Apparatus and Method for Boat Motor Winterizing
OwnerScott Hanstrominventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a portable (easily carried by one person), re-usable apparatus for protecting an engine of a watercraft by filling engine passageways with a protective fluid. The apparatus does not require a pump for the protective fluid. In operation, filling the container with protective fluid, clamping the flexible cup to the water intake ports, and opening the valve permits the running engine of the watercraft to suction protective fluid into cooling fluid passageways within the engine. The entire operation is carried out without a pump to pressurize the protective fluid, and minimizes fluid safe disposal requirements.
Claims20
A portable, re-usable apparatus for winterizing an engine of a watercraft, while the watercraft is out of the water, the apparatus comprising a kit having no pump, the kit comprising:
- a container for receiving therein a quantity of protective fluid for the engine of the watercraft, the container having a fluid port at an end thereof;
- a hose having a first end coupled to the fluid port of the container and in fluid communication with an interior of the container;
- a valve for controlling flow of fluid from the container to the hose;
- a flexible cup having a port coupled to a second end of the hose, the flexible cup sized to cover water intake ports of the watercraft;
- and
- a clamp configured to hold the flexible cup over a water intake port, until the engine of the watercraft is running and suction forces of the water intake maintain the flexible cup in position;
- wherein filling the container with protective fluid, clamping the flexible cup to the water intake ports, and opening the valve permits a running engine of the watercraft to suction protective fluid into cooling fluid passageways within the engine and displace water from the passageways through an exit port of the engine, without a pump to pressurize the protective fluid.
A portable, re-usable apparatus for winterizing an engine of a watercraft, while the watercraft is out of the water, the apparatus comprising a kit having no pump, the kit comprising:
- a container for receiving therein a quantity of protective fluid for the engine of the watercraft, the container having a fluid port at an end thereof;
- a hose having a first end coupled to the fluid port of the container and in fluid communication with an interior of the container;
- a valve controlling flow of fluid through the hose;
- at least one flexible-cup having a port coupled to a second end of the hose, the flexible cup sized to cover water intake ports of the watercraft, the flexible cup having a through hole permitting fluid communication from the hose through a convex side of the flexible cup to a concave side of the flexible cup ;
- and
- a clamp configured to hold the flexible cup over the water intake ports, until the engine of the watercraft is running and suction forces of the water intake maintain the flexible cup in position;
- the clamp comprising a U-shape having a pair of legs connected by a curved portion, a flexible cup located proximate an end of each leg of the U-shape, at least one flexible cup having a convex side coupled to the second end of the hose, said flexible cup having a through hole for fluid to flow from the hose through the flexible cup to a concave side of the flexible cup, the legs of the U-shape having spring-like resilience to receive and resiliently clamp the watercraft intake ports releasably between them.
- wherein filling the container with protective fluid, clamping the flexible cup to the water intake ports, and opening the valve permits a running engine of the watercraft to suction protective fluid into cooling fluid passageways within the engine and displace water from the passageways through an exit port of the engine, without a pump to pressurize the protective fluid.
A method of using a portable re-usable apparatus for winterizing an engine of a watercraft, while the watercraft is out of the water, the apparatus having no pump, the method comprising:
- filling a container with a protective fluid;
- connecting a first end of a hose to the container;
- connecting a second end of the hose to a flexible cup;
- placing the flexible cup over water intake ports of the engine of the watercraft running the engine;
- opening a valve to allow protective fluid to flow under suction from the engine from the container through the flexible cup, to the water intake ports, into passageways within the engine;
- at least partially filling the passageways of the engine with protective fluid;
- and
- shutting off the engine.
The method of claim 15, further comprising suspending the container filled with protective fluid at an elevation above the water intake ports of the engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.