Storing rib/engine over winter

[citygent111]

Hi all, we brought the boat home for winter sonwe can get more use of it up in the lake district etc.

It's now living on the drive, but the crazy drop in temperature today has got me thinking about winter.

Bearing in mind we might use it a few times over winter, what would we need to do to keep everything in good working order?

Cheers!

[HDAV]

Check engine owners manual, “winterising” and “de-winterising” means different things to different people ….

To me I would flush engine as per manufacturer instructions, following storage procedure, fog of recommend etc then do that after each outing in case it’s your last for several weeks/months.

I also remove battery as it’s easy and keep it in the warm cold kills them! Charge then leave somewhere in the house and refit before use, alternative is to use a trickle/maintenance charger

[citygent111]

Thanks HDAV, also, what would you do with the fuel tank?

Empty it completely, or leave it full with a drop of stabilising fluid added?

[HDAV]

So previously I have stabilised and filled to brim (70l plastic tank sealed vent). Since the introduction of E10 I have decided to stabilise last tank of the season (it rarely is) use and leave what’s left in the tank as it is ……. Especially at £1.40+ a litre……. The alternative is use super unleaded at £1.50+ a litre

[citygent111]

Originally Posted by HDAV

So previously I have stabilised and filled to brim (70l plastic tank sealed vent). Since the introduction of E10 I have decided to stabilise last tank of the season (it rarely is) use and leave what’s left in the tank as it is ……. Especially at £1.40+ a litre……. The alternative is use super unleaded at £1.50+ a litre

Ah good, that was my thought -- only jave a 12l tank but if we only use 4 or 5l on a lake, and it's already been stabilised I can't see why it wouldn't save.
Then if we do go out out again, I would fill up a jerry can, maybe stabilise that before it goes in the main tank.

[HDAV]

Measuring stabiliser in small amounts is tricky I use quickstor which is 1-1.6ml to the litre iirc don’t have the bottle to hand. Also I tend to use 50+ litres every trip so not to bad to calculate using 5-10 I’d be tempted to run super over the winter and switch back to standard in the spring super will keep better and longer especially if you buy the ethanol free from certain chains esso is one iirc not sure on shell, bp etc

Esso Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97 and Synergy Supreme+ 99

[Matt]

I take a different approach. I've got my boat under a cover, and then it's got one of those marquees/awnings over the whole thing. I've then got an oil filled radiator in the cockpit and one in the engine bay. Obvs with an outboard it's a bit trickier to keep it warm - but keeping the condensation off stuff makes a massive difference to avoiding things going furry/rusty/mouldy/seized over time.

This year I've drained all the fuel off too - but I've left the 97 octane stuff in it for more than a year before and it was fine. Unsure about the lower octane stuff with 10% ethanol though.

Batteries I've left in - but they're kept relatively warm, plus I have a CTEK Battery Sense on each battery - https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-char...-battery-sense to keep an eye on charge. I know the CTEK chargers which I use are good, but it's just unnecessary to have them permanently on charge

[Herman Melville]

For me it's battery out - trickle charge in the workshop.

1/4 tank fuel left in but it's Esso Super+ - so no ethanol.

I drain the oil out of the Automatic injector tank to stop it sitting and festering.

I have a very think 8m by 6m 600 guage tarp wrapped over and under it and held down tightly so the rtain doesn't pool. It doesn't look as good as the proper cover but to be honest it works better - it's very effective but as pervious poster said there can be condensation.

I like the heater idea..

[Matt]

Choose your trickle charger carefully. I'm sure there's a million threads on it already - but I used to use cheap, small, trickle chargers and all seemed well, but the batteries didn't last long. Now I use he CTEK ones (even though I originally thought they were an expensive rip off. I was wrong).

On the boat, I've found I charge the battery up on the CTEK at the end of the season, maybe once at christmas, and again at the start of the next season. I have a CTEK Battery sense that keeps an eye on charge the rest of the time - and one of the things I look for is the battery not discharging too quickly when it's not on charge. A voltmeter and this lookup chart is good enough.

This is less about making the battery last as long as possible - they're cheap - but totally about making sure that when I come to want to use it, it's still in good order. I've had batteries before come up as fully charged on the charger, but after 1 start, or a few days, they're shot.

For these batteries, I expect them to maintain 80% or so - if I see it drop off below that, it'll trigger my spidey sense that they might be getting a bit old.

[Herman Melville]

yes quite right not all power electronics circuits are created equal

I have a numax charger - middle of the range - does have digitial voltage and current sensing to adjust the charge as required

I don't leave it on there all the time - just for a day when I am in the workshop and remember once a fortnight or so

A 'proper' battery tester won't just test the voltage it wil test voltage drop vs' current discharge - then you really get a good view. - it's £30 I mighht decide to spend.

I actually keep a 'jump' start pack in a locker so I can restart when i am out on the water if the battery packs up and goes home

[Matt]

Yeah, which is I think what the CTEK battery sense jobbie does, monitoring voltage drop over time. I like it because it's bluetooth - I can just about get an update from the living room window, which is handy in the winter.

I also like that I can keep an eye on the heaters - 17C in the cockpit right now. Actually a bit too warm. 10 is fine.

[Herman Melville]

Sounds brilliant - google here I come

[HDAV]

Hmmmm ctek isn’t that clever….

I used to borrow the fire alarm life safety systems battery back up tester from work and do full tests on the battery cause I could and it was fun.

They don’t use Ctek chargers for those critical safety system and those batts are on charge most of their life and get replaced every few years

(Some run huge banks of heavy duty hi spec batts thick PA systems in stadiums)

Fun testing them……….the system was an automated test process that would fully charge then charge then discharge the battery and measure it’s capacity different to starting an engine as the load from electrical circuits differs to engine cranking but was a really nice way to check the battery health if it’s good enough for a life safety system good enough for me!

[Orwell boy]

Just a quick heads up as i know there are Lidl followers on here ,i know its not ctek but lidl have chargers and jump starters on offer from thursday 11th

[Herman Melville]

I work in the semi conductor industry - over 30 years now.

I can't afford it - but if I could - for a battery charger I would choose a Mascot high end unit every time.

They are designed and built in Norway. I have been to the factory and I know the designer.

[Matt]

You can't beat proper high quality electronic engineering can you. It was my father's sideline / "hobby job" through his whole life.

But in reality, an 80Ah battery is cheap - it's hard to justify a charger that costs 10x as much as the battery if I can get 3-5 years out of a battery "as is". There's other more impactful things I should probably spend the money on.

[beamishken]

To be honest if the battery is ok it doesnt need constant charge any old cheapo charger turned on for a few hours once a month will keep a decent battery good.

Sent from my SM-G950F using RIB Net mobile app

[Herman Melville]

yes agreed

[citygent111]

OP here - luckily the battery was brand new in April, so I'm happy to pop it on a trickle charger every week or two.

Ran the engine on Sunday, but I forgot to add the stabiliser so the fuel in the engine is crappy E10, so will fill the tank again (lucky it's only 12 litres!!) stabilise and then run the engine for 10 mins to make sure any fuel left inside is half-decent.

Seems the cold MAY be an issue for the engine though, so although it's outside and covered, is it worth wrapping it in an old fleece or quilt or something??

It's only a 3.8m rib, so no room for heaters or whatever!

[Herman Melville]

OIC

When my engines were small I disconnected the fuel tank. ran them until they cut out and therefore the carb was pretty empty and then unbolted then and stored them in the back of the shed.

Lots oif opionions will come out I am sure but imho stay away from E10 (and E5) always use Super+ no ethanol (it's not just 'water' it's what it's doing to things like your carb and fuel pump membrances etc.

Also first thing I ever did with any small engine was fit an inline fuel filter - £10 is all you need to spend....