So I decided to winterize my own boat this year rather than take it to the dealer. It's a new Pro-V so I'm not too worried that something will need to be changed. I live in Oklahoma and many days during the winter months we'll have fablous weather 60s so I might want to take the boat out before spring hits. So I bought a fake-a-lake and have some other general questions about other things I might be missing. First question, how much antifreeze should I put in the five gallon bucket? I have a heater should I use special concern with it or should the antifreeze make it through there as well?? I know it should but never done this myself. Should I do it on a flat surface or should it really matter?? What other considerations should I keep in mind? <BR> <BR>Thanks for any comments that will assist me.

I'm not sure about other manufacturers but Mercruiser's recommended method for winterizing inboard and I/O blocks is to drain from the petcocks and disconnect the water pump hose and power steering coolant hose if petcocks aren't present for those in order to drain the block for short layups. If you plan to store long term, they advise removing the thermostat housing and pouring antifreeze in there. This is a lot safer method since you don't have to rely on the thermostat opening up to deliver the antifreeze and it's actually a lot easier once you know where the drain points are for your engine. <BR> <BR>I'm not sure how the heater factors in but either your owner's manual or a factory service manual should describe what you need to do specific to your engine.