5 Easy Tips For Winterizing Your Boat!
Taking your boat out of the water for the winter months can be a job and a half, but it is well worth it. If you’re like me, you don’t even want to take it out, all you want to do is fish! But, if you live where the winters are harsh, you need to winterize and store your boat safely. Follow these tips below to maximize your boat’s lifespan and how to keep you from needing a visit to the boat mechanic during spring time.
Five Tips For Winterizing Your Boat
- When you take your boat out of the water for the first time you should immediately open up the bilge drain plug from under your boat. You also want to let your boat dry off for a couple days so nothing is moist. Open up your compartments and leave them open so they can air out. This will prevent mildew.
- The second thing you want to do is take your air compressor and with the pressurized hose blow air through the drainage pipes in your front deck, cooler, and all through the hull. This will eliminate any water that may be stuck from gunk build up or small debris that may have fallen in.
- Many people try to take their boat out and run it until all the gas is gone. Instead, what you want to do is top off your tank with gas and put a fuel-stabilizer in there to eliminate any condensation build up. Another critical tip is to run your boat for about 15 minutes for that fuel-stabilizer to get all the way through the fuel lines and engine. (If you have a saltwater boat you will obviously want to flush out the head with freshwater, this will eliminate corrosion).
- Take your batteries out and store them in a moderately warm and dry place. This will eliminate the risk of draining your battery and having to purchase a new one next year. Furthermore, check your fuel lines, wiring, and see if there are any cracks or fractures on them. If there are, you want to replace them immediately.
- I store my boat under a carport on my own property. This allows me to be worry free about severe weather conditions that may come from the winter months.
I hope these tips help! Have a wonderful winter and happy holidays to all my boating friends!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain