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Why Fall is the Best Time to Change Your Boat’s Engine Oil

Oct. 3 2025 Maintenance By Patrick Pershing

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Why Fall Is the Best Time to Change Your Boat’s Engine Oil

Advice from the Experts at Cope Marine

When it comes to protecting your boat, few maintenance tasks are more important than regular engine oil changes. At Cope Marine, we always tell our customers to follow the 100-hour rule—meaning your engine oil should be changed every 100 hours of use. For most weekend and seasonal boaters, that ends up being about once per season. If you’re on the water more often, you may even need an extra mid-season oil change.

But here’s one thing we can’t stress enough:

Never store your boat for winter with old oil in the engine.

Why? Because the oil that’s worked hard for you all season has also absorbed a lot of things you don’t want sitting inside your motor.

Over months of use, engine oil collects:

  • Water and moisture

  • Fuel residues

  • Combustion byproducts

  • Acids and contaminants

These all slowly attack your engine from the inside. And when that dirty, contaminated oil sits for months during winter storage it continues to break down vital internal components, accelerate corrosion, and reduce the overall life of your motor.

In fact, studies show a startling reality:
➡ A boat engine stored with clean oil can last up to 50% longer than one stored with old, contaminated oil.

That’s why, at Cope Marine, we recommend doing your most important oil change in the fall before winter storage.

What a Fall Oil Change Really Does for Your Boat

When you change your oil before storage, you’re:

✅ Removing moisture, acids, and contaminants
✅ Laying down a fresh protective layer of clean oil
✅ Preventing internal corrosion during months of inactivity
✅ Extending the lifespan of your engine
✅ Reducing the chance of costly springtime repairs
✅ Setting yourself up for easy, worry-free starts next season

It’s one of the simplest ways to protect one of the most expensive components on your boat—your motor.

Let Cope Marine Handle It for You

We know life gets busy, and proper service matters. That’s why our fall oil change service includes:

  • Draining old oil

  • Removing contaminants

  • Replacing oil filters

  • Refilling with premium marine-grade oil

  • A complete check to ensure your engine is ready for winter storage

Our trained marine technicians take care of the details, so you don’t have to, giving you the peace of mind that your boat is stored right.

📍 Stop by Cope Marine in O'Fallon, Illinois or Branson West, Missouri today.

📞 O’Fallon, IL — (618) 632-6353
📞 Branson West, MO — (417) 272-1277