Aside from rod guides freezing and stuff like that, what are folks doing to keep the water in the motors/boats from freezing up and doing damage? I’m worried I’ll crack something inside the motor/boat while trailering it to/from the landings or while on the water during this cold snap.
My garage is heated 
To keep water out of my engine in the extreme cold I have been told to start the engine for a second once it is out of the water on the trailer, i guess this kicks all the water out of the cooling system and therefore it won’t freeze up. Seems to work.
I am curious also .. what the worries about boating during the freezing months are ,as I have NO garage,but would like to play bumper boats 
this winter on pool 4..
1. Don’t use your livewell pump. If you want water in your well, scoop it into there using a minnow bucket. If you want to keep some eaters alove for the day, they need surprisingly little water when it is this cold.
2. I do start and brifely run my outboard while on the trailer after a day on the water. Make sure that you are tilted ALL the way down. I run the motor until it stops “peeing”….usually 10 seconds or less. Remember that the water is for cooling the engine block….when the air temps are in the 20s, there is little danger of the block overheating when it is run for mere seconds.
3. If you’re used to raising and lowering your trolling motor during the day, try to do this as few times as possible. If you have a powerdrive motor, it is possible that the water on the shaft will freeze and the motor will be stuck in the up position. If you need to raise the trolling motor to run to a new spot, give the shaft a quick wipe with a towel to get most of the water off.
4. WEAR YOUR LIFEJACKET. You’ll sink like a stone with all these extra clothes on, and have extremely limited survival time in the very cold water.
Fishing in the cold is worth it. Active fish and fewer people, and the people you’ll be fishing around are the diehards who tend to know what they’re doing. The cold won’t stop me this weekend (well, I hope it doesn’t). If the temps are anywhere near freezing (like in the 20s), and if there is a hint of sunshine during the day, and the winds are managable, I’ll be on the water.
Trumar, I don’t have a garage either. My boat is stored outside. I have developed a little routine that gets my chilly ride ready for a long day on mid-wonter water. If you’re interested in hearing about it, let me know.
No such thing as bumber boats once the lakes start to ice up!
Quote:
1. Don’t use your livewell pump. If you want water in your well, scoop it into there using a minnow bucket. If you want to keep some eaters alove for the day, they need surprisingly little water when it is this cold.
2. I do start and brifely run my outboard while on the trailer after a day on the water. Make sure that you are tilted ALL the way down. I run the motor until it stops “peeing”….usually 10 seconds or less. Remember that the water is for cooling the engine block….when the air temps are in the 20s, there is little danger of the block overheating when it is run for mere seconds.
3. If you’re used to raising and lowering your trolling motor during the day, try to do this as few times as possible. If you have a powerdrive motor, it is possible that the water on the shaft will freeze and the motor will be stuck in the up position. If you need to raise the trolling motor to run to a new spot, give the shaft a quick wipe with a towel to get most of the water off.
4. WEAR YOUR LIFEJACKET. You’ll sink like a stone with all these extra clothes on, and have extremely limited survival time in the very cold water.
Fishing in the cold is worth it. Active fish and fewer people, and the people you’ll be fishing around are the diehards who tend to know what they’re doing. The cold won’t stop me this weekend (well, I hope it doesn’t). If the temps are anywhere near freezing (like in the 20s), and if there is a hint of sunshine during the day, and the winds are managable, I’ll be on the water.
Great advice! I learned my lesson about trolling motors freezing in the upright position the hard (and emabarrassing) way!
There are a few things to remember:
1) Launching and loading – let your trailer drain in the river, not on the landing. It may take a few extra minutes but others and yourself will appreciate being able to get your boat back out of the water and not have an icy ramp to deal with. It also makes the job of guys like Dean a lot easier in the winter.
2) Motor – I trim mine all the way down and let the water drain. Then I trim all the way up, then back down again – usually nothing else drains, but you never know. Then I dry fire for 5-10 seconds two times. Let the remainder drain, then head for home.
I haven’t had any problems in the past using this method.
Good luck and good fishing.
Jason I was joking 
.. I would like to lern winter patterns on 4 sometime .I have a new winter suit coming aand cant wait to try it out ,I bought the Ice Esential suit.
Warm clothes are definitely “step zero” in the process of getting ready for a chilly open water day.
Jason, thanks for the good advice.
If you’re going to do a lot of cold water/weather fishing I’d suggest a mustang survival suit. It’s a snowsuit with built in floatation that is designed to preserve your body temp if you fall in. I have one that I use regularly and besides the safety advantages it one of the warmest and most comfortable pieces of cold weather gear I own.
Also, I have been told that there is no need to run the motor once its out of the water … just tilt it down and let it drain. My mechanic told me that will drain the motor and that running the motor dry will put unnecessary stress on the water pump. I simply tilt the motor down to drain it after fishing — I have never had a problem. Whether you choose to run it or not, the important thing is to let your motor completely drain in the down position.
One thing I do is regularly check and replace the lower unit grease. If you get any water in there at all you could have a very serious problem. This is especially important on older motors.
On the bilge and livewell pumps … it is a great idea to use RV antifreeze in the pumps and lines during storage. If you close the drain you can even leave it in there while you’re out fishing (just don’t use the livewell). I just pour some rv antifreeze in the livewell, recirculate it for a minute, and open the drain until the antifreeze starts to come out. Then I close the drain and let it sit. That will keep everything clear all winter.
A problem I had while storing my boat outside was frozen lids and ice patches on the carpet. A tip for dealing with that is to put a small space heater inside the boat under the cover for a couple hours prior to fishing. (Don’t forget to watch it closely if you do that to avoid a fire!) This will help thaw out hatch lids and dry out the interior. I finally built a new garage this year and I’m looking forward to not having to mess with that kind of stuff this year!
Does anyone know a store that actually carries the Mustang Survival suit? I checked it out on the web, but I only found places that I can order them from. I would like to try one on before buying. Thanks FDR
Martin
A heated garage is a plus. That is also my situation, my boat is literally in my living room.
When I return home from a day on the water I put my motors in the trim down postion, this lets any ice build up inside drain out.
Also most of your water lines in the boat, will have some water sitting in them. I have frozen my T connections before, no big deal but they have to be fixed.
I have tipped my rig up on cement blocks to throughly drain everything.
Then like it has been said do not use bilge or livewell pumps.
One of my biggest pet peevs…is the preformance at the RAMPS. I can not tell you how important it is to let your trailer drain at the rivers edge, not on the ramp. If you are not at Everts you had better carry some bags of salt.
It only takes one guy that does not drain his trailer. And the ramp is an ice skating ramp. And I have seen many a rig pulled into the water. So check the ramp before you back in and do it slowly.
Another thing when it is this cold..Guys use heaters in the boats. This can be helpful to warm up and to cook soups and hotdogs for a warm up lunch. Just use extreme care.
Fire and boating do not mix well.
Make sure that there is plenty of room around your heater and check it often.
I have had people get to close and burn there gloves and jackets. Alot of this new fabric on the new suits melt very quickly.
Another point I would like to make is your reels can become frozen and very hard to reel. Take em apart and lube with a light oil, if you have problems. I always have 6 to 12 rods pre-rigged and ready to go. I have found some of my newer reels with heavy lube, needed to be relubed with light oil. I kinda use the if it works do not mess with it approach.
There will be times that you just can not keep the ice off the guides and line. 
I do not have a cure for this except to dunk and shake. I wouldn’t use the tap the tip on the side of the boat method. This is a good way to break a tip or lose an eyelet. Seen this done more than once. If you are going to put the tip in your mouth to warm it up you had better look up river and make sure no one is hanging it over the edge of the boat. 
Another thing make sure your batteries are at full charge, the cold temps really take a toll on half charged systems.
Good Luck
Dress warm
Have fun
Be Safe.
All good advice that is hard to learn without incurring a bad day. One other thing. Always bring a bag of sand and or ice melter salt should the ramp be icy. Even a 4 wheel drive will labor up an icy ramp.
I use wiper fluid and dump it in the live well and bait well run the pumps briefly and it has always been good to go. One other thing you don’t want to forget is your bilge….I always dump wiper fluid there as well to make sure any water under the floor doesn’t freeze and do damage.
JB
I am going to throw something else in here.. its a really good idea to change the lube in your lower unit if you plan on continuing to use the boat. A few dollars for lube is much cheaper than a lower unit.. if you did/do have a leak, you want to know now before its full and freezes and cracks on you.
As others have said, run the motor when out of the water. Leave the motor trimmed all the way down so gravity can help drain whats left. If you do have a heated garage, trim the motor back down when you get home.
Other things.. make sure you batteries are fully charged and keep on top of them. A dead battery will freeze quick, store them indoors if you can. One last thing nobody thinks about is their electronics, if your storing your boat outside, drag your electronics inside the house… extreme cold is hard on LCD’s.
Alot of great points here.
One thing that I would like to add that I had to learn the hard way 
was boat owners with carpet bunks on their trailers need to be careful when un hooking your boat from the trailer at the top of the ramp. These kinds of temperatures can either freeze your boat to the bunks….or if it gets close to freezing or above, the boat has a tendacy to “slide” off the trailer.
LETS JUST SAY ITS A GOOD IDEA TO UNCLIP THE BOW EYE AT THE WATERS EDGE!
Does anyone use the battery maintainizers that are on the morket ? Plug them in attach it and forget it…won’t fry your battery and only kickes in when the battery gets to a certain amperage ??? They are very small and portable.
I have heard of them but have no experiance with them…
I know a friend (Mike C) that uses the tender on his Harley and swears by it. The unit keeps it charged which in hand keeps a battery from freezing when stored in a garage or outside.
It has to be easier than what I do. Take the battery out and put it in the basement. Take the battery back outside and put the charger on it twice a year to keep the cells active.
Just 2 cents worth
make sure it is a automatic tender so it will shut off and turn on when needed
I recently looked around the twin cities area for a Mustand Survival Suite to replace my old one,and could not find one. I ended up buying one on-line. I been using MSS since I commerically fished in Alaska 20 years ago, and now use it on Mille Lacs in spring/fall until winter. In my mind it is absolutely ESSENTIAL gear for anyone who goes out with water temps lower than 60 degrees. They are very comfortable, help keep you warm, are waterproof, and keep you alive 3.5+ hours in 40 degree water. A MUST HAVE for DIEHARDS!
Another good idea is to keep a can of de-icer in the boat. I was out the other day and my foot pedal for my bowmount froze up. I could not break it loose. Luckily I happened upon Dustin who had some de-icer. A few shots of that and it broke loose easily. This is also good for bow mount shafts.
I do not run my motor out of the water. I just drop it down and let it drain. Do not forget to also drop your kicker.
If your boat is frozen to the trailer (this happens frequently with bunks) be very careful breaking it loose. I have seen people standing on the trailer jumping up and down while the boat is floating at the launch. This is a good way to end your fishing day before it starts. The best thing to do is just wait a few minutes with the boat in the water. It will unfreeze soon enough.
You can never have too much clothing when out fishing in the cold. Dress in layers. I always bring extra pairs of gloves along.
Do not use superlines when the temp falls below freezing. They absorb water and freeze to the reel. It is also a good idea to use Van Dam’s line conditioner and waxing the eyelets of your rod helps some. If you have a spinning reel that has the o-ring under the spool (Stradics have them) check the o-ring often. Ice tends to tear them up quickly.
One last thing, you don’t have to drive a million mile an hour to your spot. Take it slow and easy. There is no point flying to the spot and being chilled to the bone by the time you get there. It is a good idea to keep it slow in the winter anyway because any unseen ice sheets floating down can do some serious damage to your rig.
I was on pool 2 this morning, 12 deg. Broke my remote thottle cable for my 225 right off the bat, then when I went to load it up 20 min. later, my Ranger Trail oil bath hubs must have water in them, two of my four were dragging across the parking lot. 
Had to beg a friend to bring me a torch at 7 am. So easy on the cables and pay attention to trailor hubs I guess.
Something I heard of but haven’t had a chance to try yet is to spray your guides with Pam cooking spray and it supposedly will eliminate guide ice-up. I don’t think it would hurt anything. Its just vegetable oil.
dd
Matt brought up a point that I had forgotten in my previous post.
I have snapped two sets of throttle linkages. The cold really takes it toll on equipment and that is the price we pay for winter fishing.
About your eyes icing up well I have tried Pam, Pledge, De-Icer, silcone sprays and I have not found anything that will beat mother nature. Just part of the game a good mono line and patience with taking time to manually clean them out.
I have posted this before.
My rule of thumb for winter fishing.
Temps in the 20’s or below, winds 10 mph or higher.
I stay home, or go ice fishing.
I was going to go fishing the last three days but to cold for me. Also it is to hard on equipment. I don’t want to be in the repair shop when the weather is right to run up and dump in. Like next weekend I hope.
Good luck
Becareful
Slow down
Watch for ice
Oh here is a photo of last November 24 2005 Mike at the tiller of the 9.9 not by choice but because I had snapped the cables on the big motor. We stayed and fished a half day anyway. Temps were in the low 30’s.
Then the boat went to the repair shop.
Heheh, looks like fun to me 
My boat didn’t look quite that bad yesterday but the splash from the whitecaps did leave a nice layer of ice all over the back end of the boat. In the garage now everything is fine Was going to try to make it out today but with the partner having to work and the recovery time needed from yesterday I’m sitting in the 70 degree house instead.
Chris
I just change a few simple things when winter fishing (2003 Lund 1675 Explorer tiller, 70 HP Suzuki 4-stroke, 101 lb Minn-kota 3X Vector transom electric).
– I use my live well all winter so I put duct tape around the carpet on the live well door (otherwise it will freeze shut). Take the tape off in the spring.
Because I just swing up my transom electric motor when going from spot to spot, or towing, I need to do a couple extra things to it for winter fishing.
– I put a plastic wrap shield around the transom mounted electric motor notches. Otherwise the notches will ice up from the big motor spay. It keeps from having the transom electric motor unexpectedly deploy at 30 mph (been there, done that).
– I also have a safety rope to keep the transom electric motor from deploying while towing.
After pulling the boat out at the end of the day, I lower the big engine to drain water out and turn over the engine a few times with the kill switch on. I also run the live well and bilge pumps for a few seconds.
After years of winter fishing, I found these are only things I need to do.
Dave Gulczinski
Greg, what do you think is frozen when that happpens, just wondering what I should try to warm up next time. Sat. I let the engine idle for 15 min. at the landing before trying to ease it into gear, this is also my second. Third set should be a charm, hopefully fixed by this coming weekend.
Matt PM sent your way.
All good advice. Like Vandy’s the best on temps. and wind. Only thing I can add is if you take somebody with who has never tried it before have them drive.Be surprised how many can’t handle it for more than an hour or so.
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