Outboards and -1

JSP · 07 January 2010, 10:04

I'm a little worried. My boat is around 20miles away but due to my health I can't travel. I've not been able to do anything to the boat or motor for a few months now and I'm worried about the effect of the cold weather on the motor.
Am I right to worry?

PeterR · 07 January 2010, 10:22

Hello ,Its a real bast-rd being at home with time to do things but cant go out .I,m stuck in with Pneumonia which i know its not as bad as your problem.I would have thought the only problem will be damp and corrosion on parts that arent protected with wd 40 or simular.You wont have internal problems with the freeze as you should have any water in it to freeze.The fuel will evaperate and at worst the 2 stroke oil in the carb will end up as goo.So in the spring pump in carb cleaner you can even do it when it running if you are handy.Maybe a mate could go to your boat when we have road he could drive on and smother under the hood and outside it with wd40.The battery could do with a charge as well.Although i had a battery leisure that was perfect after 3 years not haveing done anything to as i then sold the boat dont know how long it lasted.Having said that one of my pac 22 batteries died last month only 18months old.Luck of the draw i think.The batteries on Voluntere are now 8 years old in the winter they are taken out and left on a tricle charge.I,m amased they are still going and have never let us down.

JSP · 07 January 2010, 10:43

Hi Peter, hope life's good with you mate.
Feel a bit better now you've said that. Will try and get someone over there, or myself with any luck, to go get a good coat on it. Battery's not on the boat but I want a new one anyway.
Cheers mate

Nasher · 07 January 2010, 17:30

John

Hope you're on the mend soon mate.

I wouldn't worry about the outboard too much.

Think of all the outboards attached to boats on moorings or pontoons that are left out all year round for years on end. Also our climate, although currently at one extreme, isn't as varied as what the outboards are designed to deal with.
The way 'we' tend to treat our outboards is far better than most, probably because of the investment they represent to most of us.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't do all we can to look after our investments, both from a safety and re-sale point of view, but I think we can worry too much.

Nasher.

JSP · 07 January 2010, 18:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nasher

John

Hope you're on the mend soon mate.

I wouldn't worry about the outboard too much.

Think of all the outboards attached to boats on moorings or pontoons that are left out all year round for years on end. Also our climate, although currently at one extreme, isn't as varied as what the outboards are designed to deal with.
The way 'we' tend to treat our outboards is far better than most, probably because of the investment they represent to most of us.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't do all we can to look after our investments, both from a safety and re-sale point of view, but I think we can worry too much.

Nasher.

Hi mate,
thanks, I'm getting better

And thanks for the peace of mind.

C-NUMB · 07 January 2010, 21:19

Ower here where - degrees temps are pretty common, those who keep a long sailing season tend to keep the rig/prop in the water on the outboard when temps get colder. That way freezing problems due to water potentially left in cooling system is minimized(sea water is warming the rig more than the cold air is cooling). But with-1 don't expect any issues anyway.

Hightower · 07 January 2010, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

I'm a little worried. My boat is around 20miles away but due to my health I can't travel. I've not been able to do anything to the boat or motor for a few months now and I'm worried about the effect of the cold weather on the motor.
Am I right to worry?

Just keep yourself wrapped up in your cosy nest John and stop your worrying

She'll kick into life when you need her

JSP · 07 January 2010, 22:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

Just keep yourself wrapped up in your cosy nest John and stop your worrying

She'll kick into life when you need her

I've left her.......ohhh the outboard

Cheers mate.

JSP · 07 January 2010, 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-NUMB

Ower here where - degrees temps are pretty common, those who keep a long sailing season tend to keep the rig/prop in the water on the outboard when temps get colder. That way freezing problems due to water potentially left in cooling system is minimized(sea water is warming the rig more than the cold air is cooling). But with-1 don't expect any issues anyway.

Thanks C-NUMB. Great name for this thread too

C-NUMB · 08 January 2010, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

Thanks C-NUMB. Great name for this thread too

Boating on this latitude might cause numbness from time to time....

its about - 20 C now here. No worry, don't think you will have issues You can't fix with WD-40, get well.

Nasher · 08 January 2010, 21:16

John

C-Numbs home town illustrates my point about wider extremes than we experiance.

I've had two very good buisness trips to Helsinki to visit a carton board manufacturer, one in the middle of winter when it was very cold and even the harbour was frozen solid, and one in the middle of summer when it was as warm as I've ever experianced here whilst we sat at the yacht club eating Crayfish.
On traveling up to the mill in Tampre(Spelling?), after a Sauna we rolled in the snow in winter and plunged into the lake in summer.

Fantastic country with so much water to explore, but much colder than here in winter and just as warm in summer.

Nasher.

JSP · 08 January 2010, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nasher

carton board manufacturer

ACME?

It is a bit of an eye opener Nash (And thanks Numbs too) as I've always thought of outboards as rather delicate motors. Why I couldn't tell you.

As for C-Numbs country, it's a place I've always wanted to visit to indulge in some landscape togging. And one day I will!

C-NUMB · 14 January 2010, 21:40

Thanks for Your friendly words about this slighly remote country..... Would say that despite rocky waters and short season, the archipelago makes this a nice place for boating, especially for shallow draft boats. Summertime is a good time for wisiting, winter weather here in the south can be very unpredictable, without snow here is dark like He**.

What goes for weather extremes, have good example from late 80's. As a youngster had the opportunity to wisit Fowey(cornwall), briliant place, friendly people and good weather. Guess it was January, temp was about +10 C. The same time back home we had
between -30 and -40 C for around 3 weeks.

JSP · 15 January 2010, 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-NUMB

Thanks for Your friendly words about this slighly remote country..... Would say that despite rocky waters and short season, the archipelago makes this a nice place for boating, especially for shallow draft boats. Summertime is a good time for wisiting, winter weather here in the south can be very unpredictable, without snow here is dark like He**.

What goes for weather extremes, have good example from late 80's. As a youngster had the opportunity to wisit Fowey(cornwall), briliant place, friendly people and good weather. Guess it was January, temp was about +10 C. The same time back home we had
between -30 and -40 C for around 3 weeks.

Countries with extreme weather such as that fascinate me Numbs. I used to work as a photographer but did landscape mainly for my own pleasure. Didn't get the opportunity to travel out of the country that much which I really do regret.