Cold temps and outboards

I wanted to hear from some of you old veterans about late season fishing. Like this weekend on Mille Lacs under the full moon. I recently bought a Lund with a 115HP Honda four stroke, my first real fishing boat. I was thinking of going fishing this weekend, until I was the temps are going to be in the 20’s. So I am concerned about ringing up a big repair bill due to running my boat in those cold temps. Shouldn’t I be concerned about some water inside the motor or impeller freezing? Is there some trick to clearing the motor of moisture when you take it out of the water?

Lower motor all the way down to drain. I turn the key for a few seconds but don’t let in run. When putting in the lake again I let the motor soak a bit before starting to melt any ice that might be in the impeller. It may take a few minutes to pee. That is normal. Always leave motor in water if below freezing.

A few things I do when temps reach below the freezing is
When putting back on trailer, make sure motor is tilted all the way down and let drain.
I always run my motor, but only for a few seconds, that ussualy will do the trick.
If you can, park it for a short period on an uphill slope.
I have even went as far as carrying some RV Antifreeze with and pouring a slight amount in live wells and then let drain (on dry land of course).

I am also very conciensce of my lower until.
Lower unit oil is not very expensive and I find myself maybe changing more than most.
Maybe consider that when making decision to put away for the season (if there is scuh a thing).

Keep an eye on your motor pumping water. Sometimes it takes awhile to get up to temp so thermastat opens.

Other than that, you should have no worries.
Just my $.02

Good luck

Cedarcreek & Mike West have very good points. I’ll just add the way you keep the motor from starting when it is out of the water is to pull the dead man switch before hitting the starter. Remember that it only is a matter of seconds of dry running and a water pump impeller is shot.

If there is on dead man switch option I’d just raise & lower the motor until no water comes out on the down strokes / cycles.

Great feedback. So how cold is to cold for you to take your boat out fishing?

When we cant break the ice at the landing is enough for me.

Ajs

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Great feedback. So how cold is to cold for you to take your boat out fishing?

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Been out into the single digits many times on the river…
On lakes its when the ice is to thick to break with the hull. The early ice guys just love us muskie guys!

What about leaving the boat docked,motors down,overnight?

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Great feedback. So how cold is to cold for you to take your boat out fishing?

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Been out into the single digits many times on the river…
On lakes its when the ice is to thick to break with the hull. The early ice guys just love us muskie guys!

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Yes Thats right.. If my boat cant break it will the hull then its time to wait till ice comes… or head to the river for some big eyes

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What about leaving the boat docked,motors down,overnight?

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Any boat/motor in the water will be fine. The air right above and under the water will be in the mid to high 40’s–even if it is freezing on land a few yds. away! The air temps along the shores of the big lake will always reflect water temps–within 50-100 ft. of the water–both spring and summer and fall.

If not in the water–as others say–put the engine down all the way and turn the key for a few seconds.

One lesson learned the hard way in sub-freezing temps? The livewell door freezing shut when not on the lake. Best prop it open after fishing…or pry it open when ya need it.

I actually had the same discussion with my dad tonight. Our boat is still up at the lake and still in the water, and he’s been worried about it freezing up and causing a big bill. I’ve not been worried about it as much…only because I’m the one still using it to catch fish.

I’ll share this thread with him.