Lets say I'm going to be using my boat once a month this winter . . .

[thundra]

. . . here in New England/Massachusetts. Do I still need to "winterize" my motor? How about if I put the muffs on it and run it once a month?, is that crazy?, will water freeze up in the motor and make a real mess of things?

I know I run my snowmobile once a month instead of "summerizing" it and I've never had a problem in all my years of owning a sled, doing away with the fogging and stabilizing the fuel. In the past I've put some stabilizer in the gas and fogged the cylinders and done deal, never had a problem. Now that I have an OptiMax, I wonder if I can just put some stabilizer in the fuel and be ok.

I know boats and outboards run all winter in many parts of the world and from what I know the outboards are left in the down position when not used. What would happen if say, I were to trailer to fish for cod this November December and maybe some days in January or even February then pulled it out, went home, flushed the motor with fresh water and let it sit?

[CJS]

Will the boat be stored indoors or out?

If outside how will it be covered? You need to make
sure the motor is completley drained, as well as any
bilge, baitwell, or washdown pumps, drain hoses, etc.

And you'd better check the reg's for Cod. I believe the season
closes Nov. or Dec. 1st.

[thundra]

The boat will be outside. Mine is a simple 22 foot Aquasport Center Console. It just has a Merc, Opti 150 and a steering wheel, very simple. I had been covering it every winter and if I were to use it all winter I might just leave it open as there really is nothing but a deck and a cover over my center console but I was wondering if running it in the ocean, then trailering it home then running it on the muffs to flush would hurt it any.

I checked the DMF/MA website and so far it says there is no closed season for Cod, yet. I have heard it is an issue whether it being Nov 1 or Dec 1, either way, I'm in until I hear the final word.

[CJS]

The only issue I would have with leaving the boat uncovered
is with water intrusion and the freeze/thaw cycles. When the
water freezes and expands repeatedly it can cause damage.
I'm not familiar with your boat, so it may not be an issue. You
can get a setup to run anti-freeze thru the engine via the muffs.

[FireFly]

Will water get in your rod holders and down into the bilge where it can freeze? I would not chance it but obviously it can be done.