[Rhodes22-list] winterizing- help please

[Steve Alm]

Phyllis,

Adding to what MJM said, be sure to get all the water out of the bilge.  8-)

As for the spreaders, yes, it's best to leave them on the mast when
trailering.  Covering the boat for the winter is another story.  What I do
is remove the mast crutch and lower the mast down to the stern pulpit.  Have
someone who is at least 5' 9" tall stand on the lazerette hatch and lift the
mast off the crutch while a second person (no height requirements) remove
the crutch.  Then the tall person lowers it down to their shoulder and then
to the pulpit.

I take the spreaders off and use the mast for the ridge of the roof (tarp).
I only have one little screw holding each spreader in its socket and they're
pretty easy to remove.  I don't know why you had trouble with yours.  More
info on that?  Do not disconnect the spreaders from the shrouds.  Once
they're off the mast, you can just lay them on the cabin top along the hand
rails.  But if you don't remove them, they'll poke through the tarp and/or
get bent or otherwise damaged.  With the mast supported on the ends by the
bow and stern pulpits, I have about an inch or two of clearance at the cabin
top.  I put a cushion there to support the mast in its middle and prevent it
from bending under the weight of the tarp, snow and the downward force of
the tie-downs.  

Do not top off the gas tanks--just the opposite.  Disconnect the fuel line
from the motor while it's running and let the motor run out of gas.  There's
some disagreement over the next step.  Spray fogging oil, WD-40, two-stroke
oil or nothing to lubricate the pistons and cylinders.  I think the
consensus is to use something rather than nothing.  The earlier posts from a
couple weeks ago should give you the idea. Take any leftover gas in the
tanks and pour it into your car, lawnmower, snow blower or anything else.
It will go bad over the winter so try to use it up now.  Buy fresh gas next
spring.

Change the oil in the lower unit by removing the drainage plug (screw) at
the very bottom, down by the prop.  There's another plug about half way up
the shaft.  Remove that too.  Pick up a tube of lower unit gear oil and
after you've drained out the old oil, squirt the new oil into the lower unit
from the bottom hole until it runs out the top hole.  Then put the top plug
back in while still holding the tube in the bottom hole.  Then quickly
switch the tube for the bottom plug.

Remove the batteries?  Not really necessary.  I'm in Minnesota and I never
bother with that.  Think of all the automobiles that sit out all winter.  A
car that's been sitting for a few months might (or might not) need a jump
but then it's fine. The coldest temps in NJ will not damage your batteries.
Maybe hook them up to the battery charger for a couple hours in the spring
but then the solar panels take over as soon as you uncover it anyway.  But
it's best to disconnect them on board in case there's some unknown draw on
them.

If your bottom needs painting, do it whenever you have nice enough weather.
Either now or wait until spring.  It needs to be at least 45 degrees for the
paint to cure properly.  It won't hurt to put that job off until later, but
wash the hull down as soon as you get it out of the water.  The longer you
let the slime and crud dry, the harder it is to get off.  Many of us have
posted pictures and/or instructions for lifting the boat off the trailer
bunks for painting.  Let us know if you'd like more info on that.

Should we all just move south so we never have to do all this?  8-)

Slim

On 11/4/04 11:31 PM, "Michael Meltzer" <mjm at michaelmeltzer.com> wrote:

> motor:
> 1)flush with fresh water, (trashcan or the ear muffer), extra cridet for
> using saltaway.
> 2)at the same time, use the spray "carbon out" cleaners
> 3)finish the carbon cleaning,
> 4)change the oil(make sure the motor warm), clean the oil filter
> 5)change the lower gear lube
> 6)burn the gas out and use foging oil at the end
> 7)change the spake plugs and spray some foging oil in the hole
> 8)general clean up and spray down everything with boeing sheaild 9
> 9)good time to check the themrastat
> 
> Boat:
> Get all water out of the bilge, winter frezing can be trouble
> take the battrys inside or put the on a 3 amp charger, make sure
> everything is shut down and off the battrys
> Get all water out of the bilge, winter frezing can be trouble
> Cover the boat, it not sitting on it lines and water will get in.
> Get all water out of the bilge, winter frezing can be trouble
> take all food cushsions and flairs off the boat
> Get all water out of the bilge, winter frezing can be trouble
> General cleanup
> Get all water out of the bilge, winter frezing can be trouble
> make sure the cover can standup to the winter/winds, is tied down right
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P&M Beals wrote:
> 
>> 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   
>> __________________________________________________
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>> 
>> 
>>  
>> 
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