Fully Draining outboard cold weather

I have a 05 Yamaha 4 stroke 150, when I lower it to drain it after cold weather, the outboard doesnt drain all the water out because its not high enough on the bunks on the trailer. I cant fully trim down without running aground. When I get home in my garage, if I crank the jack all the way down and trim it down till it hits the garage floor I can get about 1/4 cup water out of it . Is this going to be a problem in freezing conditions ? Any ideas to get the remaining out ? The only option I think is raise the bunks a few holes on the trailer or drive on a set of blocks ..

Also – I usually change my oil this time of year so it sits with fresh oil all winter, you guys just do that cold in the middle of December when you finally put it away? ?

isu22andy wrote:

drive on a set of blocks ..

This ^^^ would be what I’d do in the parking lot. I’m lucky, my skeg clears the ground by about a 1/2 inch when trimmed fully down.

It’s best to do it right before it gets cold. Even if you use it in the winter. It sits in the water far less in the winter so it likely wouldn’t take on as much water if it does at all.

Can you disconnect the trailer from your truck, then lower the jack all the way and then get clearance?

robby wrote:

Can you disconnect the trailer from your truck, then lower the jack all the way and then get clearance?

I Do this in my garage but skeg still hits the ground .

Put a floor jack under the trailer tongue and unhook from truck. Lower the jack all the way down. Don’t use trailer jack. Your trailer should be just a foot or less off the ground and motor high enough to drain.

I was hoping someone would tell me it was fine and I didn’t have to do all these extra steps in the parking lot

Dumb question, do you have room in the wheel wells of the trailer for a taller tire??
Second dumb question, are your bunks adjustable and could you raise them a couple of inches.
Or do both??

Iowaboy1 wrote:

Dumb question, do you have room in the wheel wells of the trailer for a taller tire??
Second dumb question, are your bunks adjustable and could you raise them a couple of inches.
Or do both??

Negative on the trailer tire room . Bunks are adjustable – just gotta see if the windshield will clear the garage door then .

Red Green would just get the grinder out and make the skeg shorter lol

A 1/4 cup isn’t much water….

I’d pull your prop off and see how that little bit sits in there. If it’s not even close to the prop shaft and has room to expand upward without hitting something, then I wouldn’t worry about it.

Picture a pipe that is a quarter filled with water, it’s not going to rupture when the water freezes because the ice has a place to expand to.

If it’s a problem, could you drop your draw bar 2-3″ without making a big difference in towing?

How’s your boats performance? Could you raise the motor one hole on the transom without losing performance? Do you porpoise in midrange speeds ever? Where does your cav plate line up with the bottom of the hull?

A lot of boats do better with the motor mounted on the higher end. Maybe it was mounted too low originally or changed by a previous owner.

If nothing else, most boat landings aren’t too busy when it’s freezing outside….It might be possible to trim the motor to the ground while on the ramp itself, possibly enough to make it horizontal enough to get that water out while on the incline.

Unless there are other undisclosed issues, there would seem to be no need for a permanent change for a temporary problem.

Pull the rig into the lot, set a couple 2X6’s down in front of the trailer wheels, pull the trailer forward, lower the motor and allow it to drain. I would imagine that 1 1/2 or 3 inches under tires would be all that’s needed to get the skeg to clear.

Whole lot faster than unhooking the trailer or altering a towing setup that works 95% of the year.

Agree with the wood blocks,can also use them as wheel chocks if needed.

I like the 2 x 6 idea . Quick fast and effective .

Find a hill near your house.

isu22andy wrote:

I was hoping someone would tell me it was fine and I didn’t have to do all these extra steps in the parking lot

You’re fine! Don’t do all the extra steps in the parking lot.😀
DT

If the ramp is not too busy, you could just stop part way up, tilt the motor down as fat as possible and let it drain for a few seconds.

^^^Please do not do this and create an ice rink for the next guy.

Ripjiggen wrote:

^^^Please do not do this and create an ice rink for the next guy.

I always drain mine at the landing as it is rarely busy. The key is to do it exactly where your prop is just out of the water but draining back into the water versus concrete. I load up, pull out a foot or 2, use the trim switch at the front of the boat to lower and then bring my outboard back up, and it is done.

This would eliminate the original poster’s issues without doing anything other than using the angle of a landing and gravity. Why someone would try to alter their trailer’s tires, bunks, etc. for something so simple is beyond me. Keep it simple.

^^^Yes meant don’t pull half way up the ramp and drain. Doing it right at water level seems fine.

I pull mine just barely out of the water, start it to blow out the waterpump and off I go.

I’m not worried about running dry for a second, you should see where I take my outboard…half the time I’m cleaning mud from the pickup anyways…