What should I do to prepare?
If possible, your boat should be out of the water for the winter, and in a climate controlled storage area. Knowing that this is not possible for everyone, you should consider shrink-wrapping your boat. This is also an expensive choice, but gives good protection for your boat. If these two options are unavailable to you then you should make sure that you place a tarp over your boat. Make a checklist using your owner’s manual as a starting point. It should include winterizing information on your vessel.
Keep in mind that your insurance policy may not cover neglect for poor maintenance if damage occurs. Each year keep mental notes or write them down, of things you notice or remember that should be done before the next boating season. This should get easier every year. If you purchased your boat second hand, hopefully you included questions pertaining to winterizing in your pre-purchase questionnaire. If you have neither sources of information, create your list based upon of two possible choices or enlist the help of a boating friend or expert. One is for outboards, and one is for inboards.
Items for you’re “Winterizing first aid kit”:
1. Normal engine lubricants
2. Can of fogging oil
3. fuel stabilizer or fuel biocide (depending upon whether you have a gas or diesel engine)
4. 1-2 gallons of non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze (for inboards)
Outboards:
Empty fuel lines and carburetors –
Fog the carburetor intake(s) –
Fog the cylinders -
Do a freshwater flush –
Drain Cooling passages –
Lubricate the linkages and the electric starter drive mechanism –
Drain and refill the gear case –
Touch up damaged paint –
Stabilize the fuel –
Clean and liberally lubricate the propeller shaft –
Store upright –
Inboards:
Change coolant –
Change engine and transmission oil –
Run engine out of fuel (gas engines only) –
Fog the intake (gas engines only) –
Drain the fuel tank and lines (gas engines only) –
Flush raw-water circuit –
Protect raw-water passages -
Diesel engines top off fuel tanks and add biocide –
Remove raw-water impeller –
Fog cylinders (gas engines only) –
Fog intake (diesel engines only) –
Drain muffler canister –
Degrease, de-rust and touchup –
Grease control cables –
Coat unpainted parts with an anticorrosion spray –
Tighten stuffing box –
Stern drive:
A stern drive in general is an inboard engine connected to an outboard drive system. With this in mind just follow the instructions for inboard protection and the outboard list for the lower end.
In addition you should consider doing the following:
Fill drive shaft housing with lubricant –
Place the stern drive in the full down position – this allows for draining of the water passages and for checking and/or adding the gear lube.
Additional things to consider:
Check fuel filters and replace if necessary –
Check, clean and grease engine control cables –
Grease fittings –
Check all drive belts for wear –
Check all hoses for signs of wear (bulging, cracking, leaking, and inability to flex) –
Check clamps for signs of rust or corrosion –
Seal engine openings – (remove next spring)
Boat exterior:
Wash, clean and wax the entire boat. Wax should be left on without polishing until spring for a great protective barrier from the elements –
Electronics:
Remove all electronics, like radios, depth finders, GPS chart plotters and radar. These need to be stored in a dry warm place. This will not only protect your equipment from the elements, but also from theft –
Batteries need to be removed, cleaned and re-installed – clean off dirt, grease and oil from the battery. Clean the terminals with a baking soda and water mixture and if necessary a wire brush. Then wipe them clean with a paper towel. Make sure that the fluid level in each of the battery cells is near the top, if not, add some distilled water and replace the caps. Check using a multimeter that the battery is showing around 12.6 volts or better. If not, do a slow charge with a battery charger. Re-check with the multimeter after 24 hours. If it is still holding the charge you are ready to go. Keep an eye on the battery to see if it is bulging around the sides. This condition should be a good indicator that the battery is ready to be replaced. Since batteries have acid in them, you should take precautions to avoid contact with your skin or clothing. If contact is made with skin you should wash with soap and warm water to get the acid off your skin. Acid on clothing means you will probably have to replace that item.
Boat interiors:
Clean everything you can in the interior - Make sure that you have removed any food items from the fridge and living areas (these will cause problems that you don’t want next year).
Leave doors to rooms, cabinets or lockers open – This allows these areas of the boat to breathe.
Consider dehumidifying your boat interior – This will keep the smells down for next year.
Fresh water systems:
Drain out all fresh water systems – Refill with fresh water and a fresh water system cleaner. This removes bacteria and algae. Afterward drain it out again.
Drain your hot water tank – Avoid having to fill the hot water tank with antifreeze by connecting the inlet and outlet lines together.
Pump antifreeze through your system until the antifreeze comes out all of the faucets (pink colored antifreeze is the safe product) –
This list can be added to from your list of mental notes each year, but should give you a good start to “Winterizing your boat”. Remember, if possible, to look into your boat owner’s manual for specifics.