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Every year about this time, I have the question about extended use in the colder months. Do any of you air up your blocks and drain the water for extended use in the cold season? Mainly for those weeks where overnight temps drop in the 30’s, but the afternoons are in the 60’s. My track record is always setting a new record “un-intentionally” how late in the year I can go before full winterization.

I second guess this move because I wonder if residual condensation has a higher chance of freezing verses higher volume of water in the block?

I would have no interest in doing this. 10k a engine. Why? I know T uses it to start his season though. Helps flush the bilge also.

Is the boat trailered, on a lift or wet slipped? If it’s on a lift it wet slipped just leave it in the water, 30* overnight temps won’t hurt anything, the water will keep everything from freezing. When it starts dropping into the 20s you’ll want to look into bilge heaters. I usually winterize mid-November, but I was wet slipped with my old boat. Now that I’m back to a trailer for the time being I’ll probably do it early October.

We’ve had to plow our boat launch to pull boats, and I’ve hung off the bow of my buddies boat with a sledgehammer to break the ice in the channel to get there.

That’s for the pleasure boats, we run the outboard hunting boats into mid-January. Winter boating is awesome in its own ways.

Closed cooling on the merc 496 is just the air pump to blow the water out of the sea pump. But if it’s the exhaust you’re worried about you can run a mix through it for prevention or use a bilge heater so you can just go boating anytime you want.
You’re probably in good shape with that combo .

Thanks guys. On a lift. Getting up and out this weekend.

You're nuts Andy. Winterize that thing!

heater in the bilge! perfect for those chilly nights. also i would quick drain it.

So my R7 has the quick drain feature on the new Volvo motor. I still ran antifreeze through the exhaust. I live 4hrs away from my boat most of the time so I still winterize about the same time everyone else does. If I was a full time Table Rocker I would have a bilge heater for cold fall nights and winterize around christmas when it really gets "cold".