Good care at the end of the season can keep your outboard running well. Consider using a good professional service to winterize your engine or learn to do the job yourself. This practice will allow you to use all your fuel, and you won t encounter problems properly disposing of stale gas next spring. Inspect your rubber fuel lines regularly. The alcohol content of unleaded fuels has a tendency to deteriorate fuel line hoses, sometimes in a matter of months.
Many marinas have oil recycling drums.
Then the oil won t be pumped overboard by your bilge pump. Do not use bilge cleaning chemicals, which merely disperse the oil in bilge water. Use enzyme-based bilge cleaners, which are nonpolluting and also very effective. Drain old antifreeze into a container for onshore recycling. Where possible, use less toxic propylene glycol, rather than traditional ethylene glycol antifreeze.