As the summer draws to its inevitable close with a bang, or should I say a splash, it is nearly time to put your boat into hibernation for the next few months. Now I know that it feels a bit early to start considering this, however, November is just around the corner and that means cold weather and frosts are on their way. The sooner you can sort out the winterisation of your boat the better.
Preparing your boat for the winter is something that you must do with care, whilst making sure that you pay close attention to all that needs to be done.
You will be kicking yourself if there is a lovely unexpected warm spell in spring and you discover that your boat is in need of maintenance due to some shoddy winterisation. So, do it properly and ensure that your boat stays safe and healthy throughout the winter.
You will be kicking yourself if there is a lovely unexpected warm spell in spring and you discover that your boat is in need of maintenance due to some shoddy winterisation. So, do it properly and ensure that your boat stays safe and healthy throughout the winter.
Here is our guide to winterising your boat...
The engine
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Winterising the engine is a very important step toward ensuring you boat will be back up and running with ease in the spring. You should always make sure that there is no water left in the cooling system as this can freeze and then cause damage to your boat’s engine. You should drain all of the water out and run anti-freeze to the more vulnerable places. Even if your boat is brand spanking new, it is not safe from freezing water in the engine, so always make sure you follow this step religiously.
During the winter, when your boat is not being used, gasoline can break down. The lighter fractions will evaporate off and the heavier ones will end up forming a gum-like substance that can clog up your jets and stick to your injectors. To avoid this you should first fill up your fuel tank as high as possible and then treat the fuel with a stabiliser. Once you have added the stabiliser to the tank, idle the engine for around fifteen minutes to distribute it throughout the system.
Another important thing to remember is your boat’s battery. Come springtime there will be plenty of boat owners needing to replace their batteries due to negligence throughout the winter. To avoid this make sure your battery stays charged whilst it is not in use to keep it from freezing or degenerating. A good way to ensure your battery stays charged is to fit a multi-stage shore power battery charger with a maintenance mode.
Your boat’s engine is also susceptible to rust and corrosion over the colder months. To avoid this you should apply plenty of fogging oil to the engine’s air, this can help keep the airways, valves and the exhaust free of rust. If you have a fuel injected engine, then you may be better off using two-cycle oil instead of fogging oil which can hang up the injector due to its stickiness.
The hull
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Once you have prepared the engine for winter, it is also a good idea to move swiftly on to the hull. When you get your boat out of the water you can give the hull a proper inspection looking for stress cracks or any gelcoat blisters. These blisters are simple to treat, all you need to do is puncture and drain them and once this is done you just dry them off and patch them up with a filler that is specifically made for this purpose.
If you do come across stress cracks then you should contact a professional. They can be an indicator towards more serious structural damage, so are best sorted sooner rather than later. You should also take this opportunity to remove any barnacles from the bottom of your boat. They are simple enough to get rid of, you just scrape them off and then sand any remaining residue until the surface is smooth again.
Before you rest up your boat for the winter, you should always give its hull a good pressure wash to remove any remaining dirt and scum. There are also a number of waxes that you can apply to the base of your boat to make this job a hell of a lot easier in the future. There are many of these products, which create an acrylic shield that prevents any scum from getting through the wax to the surface of the boat.
The interior
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The final step to winterising your boat is ensuring that the interior is as well prepared as possible. The first thing to think about is mildew and mould, these are byproducts of too much moisture within your boat. There is nothing worse than unzipping your boat cover on the first morning of spring to see the interior overrun by mould. To avoid this, you should look to buy a boat cover that has vents built in. These help the air to flow and prevent the build up of moisture, therefore hindering the spread of mildew. Other options to counter this include chemical dehumidifiers and mildew sprays, which both work well.
Both humid and dry winter air can have an effect on the vinyl interior of your boat. You can combat this by using a number of vinyl protectants which are available in gels and sprays. You would be wise to invest in one of these as they work wonders and will prevent your vinyl from drying out and cracking.
Your electrics are also at risk of damage from moisture which can cause corrosion. If your electrics are not marine specific then they are even more susceptible to corrosion. Corroded electrics are prone to shorts, blown fuses and more, so, to be on the safe side, you should remove all the electronics that you can and leave them somewhere warmer and dryer over the winter. Once you have removed the electronics you should then spray all of the exposed electrical connections with a moisture-displacing lubricant.
All other objects that are able to be removed from the interior of your boat, should be, and you should then undergo a thorough cleaning process. It is always wise to clean all of the brightwork and then vacuum all of the carpets. You should also clean the deck and drain all of the water out of any appliances or units you have, such as showers or toilets to avoid it from freezing and damaging the piping.
Once you have followed all of these cleaning tips you simply need to find yourself a decent boat cover. It should protect the entire boat, including the waterline, and should offer ventilation to avoid the aforementioned build up of moisture. Boat covers with frames are also good as they distribute the weight of any water or snow that could land on top during the colder months.
So there you have it, our guide to winterising your boat is complete. Now it is up to you to follow our tips and work hard to ensure that, come next spring, your boat comes out of hibernation as healthy as can be and is ready to go straight into the water.
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