Prepare Your Boat for Winter

• For outboards, take these steps:

- Use a flush muff attached to the raw water system to clean out the engine. Let all the water drain from the engine. Wash the engine with soap and water and rinse thoroughly.
- Disconnect the fuel line and let the engine run at a low rpm while fogging each carburetor throat.
- Let the engine run until it stalls.
- Remove spark plugs, fog each cylinder and then turn the engine over by hand a few times.
- Replace spark plugs.

• Grease the propeller shaft and threads with water-resistant grease.
• Change the gear oil in the lower unit.
• Change the transmission fluid and spray a little fogging oil into each cylinder.
• To prepare stern drives for lay-up, remove plants and barnacles, and drain the gear case to remove any oil and water. Refill with fresh oil, and then clean the lower unit with soap and water. Grease all fittings and check the fluid levels in hydraulic steering or lift pumps.

Take your batteries home

If you don’t leave your boat in the water over the winter months, remove your batteries and take them home with you.

You’ll need to put them up on a stand that does not conduct electricity. You can make one out of concrete blocks and a 2' x 6'. To clean the terminals and body of the batteries, wash with a solution of water and baking soda and rinse well with fresh
water. Lightly grease the terminal end of the battery and the cables. Monitor the water levels in the batteries every few weeks.

Check with your battery manufacturer to see if they recommend putting the batteries on a trickle charger.

Storing your boat in the water

Most of what’s recommended for out-of-water storage also applies if you keep your boat in the water over the winter. There are, of course, some important additional steps you need to take.

• Double up mooring lines.
• Close sea cocks.
• Check rudder shafts and stuffing boxes for leaks and make needed repairs.
• Make sure that the battery is fully charged and the charging system is working.
• Make sure bilge pump works and that float switches aren’t blocked by debris.
• If the water you’re moored in may freeze, put a de-icing device or bubbling system around your boat.

Remember to check on your boat several times during the winter. If your bilge pump jams, your boat could sink!

Protect your belongings and your boat

No matter where you store your boat, it’s smart to remove any valuables for the winter—fishing equipment, portable electronics, sound systems, PFDs, fenders and anything else you think a thief would want.

Winter is also when many boats are stolen, so check on yours often to see if someone has tampered with it. By making frequent visits to your boat during the off season, you’re more likely to prevent damage caused by a malfunction of your equipment or a leak.

Unless you’re lucky enough to live where it’s perpetually spring or summer, you need to protect your boat from the rain, wind, cold snow and ice that winter brings. This overview will help you take the precautions necessary.

Ice can do damage

There’s water all around your boat all season, but when the temperature
drops, water can be transformed quickly
into ice that can wreak havoc with your
boat.

As water freezes and thaws, it can burst pipes, damage tubes and create structural cracks in your vessel. Look for places where water can hide, including:“p” traps under sinks, sea cocks, holding tanks, strainers.

If you find water, drain as much of it as possible. If you can’t get all the water out, add a non-toxic antifreeze made of propylene glycol unless it’s a drinking water line. Turn on all the faucets on board and let them run until antifreeze runs out. Drain your hot water heater and add non-toxic antifreeze to that as well. Make sure you thoroughly flush the line in spring before use.

Don’t forget the head

Your head or onboard toilet system also needs your attention before winter lay-up. Pump out the holding tank at an approved pumping station. While you’re pumping, add fresh water to the bowl and flush several times. To reduce odors and stains, clean the bowl with a cleanser recommended by your system’s manufacturer, then add fresh water and pump the system out again.

To prevent ice from forming in the system and causing cracks, add antifreeze and pump it through the system. Check your owner’s manual to find what kind of antifreeze to use in your system.

Get your boat clean

It’s not enough just to take your boat out of the water and stow it under cover for the winter. You need to carefully and completely clean your hull. A good coat of wax can also help protect your boat during lay-up.

Start washing while the boat is still wet and it will be easier to get the hull clean. Don’t forget to remove barnacles from propellers, shafts, rudders struts and trim tabs. Clean your thru-hulls and strainers, and open the seacocks to allow any water that accumulates to drain.

Even boats need air

Good ventilation in the area where you’ll be storing your boat is essential.

To prevent the growth of mold and mildew that can lead to rot, your boat needs a continuous stream of fresh air flowing over and through it.

Fill’er up

Fill your fuel tanks to prevent a build-up of condensation in the tanks. The condensation can freeze and form ice crystals which can cause cracks and other damage. It’s important to treat the gas with stabilizer after you fill up. Follow the instructions that come with the fuel stabilizer to ensure the best protection.

Taking care of your engine

Before you take any steps to prepare your engine for winter lay-up, read your manufacturer’s manual and review their winterizing requirements. Here are some basic engine prep steps.

• Drain the raw water systems.
• Backwash and flush the system.
• Top off your antifreeze.
• Grease everything that can be greased to protect against corrosion.
• Unhook the fuel hose and run the engine until it dies to use up remaining fuel in the system.
• Spray fogging oil into the air intake to coat piston heads and cylinder walls.
• Plug openings into the engine to keep out dust, bugs and mice.
• Change the engine oil. For inboard engines, follow these steps:

- Run the engine to warm it up.
- Turn engine off and change oil while engine is still warm to help drain away impurities with the oil.
- Change oil filters.
- Add fresh oil.
- Circulate antifreeze through the manifold. Start the engine to let the antifreeze circulate through the system. It will run out through the exhaust.