Boat Winterizing

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I hate to bring it up cause I hope to do some fall fishing yet. What do you do to winterize your boat?
I change the lower unit oils in both motors, fill the tank with gas and dump stable in. Pull the batteries and put them in the house since my shop isn't heated. I've heard some say that isn't necessary. I've never had motor problems in the spring on the first outing. My biggest problem is mice. I've tried moth balls, dryer sheets, and electronic pest control. But still found a mouse nest under my rare livewell. I hate those little nasty creatures.
 


eyexer

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Really isn’t much to do. I would recommend you run your outboard after you put the stabil in. Otherwise all your doing is treating the fuel in the tank and not in the outboard. I would also be using non-ethanol fuel. It’s the devil.
 

shorthairsrus

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no e, fuel stabilize, run , push the button on the outboard it does its own little winterization, take out of water and drop and refill lower unit and new seals.
 

SDMF

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You've got the mechanical end of things handled. Some folks like to run tanks dry. I like the idea of filling them full and treating the fuel so there's no room for condensation.

Regarding mice, you have to get rid of anything that smells like food. Vacuum, and depending upon your situation, pressure-wash or shampoo your carpet. That soapy water should drain into the bilge and get any "foody" smelling crumbs out. Set up a couple fans after you wash so everything dries properly prior to freeze. Just spitballing, I haven't tried "Febreeze" in the boat, but, it sure does a good job of keeping pet-smells in check in the house. Might be worth spraying down the boat after you've washed/shampooed/dried the carpet.

If you have an automatic bilge float switch and you shampoo/pressure wash with soap, make sure you rinse the float switch well or it'll corrode. The float switch isn't hard to change, usually 2 wires and 2-3 mounting bolts/screws. However, they're usually buried somewhere that's a pain to get to.
 

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Yes I forgot to mention I only run non ethanol fuel.
I'm going to try some scent packs this year from Runnings called Mouse Magic. They have essential oils that are supposed to repel mice. I left a roll of toilet paper in the boat last year and the only thing left this spring was the cardboard insert. The rest of it they used to make a cozy bed
 


Retired-Guy

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Fresh Cab is also a good rodent deterrent. I use it in my camper and I understand that some farmers and ranchers use it in all of there vehicle and equipment cabs. Macs had a really good sale on it earlier this fall, like $10 for a box of 4 pouches. I was too late to the show so ended up buying some at Menards for a few $$$ more.
 

SDMF

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My non-scientific theory regarding mice.

1. Their strongest drive/pull into a vehicle, boat, camper, etc is anything that smells like food.

2. Their 2nd strongest drive/pull is smelling that other mice have been in an area (urine/feces).

3. Warmth/shelter to a far less degree.

If a mouse can smell food, or that other mice have been in an area then no amount of "cover scent" is going to dissuade them. Mothballs, freshcab, dryer sheets, etc won't work if they can smell food or previous "mouse evidence".

IMO, the crucial time for mouse avoidance is now through complete freeze-up. A boat with a tarp, a vehicle, a camper will all hold heat in the afternoon/eve and if the mouse detects that warm spot, that's another draw. IMO, the search for warmth MIGHT be able to be overcome by scent deterrents like dryer sheets, FreshCab, etc.
 

johnr

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Never a mouse in 20 years of camper ownership, or in the boat of which has been 30 years.

I put bounce dryer sheets in them, and pull all food and or scent of such out.

I also park on Scoria, and rumor has it that mice absolutely don't walk on that, so maybe i have just been lucky, or maybe there is something to that.

Batteries can be left in, if full charged, and trickle charged through out the winter season. My 3 deep cycle batteries are under the rod locker and a pure pain in the ass to remove, so they get changed every 4-6 years as they start to no longer hold a charge. But totally worth not pulling them out each season.
 

Paddledogger

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Here's what I do: Boats have a large fuel tank, so I dump in 2 cans of sea foam, run (idle) with water muffs on motor for at least 5 minutes. Then right before I shut off, I engage and rev RPM's a little, then shut key off. I believe it keeps a little extra fuel in the cylinders. Change unit oil, clean carpets, pull rods before taking up to cold indoor storage in shed buddy and I built a few years ago. Set up a bunch of traps and cut little holes in ice cream buckets and put those green TomCat chunks in there for them bastards to eat. Oh ya....I fill tank with premium fuel.

For the camper, we clean out all food, spread a bunch of Bounce sheets and set out a couple Irish Spring soap bars. Supposedly they don't like that either. Get parked up in storage area on scoria. Until I have or see a mouse issue, I'll say what I do works JUST FINE!
 

shorthairsrus

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when my camper was brand new --- true story --- were fishing in september. My wife keeps the place impeccable. We come back from pelly and i purchased some gulp bag closed hadnt been opened. I looked at the package and said damn that looks like a mouse turd on it. I sit down and sure as shit a lone mouse runs across the floor. My wife is like freeking out. In to wally word we run - its dark now i put traps all over. We just get to bed - snap. -- that night i know for a fact my wife didnt sleep. She ultimately cleaned the place getting every little speck. i am running the antifreeze etc winterizing the next day. Another snap. Now we knew we had to get the traps out as they attracked the mice.

bottom line the camper had a under belly - but you could put your hand up and get under the underbelly as it was not attached to the frame - just laying on the frame. I went into town once again - and sprayfoamed every damn thing i could. 1st beginning with anything that led to space under the floor. Then all around the underbelly. No more mice.

My shorthair was old but loved crunching mice. I sent her into the field next to us for hours -- i bet she took 10 or so crunchers (a good lunch).

End of the mice situation.
 


SDMF

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In the camper I shake out a hefty dose of scented powdered carpet cleaner onto all of the carpet when I leave for the last time, then I vacuum it up in the spring.
 

shorthairsrus

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In the camper I shake out a hefty dose of scented powdered carpet cleaner onto all of the carpet when I leave for the last time, then I vacuum it up in the spring.

good idea --- another mouse prevent to buy in the fall.
 

wslayer

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Bounce scattered around inside, ring of mothballs around tires and hitch where they would climb up.

Like the scented carpet cleaner idea. . .
 

LBrandt

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I never have had a mouse problem with my boat. Just need to brush the cat hair off in the spring and I don't feed my out side wild cats. A hungery cat is the best mouser.
 

Allen

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Mothballs do work pretty well for me, but I still put out traps and glue boards.

The problem with all the smelly stuff is that in the heart of winter, the VOCs in the smelly stuff aren't really that volatile, so the smell isn't nearly as effective. Nor are the glueboards in -30 degree temps.

Another problem when using mothballs is that they tend to bleed into carpet, bedding, or any other fabric. This makes the camper a headache (literally) causing SOB the next spring. In order to minimize this, I always make sure to put mothballs on paper plates and that seems to work. Note, I also put the mouse traps on paper plates, nothing like a dead mouse to eff up the carpet or make a hard to clean stain on the hard floor.
 


Enslow

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The only thing that works to stop mice is traps or poison. Moth balls, scents all that don’t do anything imo.
 


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