Why You Should Winterize Your Boat

If you’re done with your boat for the season, don’t forget about the importance of winterizing your boat. Just like with a car, a boat can easily be damaged by harsh weather conditions. You’ve invested time and money in owning a boat, so don’t let it go to waste. No one wants to show up in the spring to find that their boat isn’t in usable condition.

Read on to find out how to winterize your boat.

Protect the engine

Whether you have a boat with an inboard or outboard engine, you’ll want to take steps to protect it from the elements. For outboard engines, it’s important to add fuel stabilizer to keep the gas usable. You’ll also want to change the oil and grease the propeller shaft and threads.

For inboard engines, you’ll need to flush the engine with antifreeze. You should also switch out the oil and filter. This way the boat will be ready for use in the spring.

Onboard systems

Before storing your boat, go through and ensure that you’ve removed any personal valuables and electronics. Anything electrical isn’t going to deal well with the cold weather. Whenever possible, remove these items, and take them home with you. This way they’ll be stored in a climate-controlled space.

You also want to remove the flares, fire extinguishers and flotation devices. While you have the opportunity, look them over to ensure that none of this safety equipment needs to be replaced.

Perform basic maintenance

You might associate maintenance tasks with preparing to use the boat immediately after, but they’re also important to do at the end of the season. This is a great time to make sure that every aspect of your boat is in good working order.

Perform all the following maintenance tasks:

• Inspect spark plugs;
• Check fluid levels;
• Flush the engine;
• Change the oil and filter.

Fuel treatment

You may have some gas left in the tank when the boat goes into storage. If you want to keep this gas usable, then it’s important to treat it with fuel stabilizer. Gas can go bad in colder weather, and this treatment will lessen the impact of the colder winter months.

Fix vinyl interior

If your boat’s seating has any unrepaired tears or rips, now’s the time to have those fixed. These can become worse during the dry, cold weather of winter. Once you’ve had these repaired, then clean and treat the vinyl thoroughly. You’ll be treated to an interior that’s as good as new when you’re ready to boat again in the spring.

Trinity Alps Marina is a family-owned and -operated marina offering a full line of boating services and products. We specialize in affordable rentals for houseboats, patio boats, fishing boats and ski boats. Our team offers expertise in boat repair, and we provide boat storage to keep your vessel running in top condition. Find out why our customers keep coming back. Contact us right now to find out more about all our marina has to offer.

Categorised in: Boat Maintenance

This post was written by Writer