It may be the cold season on the calendar, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your boat. Make sure you maintain it properly with our helpful tips.
In many parts of the country, we’ve entered the off-season for boat owners. The temperatures are dropping, and boats need to go into storage. But it’s not good enough to just leave a vessel like that, so we’ve compiled some helpful tips for caring for your boat this off-season.
Make It Sparkle Inside and Out
After a season of fun and sun out on the water, your boat can accumulate lots of dirt, grime, and a whole host of other unwanted things. While it may seem counterintuitive to clean a boat before storing it away for months, you should do so to ensure it doesn’t sit in storage and allow rust or grime to fester and spread.
Give your boat a thorough cleaning inside and out. Attend to everything from the propeller and the hull to the upholstery and any on-boat storage cabinets. When you put away your boat for the off-season, you want it to look practically good as new.
Examine the Battery
Boats’ batteries can cause their owners many headaches, as there are many ways they can decay and malfunction in the off-season. Look for warning signs that you should replace the marine battery, such as a bad smell. Also, test its capacity.
If you’re unsure about whether it can last another year, it’s best to replace it now while you have the time instead of later. If the battery looks relatively good, you can still give it a good cleaning with a mixture of fresh water and baking soda to ward off corrosion.
Service the Engine
After the battery, you’ll want to take a closer look at your boat’s engine and health. With more time, you can devote much more energy to engine maintenance in the off-season. Here are some tasks to do:
- Checking oil levels
- Flushing the engine with antifreeze
- Changing transmission fluid
- Removing spark plugs
- Cleaning the engine
Your engine should be ready for the next season after you finish. Many boat storage businesses also offer engine maintenance services if you’re not very handy with the components.
Keep It Covered and Protected
Those living in regions with cold winters want to ensure that their boats are always covered and protected when the temperature drops and the snow and ice arrive. Ideally, you should have a dry and temperature-controlled storage space, such as a garage or large shed, in which to place the boat away from the cold.
Without a garage, your next best bet is a marine storage facility available at many marinas. At the very least, you should put a cover on your boat if it’s outside and diligently remove any water, ice, or snow from it during the winter.
Follow our tips for caring for your boat this off-season, and we’re sure that when the warm weather returns, your boat will look and run better than ever!