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Alpha One Winterization

FloridaHorseman

FloridaHorseman

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Greetings all. New member here. My question to the group is: after you haul out, how much, if any, water remains in the outdrive raw water pickup system? Does it drain back through the foot like a regular outboard unit? The reason for the question is my new-to-me 1986 Glastron v219 Mercruiser w/Alpha One Gen 1 is currently un-winterized but stored in a heated garage. I will be moving it to an outside shed where temps here (Idaho) in Feb & March still get below freezing. I could properly winterize the boat but would like to start using it on warmer days. I thought I could use the old timer method of heating the engine bay with a drop cord light to keep the engine above freezing. But what about any water that might be retained in the outdrive between the water pump and through the transom? Any thoughts, suggestions are appreciated.
 
FloridaHorseman said:
Greetings all. New member here. My question to the group is: after you haul out, how much, if any, water remains in the outdrive raw water pickup system? Does it drain back through the foot like a regular outboard unit? The reason for the question is my new-to-me 1986 Glastron v219 Mercruiser w/Alpha One Gen 1 is currently un-winterized but stored in a heated garage. I will be moving it to an outside shed where temps here (Idaho) in Feb & March still get below freezing. I could properly winterize the boat but would like to start using it on warmer days. I thought I could use the old timer method of heating the engine bay with a drop cord light to keep the engine above freezing. But what about any water that might be retained in the outdrive between the water pump and through the transom? Any thoughts, suggestions are appreciated.
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If you’re going to use a light bulb in the bilge…use two, on separate cords & circuits. If that bulb burns out, or the circuit trips, it could be VERY expensive, not to mention no boating for awhile.
 
FloridaHorseman said:
Greetings all. New member here. My question to the group is: after you haul out, how much, if any, water remains in the outdrive raw water pickup system? Does it drain back through the foot like a regular outboard unit? The reason for the question is my new-to-me 1986 Glastron v219 Mercruiser w/Alpha One Gen 1 is currently un-winterized but stored in a heated garage. I will be moving it to an outside shed where temps here (Idaho) in Feb & March still get below freezing. I could properly winterize the boat but would like to start using it on warmer days. I thought I could use the old timer method of heating the engine bay with a drop cord light to keep the engine above freezing. But what about any water that might be retained in the outdrive between the water pump and through the transom? Any thoughts, suggestions are appreciated.
Click to expand...
how hard is it to get to the drain plugs in the engine? the outdrive will be fine but I can get to the engine drain plugs on my 21 ft BR and empty the water in 10 min. the heating only works till the power goes off. What engine is in yours
 
Dieter, Due to my age and increasingly diminishing agility ALL of the cooling system drains are getting harder for me to access! But ... since my original post I have decided it would be best to leave the boat at the heated inside storage facility where it's at until the weather here makes a closer turn to warmer temperatures. Risking a cracked block is not worth saving a few dollars for storage.

The engine is an older 5.7L Mercruiser.

And my thanks to louc and Edchris 177 for their responses also!
 
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