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Ultimate Guide to Boat Storage Preparation: Secure Your Vessel for Winter

Len Groom: Welcome to Tech Tips. I'm Len Groom, Technical Product Manager for Powersports. One of the common questions I get asked is, "How do I get my boat ready for storage?" Well, there are several things you can do. All of them are fairly simple but very important.

The first thing you should do is change your lower unit oil.

Here's how. First, make sure the motor is in the down position. Next, you need to locate the drain plug. In some applications, the plug is located behind the prop. So, remove the prop and then remove the drain plug. Next, you need to open the upper plug. As the oil drains, now is a good time to look for contaminants. Contaminants could include water or metal or anything that looks out of the ordinary. It should also be noted that in some applications the drain plug is located on the side. The procedure is the same. You just don't need to remove the prop. Once the oil is drained, you need to refill the lower unit.

There are two ways to do that. The first would be to use a pump. You need to fill the lower unit until the oil comes out the top plug. Once that happens, you replace the top plug. Then you move down and you replace the lower plug. Another method to refill the lower unit would be to use the tube. The procedure is the same. You're going to squeeze the tube until the fluid comes out of the top plug. You replace the top plug, you replace the lower plug and you're done.

Next, we're talking about oil. AMSOIL has two options. We've got a two-stroke oil which obviously doesn't have to be changed. You just need to make sure that it's full. We also offer a four-stroke oil. That needs to be changed. Here's how.

The first thing you need to do is drain the oil. You should check your owner's manual for motor position and drain plug location. In this case, you can see we've got a piece of plastic tape just below the drain plug. This helps to keep the engine clean. Once the oil is out of the motor, you can go ahead and replace the drain plug. Next, replace the oil filter. Locate the fill plug on the engine and add the oil. Your owner's manual should have the capacity. Once you've replaced the oil, pull the dipstick to confirm that the oil is at the proper level.

Next, we're going to fog the engine. This is a two-stroke and it needs to be running. So make sure that you have an adequate water source connected.

Start it up. Use the service port to the intake system to apply the fogging oil and allow it to circulate. It's also a good idea to locate any grease zerks that are available, maybe on the tilt tube or on the steering system, and add some grease to them. Depending on the type of boat you have, you might want to take the time now to blow out any excess water that may be sitting in live wells.

You may also want to blow out any bilge or bilge pump area. And it's always a good idea to leave the drain plug out for storage.

Finally, don't forget about the fuel. It's a must that you treat it, especially with today's fuel. I like to use AMSOIL's Quickshot year-round. That way, when I put my boat in storage, I know that the fuel's been treated. Another option is to use the Stabilizer. Run the engine long enough to circulate the fuel through the system and you're good to go.

That's it. Your boat's ready for storage. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.

Ultimate Guide to Boat Storage Preparation: Secure Your Vessel for Winter