance for your help.

Did it get well above freezing when you checked? Did you probe the drain holes with a small screwdriver or long wood screw? Sometimes rust clogs the holes. I'd try again, probe the holes, pull off the bottom end of the big hose that goes from the thermo housing to the water circulating pump on the front of the engine. What about the exhaust manifolds, some have plugs and some have rubber caps that have to be removed. Water can stay in the raw water intake hose that goes from the transom to the thermo housing, I take that off at the thermo housing and I point it down in the bilge to drain.
I never let the boat sit with water in the engine after the season is over. I take it out of the water in Oct and then I winterize it on a nice fall day. No point in waiting longer.

If you can't do it yourself try to get a shop to do it for you.

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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'll second that. Based on your other starting issue and questions about if/whether the boat was adequately protected for winter, I think I'd recommend having a good shop look at it. Get it to the point where you have a good baseline (you know it starts and is winterized, and you at least know whatever else it needs). I think you'd feel better with that knowledge, even if you have to pay a couple hundred dollars for it. If you're lucky, or you ask nice enough, they might even let you look over their shoulder so you have a good idea how to winterize it yourself from now on. It only takes one simple mistake to destroy your engine.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I'm going to call a shop tomorrow and most likely get the boat into them.

I appreciate your help today. I can get it winterized myself but I really want to know what condition it's in so I'm going to get it to a shop and let them know what's up and take it from there.

I wish I had known that anything under 32 for any amount of time could do my boat in. I'd have done it alot sooner. I've been hell bent on getting it started before winterizing and have let time get away from me in the process.

Again, thanks a ton for your help.

You're very welcome, keep us posted on how it turns out. Good luck and hopefully you don't have anything major going on.

Time getting away from you... man, we all know how that is.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic