Winter Outboard Storage

[BBS]

Looking for some advice on storing a new Mercury 4-stroke outboard this winter.

I'd like to store it in my cottage's crawl space but the crawl space and cottage will not be heated this winter.

Is there a reason that I shouldn't store an outboard in an environment that will definitely go below freezing, or are there some precautions that I should take?

[Dave R]

The owners manual will tell you precisely how to "Winterize" the thing and it's generally quite simple to do. There is no reason to worry about it being in below freezing temps if it is properly attended to prior to storage. The key is to get all the water out so it can't freeze, expand and crack something. Fogging the cylinders, changing the crankcase oil and lower unit oil, and removing or stabilizing the fuel are the other typical tasks you need to do before storage. There also may be a caveat about not storing the thing on it's side so beware of that. If you don't have a manual, get one or hire the services of one of many local boat yards in the area. I'm sure they'll appreciate the business.