Help a GW Newbie - De-winterization

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COBoarder

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Freedom 205
Thanks for all contributors to this forum. Great source of knowledge for a newbie like myself.

I have a 2015 GW Freedom 205 I bought in the Fall and she has a 250hp Yamaha which I had professionally winterized. The boat has been on a travel trailer locally in Washington DC and I’m going to put her in the water this weekend.

3 de-winterizations questions I couldn’t find answers:
- Do I need to do any additional steps when I place her in back in the water at the public ramp or can I just turn the key and go?
- Any recommendations on how to know beforehand whether the boat will start when I put her in the water at the public ramp. For the self-trailer people, do you test the batteries for a specific voltage prior to the first water launch or just launch and hope for a start? The batteries stayed in the boat, disconnected over the winter.
- Last ? - do you recommend a jump starter battery pack like I have for my vehicle, in case I need a jump at the dock or would those devices do damage?

Thanks for your help, always looking for best practices to avoid the cost of learning the lessons myself.

Thanks.
 
If you have access to a hose and a power outlet I would do a few things first. Charge the battery. Put a set of "rabbit ears" on the lower unit and turn the hose on. Pump up fuel bulb. Try to start it. Don't run for more than a minute on "rabbit ears" - sometimes they overheat - but a short period is fine.

My Yamaha F150 are 19 years old and even after months of not being used will start within 10 seconds! Love those 4-strokes.

Fully charged battery off the charger should be around 12.8 VDC. Approximate battery life in a boat is +/- 5-years.
 
Sure!

Do you have access to a hose? Get a set of "muffs" ad run it at home. Does your engine have dual water intakes? I don't think so on that engine - but double check - it's easy to see by just looking. If so, tape/cover the extra intake. Then let it run for a while to charge batteries - but don't let the muffs slip off. If you have even decent water flow it can run pretty much indefinitely.

You probably have two batteries on the boat, right? No real need for a jump pack.
 
DennisG01 said:
Sure!

Do you have access to a hose? Get a set of "muffs" ad run it at home. Does your engine have dual water intakes? I don't think so on that engine - but double check - it's easy to see by just looking. If so, tape/cover the extra intake. Then let it run for a while to charge batteries - but don't let the muffs slip off. If you have even decent water flow it can run pretty much indefinitely.

You probably have two batteries on the boat, right? No real need for a jump pack.
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also, make sure you dont forget to take the tape back off when you are done. it would probably just come off in the water without any problems, but better safe than sorry
 
Always make sure you start the boat up before you leave and take it to the dock to launch. Also, always make sure you start up the boat at the launch before taking it off the trailer. In September/October of 2023 I was taking my boat off the mooring buoy that it had been on all summer and it wouldn't start. Figured the batteries were needing to be replaced as I bought the boat 2 years before and didn't know when the batteries had last been replaced. Bought two new ones to replace them with, pulled the boat for the season and all was well. The next spring, last year in 2024, I put the boat in the water, pushed it off the trailer before starting her up and just heard a "clicking" noise. Tied up a portion of the dock for awhile, couldn't get her started, ended up pulling the boat back out and taking the boat back to our cabin. The slightest of turns on the battery terminal nuts with a wrench was all that it took to get the proper connection and haven't had an issue since then, knock on wood. But yes long story short, make sure the boat starts up before you take her off the trailer, make sure the plug is in and double or even triple check it, and finally I'd make sure you have a toolbox or tool set with you in the event that you do have an issue. Other things like checking your brake/tail lights, air pressure in the tires, tie downs on the trailer and so forth are always good to double check as well.
 
Mustang65fbk said:
Always make sure you start the boat up before you leave and take it to the dock to launch. Also, always make sure you start up the boat at the launch before taking it off the trailer. In September/October of 2023 I was taking my boat off the mooring buoy that it had been on all summer and it wouldn't start. Figured the batteries were needing to be replaced as I bought the boat 2 years before and didn't know when the batteries had last been replaced. Bought two new ones to replace them with, pulled the boat for the season and all was well. The next spring, last year in 2024, I put the boat in the water, pushed it off the trailer before starting her up and just heard a "clicking" noise. Tied up a portion of the dock for awhile, couldn't get her started, ended up pulling the boat back out and taking the boat back to our cabin. The slightest of turns on the battery terminal nuts with a wrench was all that it took to get the proper connection and haven't had an issue since then, knock on wood. But yes long story short, make sure the boat starts up before you take her off the trailer, make sure the plug is in and double or even triple check it, and finally I'd make sure you have a toolbox or tool set with you in the event that you do have an issue. Other things like checking your brake/tail lights, air pressure in the tires, tie downs on the trailer and so forth are always good to double check as well.
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Thanks all for the advice -A summary
- Look for 12.8V on the battery
- Run the engine before taking it off the trailer. (I probably have to get a “fake a lake” plunger and use the hose at the ramp)
- A boost charger could help but with 2 batteries, probably unnecessary
- Fully check the trailer
- Boat plug w/ a triple check :)

I’ll report results once I get on the water. Thanks everyone so far.
 
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COBoarder said:
Thanks all for the advice -A summary
- Look for 12.8V on the battery
- Run the engine before taking it off the trailer. (I probably have to get a “fake a lake” plunger and use the hose at the ramp)
- A boost charger could help but with 2 batteries, probably unnecessary
- Fully check the trailer
- Boat plug w/ a triple check :)

I’ll report results once I get on the water. Thanks everyone so far.
Click to expand...
You don't need a fake a lake to run the engine. You needs "muffs" - they're about $6 and look like ear muffs.

This is for running it at home which is smart to do.

At the ramp, you just back it into the water - nothing else is needed. But keep it on the trailer till you're satisfied.

You don't need 12.8V. You don't even need to check - just try and start 'er up. If the battery was charged and you took at least the negative cable off, you should be fine
 
After a winter sitting, there is no way the batteries will produce 12.8 volts. Do as Dennis recommends.

As to what needs to be done to de-winterize, that depends on what was done to winterize. You really need to know what the job included.

If you have a fresh water system it should be drained of antifreeze and flushed.

Remember that the motor should be tilted up for trailering and for launching. If you don't have a long way to go, just tilt up the motor. If you have a longer trip or very bumpy trip, you may want to get some sort of lower unit support accessory . Here are some examples

Do not use the flip down stop on the motor for trailering!
 
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