winterize and summerize

[walshowitz]

I was told by my dealer in Northern California that I need to summerize my 2023 G23 but I never heard the term summerize. I would like to get some feedback to see if it is necessary. With my previus boats I would winterize the boat put it away for 6 months and then take it right out on the lake.

[foress89]

You can ask them what exactly they mean, so we don't have to speculate so much.. But maybe it's juste a term to "get it out of storage". Start-up, check-over, oil change, etc.

[jmo]

It will be a function of how the boat was “winterized”. Often times the impeller and drain plug are removed, as is the battery to place on a trickle charger. For me it’s reinstall the impeller and drive belt, put the battery back in, and then I run it in the driveway (while providing a water feed) just to make sure all is good before heading to the boat launch. I do most the work (oil & filter change, transmission fluid change, etc) as part of winterization, so there not much to do in the Spring.

as part of winterization I pull marine/rv antifreeze through the system after draining the water out. By running it in the driveway in the spring I get the AF out so it doesn’t end up in the lake.

[wakeman22]

jmo are you using the red AF used for RVs?

[jmo]

wakeman22, yes red/pink marine/rv grade -50 F antifreeze, it’s not toxic like car AF, but our lake is pristine hence I flush it out before launching.

[wakeman22]

Just was wondering if you used the red. Very stand up of you. Dout most flush first. After a long winter I will flush the system on the fake-a-lake to check the engine and pumps to issue there are no problems at the launch or out on the water.

[bturner]

I'm always of 2 minds on this. Couldn't agree more with not wanting to put ANYTHING in the lake and at the same time where does it go then? IDK if letting it run down the driveway is any better other than directing where you want to let the stuff go. I know of a lot of guys who "dry block" partially for this reason and swear by it. Living in the north, I've never been able to get over the risk of cracking a block or manifold to pull the trigger on that method. I just put mine in an unheated pole barn now with RV AF.

[DocPhil]

I think when they summarize it, they slap it on the hull and say "she's ready!" and then charge you 300 bucks.

[jpwhit]

I think some dealer insist on doing the summarization for liability reasons. If they winterize the boat, they are typically liable for any freeze damage. Requiring summarization and leaving the boat in non-useable state, limits their liability by knowing exactly when the boat is taken out and put back into service. Therefore it sets a firm time window for their liability. It also protects them from the owner deciding to take the boat out early and then have a damage from a cold snap and claiming the dealer that winterized it is liable.

Also, the most common time to have cooling system issues and engine damage from overheating is when a boat it put back into service after the winter. The dealing putting the boat back into service while paying attention to if it's cooling properly, saves them a lot of grief for being blamed for damage due to an overheat after their winterization. A lot of boat owners will jump in the boat and go after the winter without paying much attention to if the engine is cooling properly.