On the hard: Change new oil or just drain them?

[Zoid]

Quick question for a newbie considering leaving his boat on the hard for the first time. The engine and saildrives, should I change the oil at before leaving her on the hard or just drain the oil out for the winter and refill them when we are ready to relaunch? Any thoughts?

[DougR]

Change the engine oil before storing the engine, and run it for a few minutes to distribute the fresh oil thru the engine before storage.

Also drain the saildrive oil and refill before storage. Don't leave anything empty during storage.

DougR

[Sailmonkey]

Anything is better than leaving them empty!!


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[Charlie]

I would think that having oil in the system would be better if for no other reason then rust prevention in the oil system.

[Zoid]

Thanks for the feedback, going to leave her full of fresh oil!

[makana]

In addition to changing the oil in the engine and sail drives I run fresh water thru the engine. I also remove the air filter cover and use a plastic bag to cover the intake then seal it with the filter cover. I use some duct tape to cover the raw water intakes on the sail drives to prevent wasps or other insects from making a home inside and I stuff rags into the air intakes leading into the engine compartment and the raw water exhaust outlets.

Cheers,

Rick

[esarratt]

I would get your engine's service manual. They have a whole list of things you should do--usually spelled out pretty clearly, before laying up your boat.

I was able to find my engine's manual as a free pdf online.

If your boat is stored in a "below freezing" zone pay special attention to what to do in your manual.