....summer winding down

[BWeber]

Anyone have there boat put up yet for the winter?

I probably only have about 2 or 3 more weekends of good (warm enough for other people to come with me) weather. Just curious if anyone else has thought about the painful word of winterization?

Enjoy while you can, winters can be long.

[sandm]

ya, thought has crossed my mind...
mid-90's here today and saturday, but I think it'll be the last days of 90's. rest of september 80's will be considered nice days..
might not do much surfing, but still nice enough to just go chill on the water and enjoy some beers..

they started draining our lake(reservoir) on the 23rd of august, so all the docks are out of the water :(


I HATE WINTER....

[zegm]

With the storms we have had here everyday for the last 2 months you would think we already put the boat up.
Typically we ski until mid to late Oct here. Then the water temp gets down to the chilly low 70s and no one will get in it. Then the boat gets put up.

[driven sydeways]

With the storms we have had here everyday for the last 2 months you would think we already put the boat up.
Typically we ski until mid to late Oct here. Then the water temp gets down to the chilly low 70s and no one will get in it. Then the boat gets put up.



wat

spoiled man! i tell you.

[zegm]

wat

spoiled man! i tell you.

I know it sounds that way but you have to remember, when it is 50 degrees outside in January and we are wearing our jackets (windbreakers to others) we are FREEZING! It is all of what you get used too, so yeah we are probably not so spoiled but just cold water wimps! :)

[sandm]

Then the water temp gets down to the chilly low 70s and no one will get in it. Then the boat gets put up.


WOW..

your's would have never even come out up here then. my lake hasn't hit 70deg yet this year. highest was 68 in the hottest stretch of august..

I get what you are saying tho. used to spend 2 weeks every january in phoenix golfing. funny as heck to go to dinner after in shorts and a shirt when temps were 65-70 and see all the locals in long pants and coats :)

[saskyrider]

we'll be able to go up here until thanksgiving as long as there is not snow on the ground....:p

Of course you have to have a heated garage because there are lots of nights where it will freeze pretty good..... can you say drysuit!!!

because this is my first year with my V-drive and i didn't get it until mid august i will prolong the season as long as i can!
Geoff

[kaneboats]

It's supposed to be down in the 70's at night next week. When the water temp dips below 80 I'll have to think about puttin' her up.

[Razzman]

I won't even worry about it until November, gonna be 101 here today!

[sandm]

When the water temp dips below 80 I'll have to think about puttin' her up.


I hate you...


:)

[kaneboats]

Well Happy Birthday to you too.

[zegm]

I won't even worry about it until November, gonna be 101 here today!

Yeah that is hot but there are 2 kinds of hot. High temp and low humidity and high temps and high humidity.
It will be 90 F with 75% humidity, so you sweat all you want and it won't help!

As far as running goes we train in the heat and our times are awful. My wife is in Minnesota this week and she dropped a minute off all her times!!!

I did get a wetsuit this year and haven't worn it yet. When that water temp hits 79F it is coming out!!! I guess having bath water (85F) will spoil ya. One reason that water here is so warm is the lakes around here are SHALLOW so there is not a large volume of water to warm even if the surface area is large. And of course having a large surface area helps to heat it even more. The deepest I ever seen on my dept finder is 12ft with the norm being around 8ft.

[saskyrider]

Yeah that is hot but there are 2 kinds of hot. High temp and low humidity and high temps and high humidity.
It will be 90 F with 75% humidity, so you sweat all you want and it won't help!

As far as running goes we train in the heat and our times are awful. My wife is in Minnesota this week and she dropped a minute off all her times!!!

I did get a wetsuit this year and haven't worn it yet. When that water temp hits 79F it is coming out!!! I guess having bath water (85F) will spoil ya. One reason that water here is so warm is the lakes around here are SHALLOW so there is not a large volume of water to warm even if the surface area is large. And of course having a large surface area helps to heat it even more. The deepest I ever seen on my dept finder is 12ft with the norm being around 8ft.



I was just way up north at a fly in fishing camp up by the Saskatchewan / North West Territories border and went for a quick dip (key word here is quick!!) the water temp was 59F.... always fun when you dive in and come up gasping from the cold... lol!! Right now our water will be around 70F and we'll start to break out the wetuits pretty soon... of course i have a little insulation to which helps....

Geoff

[bbyquist]

We will hit 90 today but then it's all downhill from there. We will have highs in the mid 60s by Sunday. Shoot, we've already had a handfull of nights with overnight lows in the 30s. Last year we had a week in late September with overnight lows in the low 20s. Depending on what the weather decides to do, I'll shoot for winterizing around the 1st of October.

There is hope though...when the boat gets put away, the skis and snowoards come out :D

[scoot_gt]

Anyone have there boat put up yet for the winter?


Shut yer mouth with that crazy talk! :D

[jester]

Guy hate to tell you but this is not an appropriate topic. This topic should be flagged and banned. Summer is NOT!! over with. I will put my boat away for the winter at the end of OCT before I go to Hawaii.

[davinci]

Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable the numbers i'm hearing at 65 here in Quebec is considered nice , at 70-80 gorgeous 80-90 SCORCHING HOT !! our drysuits go on at about 60 c'mon that's 15* celcius again Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[deafgoose]

Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable the numbers i'm hearing at 65 here in Quebec is considered nice , at 70-80 gorgeous 80-90 SCORCHING HOT !! our drysuits go on at about 60 c'mon that's 15* celcius again Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I am with you brother.

I use a 3mm/4mm wetsuit for the months of May and October. The Gatineau river is 65 degrees right now and I am not even wearing a wetshirt yet. lol

[davinci]

Hey Deafgoose the gatineau is one of most beautiful places to skate on (I did quite a bit of work for the rideau center and also fabricated the bar at the casino de hull. One thing I have to say is that I am truly greatful for our winters -30 celcius = -22 fahrenheit doing outdoor sports, now how's that for cold !!

[zegm]

Again it is all about what you are used to. It has been getting into the mid
70's at night and we call that cool outside. Now in the winter this place can be boring, boring, boring. No such thing as winter sports here, well if you are a hunter. And I do know some people that will ski here during Christmas with wetsuits on. BUT! Thats what they make Kayaks for and actually what I really bought my 2 piece farm john wetsuit for! ;)

As far as winterizing, last year was dicey as we did have a week where it got below freezing everynight for about a week. So I had to make sure the drop light was plugged in under the motor before I went to bed.

[skiyaker]

went out last wednesday. water temps here were 74- it felt great to me; air temp tonight supposed to be 50 so water will be a little colder next week. Still, some of the best skiing around here happens in september after everyone else gets off the lake. when the water gets below 70 might break out the shorty; boat's in a heated garage so with the dry suit I'll keep the boat into november and hopefully get it back out in March. that leaves me with just 3 dreadful months without the Moomba!

[saskyrider]

thats pretty sweet... mine will get put away late september and pulled out in early may so it spends more time stored than out but what can you do when the water is frozen??

[Mikey]

As mentioned above ,after experiencing your kinda heat i can actually sympathize for you. We are accustomed to as mentioned above 70 nice 80 hot 90 scorching and water temps from ICE to low 70's being awesome. For you southerners I'm sure you could use drysuits as well. For us we go till freeze up then put boats to sleep then winter sports /activities start. Skiing,HOCKEY indoorsports Vball.curling actually i'm sorry i said curling but some people enjoy it but you get the idea. Also ICEFISHING. Anyways i intend to go for a few more weeks and then start watching weather carefully to put the boat away before it really get cold.

[zegm]

"Now in the winter this place can be boring, boring, boring."

That's just you man.

For me and everyone I hang with, Florida winters open up a whole bunch of activities you can't do in the summer. Winter is like the end of hibernation. Time to get spend time outside open up all the windows in the house, and turn off the a/c.

Build yourself a little campfire place in your back yard and listen to the crickets.

Go hiking in the woods, go camping - get out of the house!

Heat doesn't bother us, we run and or bike during mid-day. Yes our times are slower the air is thinner and it gets hot, but heat doesn't hurt, cold does.
But the ski boat does get put up in November and that is what is sad. Without our boat, our number one hobby the excitement level decreases. You should know you love your boat too. The other boats are broken out, the kayaks and there are 3 of them here and our type of gator hunting (no guns, just looking) begins on creeks and rivers all around this area. And we are never in the house there are always things we do. The kids are on the Panama City Swim Team and are always at practice. Mrs.Z and I are training for a triathlon and bike, swim and run all week long and not during the morning cool hours. Why because we are true southerners and can take the heat, are afraid of cold weather, amazed by a snowflake and much prefer bathing suits to jackets. If you live in Florida and love it here then you know it is shorts, t-shirts and sandals as the normal prefered outfit. And the sound a real Floridian knows is the sound of the Green Tree Frogs all over the back of their house at night. Not Crickets! Those are in the kids TV room, in a jar waiting to be fed to the Bearded Dragon my daughter has. The one next to my sons Ball Python. Yeap Florida pets too!!! :)

No we won't be in the house, but we won't be on the boat! :(

PS I also think if you have to be cold then you need to be like above Kentucky so you can have some fun in snow! Those snowmobiles look pretty cool!!! Cross country snow skiing is another one that looks like fun!

[newyear14]

Nice and sunny today, blue skies but the highs will be in the 60s only :(. Tomorrow will be better hopefully. I'm not ready to put her to bed yet.

[baller40]

Temp hit 39 here last night-Still getting out on the water today though:)
Between school and football hard to get out during the week! Beat St. Croix Falls 19-0 last night O-line party on the boat today:cool:

[sandm]

No such thing as winter sports here, well if you are a hunter.

come on.. I've seen what you call a deer out in the southeast. my buddies lab is bigger :)

[moombabound]

A really crappy August has dropped the water temp to 63F. The last two weekends were write-offs; never left the city. Was only out for one day/night this weekend. Too windy, so went wind surfing twice. Wanted to get in a morning ski, water was calm, but at 9 AM air temp was only +4C (40F) and had to get motoring back to the city for the lad's hockey try-outs.

So, per the topic of the thread, in these parts, Ma Nature started winding down summer quickly the first week of August. Still hoping for those classic Sept days, but none in the forecast, and water temp will be dipping into the 50's soon at this pace.

[viking]

come on.. I've seen what you call a deer out in the southeast. my buddies lab is bigger :)

ha ha - that's funny right there. As far as winding down the summer.....never really got started in MT this year?? Cold and rainy spring until July and now it's 64 as a high today. I'm going to hold off winterizing as long as I can and hope to do it as late as Nov 1st!

[jamie_abb]

High of 14 degress celcius today and raining. First wetsuit set of the year.

The kids start hockey this week but I'm still praying for an Indian Summer

[jscott]

My boat is stored for the winter. Won't see it tell June. Pulled it out last weekend.

[lewisb13]

Thats crazy, our water temp as I write this is 93 degrees still.

[skiyaker]

went out for a ski today. Water temp on the ski lake was 67- still warm enough for trunks for me. A few more degrees colder and I'll put on the shorty.

[mnpracing]

On Sunday, water temp was 64 and air was 70 and windy. It would have been pleasant but for the wind. Lips were blue.

[zegm]

My boat is stored for the winter. Won't see it tell June. Pulled it out last weekend.

To think I was freaking out a little this weekend as I probably only have 6 weeks left to use the boat. Yeah it was 96 hot degrees today. I guess we are lucky in some regards, especially to boating season.

[saskyrider]

High of 14 degress celcius today and raining. First wetsuit set of the year.

The kids start hockey this week but I'm still praying for an Indian Summer

same here... pulled out the wetsuit for the first time this last weekend... on the plus side we had the lake to ourselves all afternoon....

[moombabound]

In the entire 14 day forecast, no single day will even reach the average historical high temp. Highest high is 15C (59F). That will conclude an absolutely brutal run of weather that started 2nd week of Aug, during which my boat hasn't seen water. Very slim chance it will see water again this year. The only thing that will eventually lift my spirits would be a steady base of snow for 5 months, to make it up via sledding (snowmobile, not dog). Despite the many opportunities we had to boat, weather held us to the lowest hours (38) in our four Moomba seasons. Summer didn't wind down, it ended with a thud.

[skiyaker]

another sign that the end is near; just had my dump truck of hardwood delivered. Stacked it- hoping not to need it soon but I know I will. Going skiing tomorrow- water temp last weekend was 66 degrees

[kaneboats]

I feel you! It was 93 today and we were laying sod. Thank God summer is winding down so it was so much cooler or we would have been sweating. We are looking at 91 this Sat for the Flint River Mini Jam (3rd Annual). We'll have to get off the water early as the overnight low is around 72 (brrrrr!).

[viking]

I feel you! It was 93 today and we were laying sod. Thank God summer is winding down so it was so much cooler or we would have been sweating. We are looking at 91 this Sat for the Flint River Mini Jam (3rd Annual). We'll have to get off the water early as the overnight low is around 72 (brrrrr!).

funny............real *(#@ing funny :p

[skiyaker]

sweet just saw the forecast... 90 degrees next Tuesday- I'm not busting out the drysuit yet!

[moombabound]

Skiyaker you're killing me!
Went out at 9 AM today to help my son wash the truck he is selling. No water flow; hose was frozen. Took a few minutes of twisting and breaking it up before the water flowed. Comparatively, our Tuesday high will be 7C (44F), which is better than Monday's high of 5C (41F).
As I'm twisting the hose, looking over at my boat wondering about the ballast pipes, etc. Normally wouldn't be concerned about freezing this early.
Frost warning tonight, so gonna spread hay under the boat and let it burn overnight. ;-)

[psycho-heico]

In Calgary we woke up to snow in some areas of the city and tonight a frost warning....and only 5% of the farmers crops are off the fields....I am winterizing this weekend...Both the boat and RV.....

[viking]

SOB ......... it was 39degrees today at 6pm when I drove home. Started to snow even. Was 90 2 weeks ago and 80 still 4 days ago. This sucks the big one :( Still gonna hold out on winterization though.

[zabooda]

I went skiing this morning as the nights haven't got below 65 and in the mid-80's during the day (average temps). The water temps are 66 degrees which is about the temps for mid-July.

I also took the boat/trailer in for an estimate to repair a fender when someone this summer backed into it. $1,400 for the repair and it was almost totaled except I convinced the adjuster to go with the repair. I'm taking it in at the end of the month.

And last but not least is I did winterize the boat this afternoon. I have too much going on the next 1-1/2 months. The dive rescue I belong to has a support function for a triathalon swim for tomorrow morning and an exercise next Saturday and the Kennel Club has a dog show at the end of the month and I do the layout for 150 RVs. Then to Wisconsin in October to see family and training in Madison.

As a footnote, I got more skiing in this year than the past two years. What is surprising is I only put 23 hours on the boat. I have two weeks in the summer I take the boat and camp but most of my skiing is locally and my buddy and I rotate boats so we never put many hours on any one boat. We get out early before the sheriff wakes up and we agreed to split the cost if we are caught.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Fall and when I winterize my boat that means two more weeks of summer weather so enjoy.

[moombabound]

It's officially over:

1. The 14 day forecast now extends into October, and no days even come close to the average historical high.
2. I'm already working on a snowmobile upgrade.
3. This weekend I will be in the hockey arena a fair bit.

I was REALLY hoping for those classic September days. They came each of the last two years. Nada this year. GLOBAL WARMING MY ASS!
Time to shift mindset. This valuable site is a seaonal thing for me. Onto the frozen stuff. Merry Christmas everyone. See you in the Spring.

[zabooda]

We're not far behind ya.

[Mikey]

Our weather absolutely sucks,but i'm still holding out hope to go out skiing ONE more time albeit with a drysuit but i just wanna go out once more. Very frosty morning today says that might not happen, Gonna winterize soon i guess.

[89PROSTAR]

Supposed to be at least 80 in Central Oregon this weekend. We're heading to Lake Billy on Sat to find a little more summer.

[you da man]

I cannot imagine a 3-4 month boating season when my boat is winterized for only 3 months. Water here rarely gets in the low 50's so it's very doable with adequate gear. We still have water temps in the low 80's to mid 80's

[WaterBullDawg1980]

This is the saddest thread. At least on this last page, but I guess it is about that time.

We are like Ed right now and just soaking up the relief of having an 89 degree high instead of the usual 90-95. I figure on this pace, we should be ok for boating for at least through mid October.

Is it really that time already!? ugh......:(

[jmvotto]

played golf today shot the weather 80 with 4 three putts:mad:

why is the weather not paying attention to weekends
80 today, 89 friday 64 saturday , may have to bang in tomorrow....:p

[viking]

played golf today

Me too! didn't quite play as good as you though :) But it was only my 5th time out this year :( Supposed to be 85 on Sunday here. I'm planning on hitting the water with the Moomba :cool:

[schuylski]

97 here today in VA/MD!! :p Had to call in sick... needing some water therapy. Summer not winding down here yet, although this weekend only high of 70.

[kaneboats]

played golf today shot the weather 80 with 4 three putts:mad:


It's always mid-summer in Arizona on my scorecard.

[rc5695]

been cooler at night here in SC, but havn't had gas money to hit hte lake with for over a month now :( I won't winterize until Thanksgiving weekend probably; hoping to be able to get out the lake once or twice between now and then...

[moombabound]

It's officially over:
Time to shift mindset. This valuable site is a seaonal thing for me. Onto the frozen stuff. Merry Christmas everyone. See you in the Spring.

So, when there's a sudden one day spike in temperature, equal to anything in the last 6 weeks and rain predicted the next day, but you've got a helluva chest cold, do you risk the chilly waters bringing on pneumonia, just to get in a last ski or three? Hell ya!!
Water 13C (55F). Air: 22C (72 F).
(Only two skiis in the 6 weeks that Mother Nature laid down the moratorium against water sports...I went soft. Long skiis too; a bit sore this morning).
Over and out till Spring...

[Mikey]

Moombabound glad to hear you got out. Sadley i'm typing this when i should have been out as well, except i tryed with no luck to find others to go out saturday. I had 3 cancelations leaving me SOL then this am after having boat loaded and ready to go my 3rd calls and cancels due to serious migraine so back the boat goes. Now the big question is do i wait and hold off on winterize or HOPE fo one more nice weekend????
This really Sucks.

[saskyrider]

Well it got up to 26c today here..... Beauty weather ....but..... I was in a combine all day and will be for the next while weather permitting... Forecast looks awesome here for the next two weeks...


Geoff

[viking]

Was 93 today so had to hit the lake. Finally got home and boat put away. What a great time on the water with my folks and our 3 girls. My 6mo old was a trooper today :)

[jimmobius]

Last day on our lake today , not as hot as tuesday which was record high of 90+ deg. Had a good summer , latest start that I can remember. It did snow here twice in May, didn't get the boat wet till 1st week of June!! Planning a trip to Arizona next month to finish off the season should have good weather I hope. Some pics from this summer. L to R , Bear lake Utah/Idaho, " private lake " Montana, Echo lake Montana , Navajo lake Colorado. One more trip ....
Jim.

[kaneboats]

Man, Jim, that is just pristine. Love it. Have a good and safe time in AZ.

[deerfield]

Last day on our lake today , not as hot as tuesday which was record high of 90+ deg. Had a good summer , latest start that I can remember. It did snow here twice in May, didn't get the boat wet till 1st week of June!! Planning a trip to Arizona next month to finish off the season should have good weather I hope. Some pics from this summer. L to R , Bear lake Utah/Idaho, " private lake " Montana, Echo lake Montana , Navajo lake Colorado. One more trip ....
Jim.

Jim - How does your boat run at those altitudes and did you modify any of the factory settings or equipment to up the performance? Also, what is your tow rig? Nice pictures. - Deerfield

[viking]

echo is pretty shallow in spots isn't it? never been on it myself!

[wolfeman131]

Man, Jim, that is just pristine. Love it. Have a good and safe time in AZ.

You ain't kidding! Wish I could have that scenery with my weather. Guess life is all about trade-offs.

[skiyaker]

Well another sign that the season is winding down- tonight is the yearly ritual that I call First Fire. For you southern guys it involves filling the wood stove full of Indiana hard wood, lighting it on fire, then sitting around drinking brandied apple cider. The stove will burn for 12 hours and there's nothing like going for a ski ride then coming home to a warm fire! Lows in the upper 30s this weekend will probably mean drysuit next week. I'm glad the boat fits in the garage this year!

[eseebeck]

Pulled the outback last weekend, getting the boat out is easy, just put it on the trailer. the dock and hoist require me to get wet. So It needs to come out before it is tooooooo cold ! Once School starts for the kids, it is pretty hectic with school and soccer and dance for the girls. I barely have time to mow the grass. So usually mid Sept is the last horrah for us

[89PROSTAR]

Going out tomorrow for the last time. Weather should be a balmy 75deg. We've had the boat about a month and have to put her away. It will be a sad day.

[jimmobius]

Kaneboats - thanks we were fortunate to have the conditions and low boat traffic.
Deerfield- The only thing I did was run the 17.5 pitch prop in Montana at the lower elevations. I have a dodge ram 2500 cummins quad 4 x 4 long bed / 10.5' overhead hardside camper ( old) and of course pull the boat.
Viking- Yes echo is shallow in spots , but we know where they are and it is supprisingly deep in spots too but I can't remember the actual depth right now. It also was the warmest lake the whole trip. The weather had just warmed up and the lakes hadn't had a chance to warm up . I used my dry suit on Swan and Flathead !!

Jim

[BensonWdby]

Ours came out last weekend - had one of the best runs ever 32 off @ 34mph - rocked it.. Then out and winterized. Plan is to clean today and store... Had our first frost this morning - but sunny now and heading to mid 50s. Definitely wet-suitable - but no boats available.

[deerfield]

Today changed oil, oil filter, and fresh water pump impeller (paint can openers work like a charm). Ran the boat around the lake after changes. Will bring the boat home tomorrow and do rest of winterization in the driveway. Lift gets pulled this coming week.

[viking]

deerfield,
don't you pull the impeller out for the winter? If so, why put a new one in for just one run?

[deerfield]

deerfield,
don't you pull the impeller out for the winter? If so, why put a new one in for just one run?

viking - I pull the impeller at end of season, keeping it as a backup, and install the new impeller. The new impeller stays installed in the water pump for twelve months (October - September). So, no, I don't take it out for winter. Come spring I drop her in the water and away we go. But now that you asked, I'm going to check Indmar's Operator's Manual. Okay. Chapter 7 discusses winter lay-up. With respect to the raw water pump impeller, winter lay-up directions first say to remove and replace the impeller if it shows any signs of wear, which is what I have been doing. But in the same three-sentence paragraph it concludes by saying to lubricate the impeller with Vaseline and place in an airtight bag. That's a slight curve ball. Chapter 7 also discusses reactivation after "extended" storage but does not define extended. Step 5 of reactivation says to reinstall the raw water pump impeller. So, maybe I should leave it out for the winter? I didn't last year and everything was fine this summer. What say you? - Deerfield

[kaneboats]

Went out on Sat. with my brother and a bunch of kids. Sunny all day. Air temp reached 85 and water got up to about 73. It was an absolutely perfect day and there was nobody out there. School and football have started so folks believe the boating season is over. Wish I could pack up the weather and water and ship it to my friends in the N.

[moombabound]

Over and out till Spring...
Well, a bit like Brett Favre?....
Had another temp spike.
23C (73F) felt very warm, given we've been acclimatized in the last 6 weeks to far less.
Got in 3 lengthy skis.
Good till Spring now. (Really).

[GeauxTigers]

come on.. I've seen what you call a deer out in the southeast. my buddies lab is bigger :)


LOL! The first time I saw a mule deer out here, I thought it was an ELK! Then, I actually saw an Elk and I about pooped my pants! Coming from Atlanta, I was used to those puppy sized white tails....

[corndog7051]

Gettin the boat winterized today, Sad day in oklahoma. But muzzleloader season starts tomorrow so got a few weeks of deer hunting to look forward till the real cold sets in. I think I am already gettin cabin fever. but put a good 80 hours on the boat yet not enough wakeboardin this summer. well there is always next year

[schuylski]

Yes- it's been cold here too! Had the boat out one last time on Sunday (air temp reached 70... water was well... colder) and winterized the boat Monday just ahead of this cold spell and a 30 degree low Monday night. I guess winter's finally here in VA......

[cab13367]

viking - I pull the impeller at end of season, keeping it as a backup, and install the new impeller. The new impeller stays installed in the water pump for twelve months (October - September). So, no, I don't take it out for winter. Come spring I drop her in the water and away we go. But now that you asked, I'm going to check Indmar's Operator's Manual. Okay. Chapter 7 discusses winter lay-up. With respect to the raw water pump impeller, winter lay-up directions first say to remove and replace the impeller if it shows any signs of wear, which is what I have been doing. But in the same three-sentence paragraph it concludes by saying to lubricate the impeller with Vaseline and place in an airtight bag. That's a slight curve ball. Chapter 7 also discusses reactivation after "extended" storage but does not define extended. Step 5 of reactivation says to reinstall the raw water pump impeller. So, maybe I should leave it out for the winter? I didn't last year and everything was fine this summer. What say you? - Deerfield

Deerfield,

I follow the manual and coat the impeller with Vaseline and put in a ziplock bag for the winter. If it's due for a change, I pull old one out an winterization then put the new one in in the spring. I don't like my impeller (new or used) sitting in the water pump housing with the vanes bent all winter long. And I believe the Vaseline keeps the rubber from drying out.

[viking]

Deerfield,

I follow the manual and coat the impeller with Vaseline and put in a ziplock bag for the winter. If it's due for a change, I pull old one out an winterization then put the new one in in the spring. I don't like my impeller (new or used) sitting in the water pump housing with the vanes bent all winter long. And I believe the Vaseline keeps the rubber from drying out.

Ditto!

sorry deerfield.............missed your question :)