Storage question!!

[oldschoolsupra]

have a question concerning my 89 Salatre which has the 454 in it- we use the boat occasionally so it will sit in a temp controlled shop when not in the water. here is what I want to know

1. should I support the boat on jack stands to keep the weight off the suspension and tires
2. should I be concerned with water sitting in the cooling jackets or any part of the cooling system
3. I keep battery tenders on both batteries at all times
4. when winter finally comes to the Midwest, should I still have the boat winterized?? should I empty the cooling system??
5. and any other info or insight for a new owner

[Cusefan78]

If the temps in the garage don't go near freezing then no need to drain the system unless it's salt water. Then you will want to flush it out. I wouldn't worry too much about jacking the trailer up.

[Jetlink]

Even still, I'd winterize because all it takes is the heat to get knocked out and if you're not prepared, you could end up with some repairs needed.

[jw1466]

we use the boat occasionally so it will sit in a temp controlled shop when not in the water.

Do you run it in the winter? Even if it's in a temperature controlled garage, it would be wise to put some fuel stabilizer in the tank and fog the cylinders if it is going to be sitting for a few months.

[cadunkle]

1. should I support the boat on jack stands to keep the weight off the suspension and tires
No. This is unnecessary. While it may (not sure) prolong tire life I've never had issues with flat spots, if they take a set over winter they'll round out just fine after a short tow getting up to temp. UV light and age will kill tires and you're golden with it being inside out of the sun.


2. should I be concerned with water sitting in the cooling jackets or any part of the cooling system
Only if you use it in salt water or when temps are below freezing outside. If in salt run it on the hose for 5-10 mins after each outing to flush that nasty out, and hose off the hull and bilge. If you use it when temps are around freezing overnight (pushing early or late in season) I would drain if your heated storage is not where you live or work and can quickly act if power goes out or your furnace quits.


3. I keep battery tenders on both batteries at all times
Good, no surprises!


4. when winter finally comes to the Midwest, should I still have the boat winterized?? should I empty the cooling system??
When your done for winter definitely winterize. Drain the cooling system at minimum. I run RV antifreeze through it (5 gals sucked through) and then drain it again, blow out my heater with compressed air, and pull the raw water pump impeller so it doesn't take a set or tear on spring startup (good to do anyway so you can inspect if you want to run it another season or replace). Never know when power or heat will fail. Better safe than sorry, but at least pull the block and manifold drains and let the water run out. Cheap insurance.


5. and any other info or insight for a new owner
I also have an '89 Saltare, they're great boats! Give it a full tune up to eliminate surprises on the water, check/replace fuel filter(s), check your distributor advance mechanism for rust/seizing and clean/lube it, if you still have points consider an electronic pickup or a points replacement for yours they really improve starting and low RPM operation while eliminating that part of maintenance.

[Moor]

PLEASE, if you dont do anything else, winterize the boat. One of my best friends destroyed the 454 in his barefoot nautique this winter when he lost power in his heated garage. He didnt winterize it thinking that it would be ok since its in a heated garage. 2 days with no heat when its zero ferinheight taught him a hard lesson.

[michael hunter]

No on support
No don't worry about the water in the engine in the summer and its still being used.
Good on the battery's probably overkill unless being stored for long periods.
Yes defiantly winterize and make sure you fill it with antifreeze. It not only protects the engine from freezing but the rust inhibitors will prevent rust and scale in the block and manifolds plus its best to keep gaskets and seals wet .

[oldschoolsupra]

thanks guys!!! will get it winterized then!! sounds like it is cheap insurance!! should I still pull the impeller if I am getting it winterized??? or just wait til spring to ck it?? and I am planning on going to new ignition system this fall so don't have to mess with points!! and BTW, I have back up generators for house and shop so never worried about temps!!

[Jetlink]

Always pull the raw water impeller when laying up the boat for any length of time.

[CJD]

I agree with everyone except for the battery tenders. I have several classic cars that sit for months, and I always used battery maintainers. I have recently had 3 of those batteries go open circuit after only 2 years each...so I am suspecting that long periods on tenders may not be good for batteries. The fact they all failed in the same rare way is what gives me concern. They fail showing 12.9+ volts at rest, but they have absolutely no amperage to operate anything.

I now still use a tender if I know I will be using the car/boat within 2 weeks. If it will be a whole season, like for the boat in winter, I remove the batteries and store them...untended...in a climate controlled storage. At the end of storage I charge them and reinstall.

[wotan2525]

I agree with everyone except for the battery tenders. I have several classic cars that sit for months, and I always used battery maintainers. I have recently had 3 of those batteries go open circuit after only 2 years each...so I am suspecting that long periods on tenders may not be good for batteries. The fact they all failed in the same rare way is what gives me concern. They fail showing 12.9+ volts at rest, but they have absolutely no amperage to operate anything.

I now still use a tender if I know I will be using the car/boat within 2 weeks. If it will be a whole season, like for the boat in winter, I remove the batteries and store them...untended...in a climate controlled storage. At the end of storage I charge them and reinstall.

Overcharging batteries for a long period of time (exactly what you describe) can be trouble. I believe the "tender" brand does not include a circuit to turn them off or go into a "top-up" mode. At least an older model one that I have does not include this ability. I like to use the optimate low-amp charger/maintainers on my motorcycles. I use a NOCO Genius in the boat. It's important to me that it can recharge both of my batteries overnight but I also need to be able to leave them plugged in for extended periods of time to properly "maintain" them. This unit seems to do everything very well. http://www.geniuschargers.com/GEN2

[oldschoolsupra]

i use new style innovative charges for my drag bikes (never had an issue) and use brand new battery tender plus for the boat.

[ssa]

Ive got that same charger Wotan. Its great.