"Richard, can give you a few t
"Richard, can give you a few tips.
First off, do not put any kind of gas line anti-freeze in your boat gas - they are nothing but extra alcohol in what is probably already an ethanol blend fuel, but a good dose of stablizer sure wouldn't hurt.
Second if at all possible keep your boat in the water with your motors lower units submerged. The lower end and impeller in particular can't freeze if they are submerged (unless the water freezes solid too).
Also, keep your kicker motor down even when using your main motor. Water trapped in the lower unit will quickly freeze if you tilt it up to run from spot to spot, and could crack something.
Take out the grease gun and give every grease nipple a good shot, grease your steering at the tilt-tube on the motor etc - anything that may be prone to freeze up - grease keeps the water out.
Last thing I can think of is make sure your battery (or batteries) are fully charged. A discharged battery will freeze.
Final note - alot of 9.9's came from factory without a thermostat - no big deal under most circumstances, but for a few bucks would be a good investment in this case - give it a chance to run at a decent operating temperature. As an added bonus the 9.9 will idle better under all conditions with a thermostat..."
