As the winter comes along, you should take out your boat from the water and protect it from elemental damage. Ice, in particular, is disastrous for your hull, potentially causing massive damage. In fact, we’ve seen many situations where sturdy, reliable boats sank while left in a body of water.
We don’t recommend winterizing the boat by yourself. There are lots of small details you need to pay attention to, which is why it’s much better to call professionals. Furthermore, relying on experts is usually a cheaper option as you’ll reduce material waste and minimize potential damage.
However, if you still want to try your hand at winterizing the vessel, this guide should definitely help out!
Here’s a step-by-step process for protecting your boat during winter:
Before winterizing your boat, it’s vital that you fix any issues that you might find. Take it for a spin to see how the engine is running. Most importantly, you should pay close attention to leaks and hull issues; this type of damage worsens exponentially due to cold weather.
The next step is to put your boat ashore and drain water tanks, pipes, and all other equipment. If you have the proper equipment and can do it securely, raise the bow to drain any access water. While doing so, you must isolate electronic equipment, such as water heater.
Another great precautionary measure is using moisture-displacing lubricant. With this product, you'll not only remove water but you'll also protect metal parts from corrosion. Antifreeze is important as well, as it prevents freezing in your water tanks and bilge.
Nothing beats soap and water when it comes to cleaning. Make sure that the interior is sparkling before winterizing it. Barnacles and algae are incredibly annoying, and you must remove them as soon as possible. After cleaning the boat, give it some time to dry, after which you should put some wax on the hull.
The engine is one of the most sensitive parts of your boat and, as such, requires special attention. A big part of winterizing a boat is engine and coolant system flushing. Your main task is to remove dirt and salt and address corrosion during this step. Follow this by adding antifreeze to your coolant system.
Now, you need to warm up the engine to take care of impurities. If you drove your boat a lot this past summer, you’ll definitely have to change filters and replace oil. We also recommend you add fogging oil to the carburetor. The last step of engine insulation is adding gas combined with a stabilizer and finishing the process by running the engine once again for 10 minutes or so.
You must check the state of your battery prior to dry docking. Clean all the terminals, charge the battery, and apply some grease on it. Make sure to use a similar procedure for cable ends. Once you're done, it would be a good idea to store it someplace else.
Besides the battery, you should remove just about anything lying around on the boat, including fire extinguishers, flares, and life jackets. The same should be done with expensive upholstery, that is, if you can remove it. Even if you perfectly insulate the boat, there's always a chance that mildew will accumulate on the fabric.
Electronics are a problematic category as they can easily get damaged due to excess humidity and cold. Put them all inside your garage or some other storage place. Once you remove electronic parts, it is necessary to protect cable ends. A similar can be said for exhaust ports, which can be insulated with duct tape.
Unfortunately, some people simply don’t have a garage or some other storage space where they can leave the boat during the winter. In these cases, your best course of action is to buy a shrink wrap. With this material, you’ll protect the vessel from snow, rain, dust, insects, and just about anything else that would make it dirty or damage it.
“Where can I get boat shrink wrap near me?” is a question many people ask Boat Planet, a major US boating platform. According to the company representatives, there are numerous sites that sell this product. For example, you can get it in large online stores such as Amazon or in local retail shops.
There are also specialized companies that offer shrink wrapping services. They will cover your boat and provide transport and storage until the next spring. In fact, due to the importance of the wrapping process, we recommend you leave this part to experts.
In most cases, you shouldn't have any problems with your boat as long as you nail the first steps. Unfortunately, even with cleaning, removing parts, and protecting the vessel, you might still encounter some issues. For example, water might've penetrated the interior and caused a mess.
Keep in mind we don't recommend that you take off the boat wrap when doing a checkup. It is usually enough to go around the vessel and see if there's some damage to the material. If you didn't use wrap, you should check the interior to see if the water accumulated on the bottom or if the ice caused damage to the hull.
Choosing the right storage will be one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make. Many people leave their boats outside, close to the marina, with minimal protection. While this is a cheaper option, it exposes your vessel to winter hailstorms.
As mentioned, placing the boat in your garage is probably the best thing you can do, but unfortunately, most people don't have enough room for such a large craft. Because of that, they go for paid indoor storage.
Out of several options, climate-controlled facilities are the best option. They provide the highest degree of protection, completely removing elemental conditions from the equation. However, even if you decide to go with one of these facilities, we still recommend you wrap the vessel beforehand.
The process of winterizing a boat is more technical than difficult. At best, you’ll need two or three days to finish the entire process (if you have the necessary equipment and materials). Nevertheless, you’ll need to do everything by the book to minimize the chance of subsequent damage.
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