By Ronald Kevin Hilton
When the end of summer rolls around and the autumn leaves begin to fall, it’s time to winterize your boat! Winterizing a boat’s main goal is to protect it from the cold. The earlier you do it, the easier it is because fewer problems, often caused by the already changing weather, come up. So grab your tools and roll up your sleeves! Here are some guidelines on how to winterize a boat.
Get it Out of the Water
The best way to protect your boat from the winter is to get it out of the water and cover it well. Ideally it should be stored in a climate controlled area, but this can be very expensive. If you can cover it well and store in indoors, this is usually good enough.
Clean the Engine
If you have an outboard engine, flush the engine with fresh water and then let the water drain. Take this time to wash the exterior with soap and water and rinse it well. Next, to dry it, disconnect the fuel hose and run the motor till it stops. Afterwards, drain the fuel and use fogging oil on the cylinders. Apply water resistant greas to the propeller and its parts then change the gear oil. Lubricate the exterior then cover it up.
If you have an inboard engine, run it till it’s warm then change the oil. Afterwards, change the oil filter. Next, flush the it out with fresh water, then circulate antifreeze and change the transmission fluid. Remove the spark plus and use fogging oil on the cylinders. Finally, wipe it down with WD-40.
Fill the Tank
No matter what type of motor you have, fill the tank to avoid water build up from the condensation that often happens when the winter turns to spring. Remember to add a stabilizer.
Clean the Bilges
Making sure your bilges are clean and dry is important. Use a stiff brush to clean out oil spills from the bilges, flushing parts of it with soap and hot water. Then, rinse it out with some clean warm water. After it dries, spray some moisture displacing lubricant and add antifreeze to the bilges in order to make sure no water freezes in there.
Each boat manufacturer as well as boat motor manufacturers will include winterizing procedures in their manuals or owner’s guides. Be sure to read the steps highlighted here as they can best tell you how to winterize a boat, your boat in particular. Doing this is not only good for your investment (your boat will last longer), but it also protects you from spending more money because insurance companies will not cover the cost of neglect.
Here’s a good video on steps to take.
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