09 Oct Winterizing Your Boat
There is a lot about the fall season to smile about – fall foliage changing from green to brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, football season, apple cider, Oktoberfests, and who doesn’t like pumpkin spice everything? But one thing that you might be dreading is taking your boat out of the water for the winter. Winterizing your boat is like the final step at admitting summer is over for the year. But, it has to be done if you want to keep your boat running for many years to come. Here are some things every winterization checklist should include:
- Wash the entire boat. Start with the exterior including the bottom of the boat. Apply a fresh coat of bottom paint and wax the entire exterior. Clean the inside of the boat as well.
- Remove any food that may have accumulated in the pantry over the summer to keep tempted animals away.
- Empty the bilge and leave the plug hole open. Store the plugin in a safe place so you can find it easily when you put the boat back in the water next year.
- Complete an oil change and give the engine a lube job. You do not want any of that old buildup to corrode the engine over the winter.
- Remove the batteries and store them separately. Remember to charge them periodically throughout the winter.
- Grease all the fittings and tighten any loose screws.
- Add antifreeze to the heater.
Check your boat’s maintenance guide to find out exactly what your boat requires in the offseason. You may find that you need to add or remove some of the above tasks. When you are finished, you can start counting the days until next boating season. We will be doing the same thing ourselves.
*
No Comments