Posts Tagged ‘winter storage’

Who would have thought that a young man who got fired from his first two engineering jobs would have went on to build one of the best boat motors in the business. That’s just what happened to Carl Kiekhaefer before he founded Mercury Marine and today, MerCruiser boat motors are some of the best that money can buy.

MerCruiser boat motors are, perhaps, best known for their reliability. However, no motor will give top performance without some simple maintenance. Taking a couple of minutes to do the following simple tasks will ensure you get the most enjoyment from your day out on the water.

Check the Oil Before you Head Out

Although it’s one of the easiest maintenance tasks to do and it only takes a minute, checking the oil is often the most overlooked. Realizing that marine engines are produced to meet differing load and duty cycle requirements versus their automotive counterparts these engines typically use a little more oil that you might be used to with your car. Taking the time to top off your oil before you head out ensures your motor delivers optimal, trouble-free horsepower all day. Additionally, low oil pressure decreases overall performance but it also increases engine wear and therefore shortens the overall longevity of the engine. It’s also in your best interest to change your oil and filter every season or 50 hours of usage to prolong the life of your boat motor.

Check the Inline Water Filter and Impellers

There’s not much that will kill a boat motor quicker than heat. If you’re running your boat through grassy patches or lots of shallow areas, you’re likely sucking up some trash that will not only effect the longevity of teh water pump impeller but it can also plug up your coolers. Low or no flow can end your day in a hurry. With MerCruiser engines, it’s simple to take care of this maintenance task because they’re easy to find, clean and replace if necessary. If you’re not sure where to look, consult your user manual or send us an email and we will be happy to point you in the right direction. We have several videos in our Technical Video Library that will help you take this job on yourself.

Check your Transmission Fluid

After your motor, the transmission or Sterndrive takes the biggest beating when pushing a boat through the water. It only makes sense to take care of it right. Your gear lube or transmission fluid should be checked once every couple of weeks and changed about every 250 hours and, at the very least, once every season. Not only is it expensive to repair a transmission or sterndrive, it could keep you off the water for several weeks waiting for repairs.

Taking a few minutes to do these simple maintenance tasks before you head out on the water for the day can save you many weeks of heartache later on. Not only will it prolong the life of your motor, it could save you hours of frustration limping your boat back to shore. If you have questions about MerCruiser boat motors, please contact us. Our experts will be happy to assist you in any way we possibly can.

Shrink wrapping your #boat is a great and proven way to protect it during the cold and harsh months of winter storage. However it does need to be done correctly to prevent long term issues from arising the following season and thereafter. If shrink wrapping is not done correctly you may re-commission your boat the following year only to find a rusty engine, or in severe cases possible failure to other components. So what is the problem?

Condensation versus Ventilation

Most times when boats are shrink wrapped you will notice that the cockpit area is ventilated properly with several vents in the middle and sides of the shrink wrapped covering. However is this ventilation in and of itself enough? The answer is NO. As boat builders have moved towards producing quieter boats the insulation of these compartments continues to increase as well. Then due to the mass of material inside of the engine compartment this acts like a heat sink and tends to hold heat inside of the well insulated compartment. The result is overall good ventilation in the main cockpit area of the boat, but a “rain forest” inside of the engine compartment as the temperatures go up and down throughout the winter. The end result is that the boat can show no signs of moisture or molding in the carpet or upholstery yet large amounts of corrosion inside of the engine compartment.

Bottom Line: Make sure you’re engine compartment is properly ventilated, and that none of the shrink wrap is covering the engine compartment ventilation if you’re considering shrink wrapping your boat over the winter.