Outdrive Position When Long-Term Beached
 

Hi! Only second month with pontoon and have a question: we'll be beaching it for the summer and am wondering if we should raise the outdrive completely out of the water or leave the prop in when not being used. I was raising it out, but I noticed my neighbors kept theirs in.

Thanks!

Enough water?
 

If there is enough water leave it in. It could bottom out due to low water or wave action then pull it up. Our is docked so we leave it in.


ToW

Is it a Mercury Outboard?
 

We just bought a new boat with a 60hp Mercury 4-stroke outboard. The owner's manual recommends raising the motor out of the water when it is not in use. I know that few people do this, but that's what the manufacturer recommends.

Outbard or I/O?
 

If it's an outboard motor, tilt it up out of the water.
If it's a I/O (sterndrive), leave it down if there's enough depth.

Always tilt outboards up out of the water. Prevents corrosion and re-painting and keeps stuff from growing in the water passages within the motor.

Stern drives can be left up or down, does not matter, but it's easier on the u-joints if it's down when starting/running. Some weill say leave it down to avoid stressing the rubber bellows, I think that if your bellows are brittle enough to be damaged by trimming up, you should replace them.

Thanks, all! I'll pull it out this weekend for forever more.

Peace!

Just curious, thinkxingu ... does your pontoon boat have an outboard motor or an I/O, and if it's an outboard, is it a Mercury?

It's an outboard, and a Suzuki.

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