Need to winterize in north/central florida?

[dwe]

Do I need to drain the block for my boat in Gainesville, FL? This is my first inboard, and I've never done anything with outboards before--I guess because I still fished some in the winter. I won't ski past the next few weeks until it warms up again. I went ahead and got fogger, and fuel stabilizer since its going to sit. Just wondering on whether to drain the block. It's rare, but it does freeze sometimes here.

Thanks!

[east tx skier]

If it freezes, drain the block. Heck, if it doesn't freeze, go ahead and drain the block. It takes about 5 minutes to unscrew the plugs, pcv valve and hoses. If you're not going to be using it, it's probably better not to have water sitting in it all winter. My $.02.

[OhioProstar]

I think people lump all storage methods as winterizing. Any time you don't operate a boat or car for a few months you should probably run Stabil in the gas tank, keep the battery on a drip charger or remove, and in the case of a boat, fog the cylinders. I would drain the water in the block and pull the impeller as it can form to the inside of the raw pump.

[87Craft]

I live in FL as well. I have a 1987 Prostar. As for winterizing...I don't do it. I put a bottle of Sta-Bil in the tank, and that's it. I keep the boat in my garage, so it never sees temps below 50F (i'm guessing). A couple times each "winter", i'll start the boat and run it for 10-15 minutes.

If doing the other stuff gives you peace of mind, then do it, otherwise go watch football. By the way, it might be worth mentioning that I have 2200+ hours on my boat, and this is the only winterization plan i have ever used.