[Rhodes22-list] winterizing- help please

[P&M Beals]

Dear Rhodies,

I checked out winterizing at the rhodes22.org site, which is our only
reference site besides GB's site, correct?

and I reviewed all the saved messages from a couple weeks back.

Here are my questions:  Remember I am not a motor acquainted sailor  until
two months ago...

We have a Yamaha 9.9 electric start motor ( since we don't need to mix oil
with the gas I believe it is a 4 stroke).  What if anything do we do for
that type for winterizing?

Is it necessary to top off gas tanks to prevent condensation?

We will remove the batteries.

Do folks remove the spreaders from the mast when putting their boat down for
the winter?
When I first stepped the mast with Joe Ware in August the spreaders were not
on the mast, but when we prepped it for travel north Joe said leaving the
spreaders in place would be ok.
Will there be a problem of them bending or too much stress etc if left in
place? I do recall we had one  heck of a time getting them in place.

we will be covering the boat with a cover, quite securely but it will
definitely be an outside storage.  also besides washing down the hull can we
wait til late winter to bottom paint again or is that necessary now?

Any extra drainage steps to take....we didn't use the water holding tank at
all.

Looks like this Sat. we have to pull  her out.  Would like to have had more
sails but that's about it for up here.  When I was a kid to teen, and sailed
on the Hudson up north we had a family tradition of sailing on Thanksgiving,
with a small pot belly coal burning stove in the cabin...with a smoke stack
vent of course. We had to chip away a thin ice sheet some times from around
the bow. good memories though.

Thanks 
Phyllis
Whisper
NJ