Getting your boat Ready for the summer!

Need a checklist to get you started? look no further!

For most boaters the spring is a pretty exciting time. As soon as the weather breaks thousands of us start in garages and workshops, getting our gear together for the coming summer. Of course the ease and speed of preparing your boat in the spring is directly related to how well it was winterized. Assuming that you put your boat away right, here’s a checklist of basic tips to help you get underway ASAP

Hull, Topsides, and Deck

 - Uncover your boat. If you use a high-quality tarp (not one of those lousy blue things) dry and fold it carefully for next season. 

- Wax your topsides with good marine paste-wax. It shines better, protects better, and lasts longer than “easier” products. No pain, no gain.

- If you use an electric buffer, inspect the pad carefully for any debris. You don't want to grind it into the gelcoat. Ensure you keep that buffer moving – don’t hold it in one spot to hit a problem area, or you’ll have a Problem Area.

- Don’t wax non-skid deck areas! Wash them and you’re done.

- Use acid-based rust and stain removers sparingly, be careful how you rinse them, and avoid using them over an aluminum trailer. Some can discolor your cloth or vinyl!

Mechanical Issues

- Open outboard cowlings and look for problems of rot or condensation over the winter. While you have the cowling off it never hurts to check for leaks or oil that was not there when you put the boat up.

- Check all hose clamps and fittings. Tighten as necessary. Check hoses for cracking and chafe. Dry rot is a common issue with fuel hoses now a days from ethanol.

- Check your wiring. Electrical connections can suffer in the winter from temperature changes and humidity. Clean your terminals, change them if necessary, and spray with a corrosion inhibitor.

- Check throttle and shift cables, lubricate with marine-grade Teflon or grease as needed.

- Both inboard- and outboard-powered boats require sacrificial anodes. Make sure to check your zincs at the start of the season. Replace them if they are eaten at or corroded.

- Check your sea cocks and valves for free movement and lubricate as needed. Open those that need to be open for launch (raw-water intake!) and close those any that need to be closed.

- Make sure your strainers are clean and clear.

- Check steering cables or hydraulics for proper tightness, wear, leaks, smooth movement of engine or rudder.

- Double-check fluid levels — lube oil, transmission oil, lower unit oil, coolant, etc. (You may have changed these in the fall or left them in good shape. It never hurts to double check.)

- Check cooling, run your motor with muffs and replace water impellers if necessary. Never run your motor without allowing it so take in water via the lake or Ear muffs! This can cause more damage!

- Check belts for wear and to ensure they are not to loose.

- If your engine needs new spark plugs, wait to change them until after you’ve burned off last fall’s engine fogging oil residue.

- On stern-drive boats, carefully inspect out drive bellows for cracks and deterioration from winter weather. This line item has a tendency to dry rot and can let water into your boat!

- Check your fuel does it still smell like fuel, or something else? If it has a mottled color or is cloudy that is a bad sign. Fuel is clear or yellow in color when it is fresh, if it is dark yellow or milky this can be an indicator you have water, debris or fuel separation occurring.

Trailer

- Spray all connections with contact cleaner; test brake and signal lights.

- Test your brakes, if your trailer is equipped with them. Inspect your master cylinder to ensure there are no leaks or cracks.

- Grease wheel bearings (if you didn’t grease them in the fall), lubricate hitch mechanism, check the winch straps for wear and tear or dry rot. Replace them if they are frayed or if the stitching is no good.  

- Carefully check your tires (you blocked the trailer up in the fall to prevent settling, right?), including treads and sidewalls, and inflate to proper pressure. Do the same for your spare. Cracks in your tires are an indicator of dry rot and mean it may be time to replace them.

Equipment

- Make sure flares, fire-extinguishers, and other required equipment is up-to-date. If you have them.

- Check PFDs and re-stow in an easy-to-access place. If your (Personal Flotation Devices) PFDs are gelatinous or soft the material inside may be dry rotted to the point of them no longer being viable!

- Test bilge blowers and bilge pumps. Ensure that your horn works or that you have an air horn that is fully charged and ready for use in an easily accessible location.

- Overhaul your anchoring gear and re-stow it so that you can deploy the anchor quickly. Check your anchor line and chains for wear and tear, if they are frayed or rusted shut they will not work as intended.

Miscellaneous

- Check registration, is your sticker still valid?

- Boating license on board or in your wallet?

- Sunscreen, bug repellent, toilet paper — all personal conveniences topped up and handy?