What you will need to make your boat ready for winter.
Necessities for long term boat storage
Is Your Boat Ready for Winter?
As summer turns to fall and the air takes on a chill, boaters in northern states breathe a collective sigh of resignation, knowing that the time to layup their boats has arrived. If you keep your boat in a place like Detroit or Chicago—where the ice can get up to three feet thick, you probably don’t need convincing of this; and are aware that failing to protect engines, air conditioners, potable water or other systems against freeze damage can result in an expensive loss.
Boaters located in southern states with moderate climates, such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, don't get a pass either. According to the marine insurers, these states generate the highest number of freeze related insurance claims. That is because boaters in more temperate locations sometimes choose to roll the dice and bet on skating through the occasional cold snap. Gambling like that can cost you a pretty penny when you lose. If you happen to keep your boat where freezing weather is the exception, and want some suggestions, this article can teach you the basics on how to protect your boat from a cracked engine block or other damage.
Do I take it to the shop or do it myself?
If you are uncertain you can winterize your boat, change the oil, fog the engine or fill the engine block with antifreeze yourself. Take it to your local boat shop before it starts to get cold! Winterizing your boat is cheap compared to the cost of repairs. Most shops will also disconnect your battery to make sure it doesn't drain down while your boat is in storage. Our mechanics recommend also changing your oil or getting your boat serviced at this time, if you intend to use the boat during the winter months. Otherwise you can get your yearly service done at the beginning of the season. Be aware most people service their boats during the start of the season, so it can make trying to do it then more difficult.
Common Services during winterization.
Change the oil. We offer a complete selection of synthetic and mineral-based engine oil. Old oil in the crankcase of a stored boat can form acids, which can corrode engine components and shorten engine life.
Run your engine one last time. before proceeding with the next steps. This will help cycle the fresh oil to the needed areas before storing the boat for a prolonged amount of time. This practice is also good for finding out if you have any major or minor issues that will need to be addressed once summer comes back around.
Fog the engine. Fogging oil prevents corrosion of inboard or outboard engines that are stored for an extended period of time.
Fill the engine block with antifreeze. This will prevent residual water from freezing and cracking the block. Non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze is best. Choose a strength that is adequate for your area.
Top off the fuel tank and stabilize the fuel. Fuel stabilizers help to prevent phase separation and the formation of gum and varnish in gasoline. Diesel fuel stabilizers help to prevent the growth of injector-clogging bacteria. Topping off the tank eliminates condensation that would otherwise settle as water at the bottom of the tank.
What do I do with my Battery?
During the winter months, it is recommended that you disconnect your battery. You don’t have to remove the battery from your boat if you are storing the boat in a garage or someplace cool and dry. Most boaters leave the batteries on board since they weigh a ton. The way batteries are built today, it is okay to store them in a garage, or in a basement sitting directly on a concrete floor. Keeping them off the cold ground with a piece of wood is just an old wives tale. In fact, some longtime boaters think that it is better for the battery to sit on a cold floor to hold more of its charge.
Before you store your battery for the winter, you can pop open the top caps and top off the water inside with distilled water, or something with high mineral content. Put the caps back on and then hook up a three or four stage charger to the battery. (This does not apply to all batteries consult you local boat shop if you are uncertain!)
If you do not want to use a charger that will be plugged in constantly, you need to make sure that the battery is fully charged before storing it for an extended period. A battery that is sitting all winter long could start to absorb the water inside which would cause the battery not to last as long, and hold less of a charge. Every four weeks take a look to make sure that the battery is still topped off with the distilled water, and that the battery is maintaining a 100% charge.
Another school of thought. Just to leave the battery on the boat without a trickle charge. As long as the batteries are fully charged by the end of October. Before you store your boat leave them disconnected on the boat, they should still be okay to use again in April with a 50% charge remaining. The one problem with letting your acid-lead battery discharge under 80% is that over time your battery will not hold as much charge. If you do not have the luxury of storing your boat indoors during the winter, you should consider hooking up a four-stage smart charger to your battery left on board. But if you choose to store your boat outdoors during the winter, you should be aware that some marinas might not allow you to connect your battery to a trickle charge. In fact, in some instances, this might even void your boat insurance. Batteries hooked up and left unattended have been known to heat up and explode! This can cause damage to surrounding boats, the interior of your vessel, boat house, or worse!
Although the winter months typically have less sunshine, you could look at using a solar panel to help keep the charge in the battery.
Should I Leave the charger on?
When it comes to leaving your battery charger plugged in all the time, it all comes down to what type of charger you have. For example, there are 3 stage and 4 stage chargers “smart chargers” that have a built-in microprocessor that monitors the charge in the battery and automatically shuts itself off when the battery is fully charged.
1 and 2 stage chargers should not be left on for an extended period. Usually, people who own these types of chargers will plug their battery in and fully charge it. Once the battery is fully charged they will unplug it. Then the day before they plan on heading out with the boat, they’ll plug the charger back in to top off the battery again.
There could be a problem with leaving your battery charger plugged in for an extended period. If it doesn’t have an auto-shutoff function it could dry up the battery cells, if and when that happens you run the risk of overheating. This can lead to a fire hazard if left too long!
If you store your boat on land or a lift, you generally don’t need to keep your battery plugged into a charger all of the time. Unless you live several hours away from where you store the boat. In which case you could always take the battery home with you to make sure it stays charged. It might make more sense to keep your boat battery charger going all of the time if your boat is stored on the water, so that your bilge pumps can still work. In which case you should opt to spend a little extra money and buying a four stage charger.
How to Prevent Mold and Mildew Buildup. During winter storage, the enclosed humid space of a boat’s cabin can give rise to mold and mildew. In addition to the obnoxious odor, mold and mildew can permanently damage upholstery and can lead to respiratory illness in sensitive individuals. It is imperative to keep this bacteria under control.
Here are some measures to consider:
Keep the boat ventilated. Ventilation can be active or passive. Active ventilation includes cowl ventilators, clam shell ventilators and louvered ventilators. Active ventilation includes Nicro’s Day/Night Solar Ventilators and other devices. If you plan on shrink wrapping your boat, passive shrink wrap ventilators are available for these installations as well.
Consider adding an engine heater or other low-temperature heater. In addition to ventilators, if you have a power source, you can install an engine room heater.
Reduce humidity with moisture absorbing crystals. This is a proven way to reduce cabin humidity. Special crystals are available from Star brite, and other manufacturers.
Wet vs. Dry Boat Storage
Wintering your boat “Wet” vs. “Dry” has its advantages and trade-offs. On the one hand, dry-stored boats can’t sink. However, this makes them more susceptible to freeze damage. Wet stored boats on the other hand (in a worst case scenario) can sink and are (if made of fiberglass) susceptible to osmotic blistering. If you plan on keeping your boat in the water, here are some things to keep in mind.
Inspect your dock lines. Wind, waves and surge put a constant strain on dock lines. Prepare for winter storms by replacing dock lines if worn and add chafing gear if necessary.
Make sure your lift is in good working order, if you have one.
Consider installation of a de-icer. Installing a de-icer in your boat’s slip will help to prevent ice from forming, which can lead to dreaded “ice jacking”, which can severely damage a boat.
With all that said keep in mind it has to freeze for 24 hours or more to cause severe damage. As an Emergency scenario you can also lower you boat into the water and tie it off in it's slip. Unless the lake itself is frozen the surface temperature of the water is enough to keep your internal components from freezing. This is not recommended for anyone living in northern states where the lakes can or do freeze during the winter.
Outboards the other animal
Outboards, in general are much less maintenance than inboards, as such they are much simpler to winterize. Late-season boating can be invigorating, but you'll want to make sure your outboard and boat are ready to handle the cold.
Here are some tips to consider:
Your outboard motor can probably handle more cold than you might imagine. Mercury Marine, for example, rates all of its outboards to operate at temperatures as low as zero degrees, just in case you can still find open water when the air is that cold. If you have a four-stroke outboard, check the owner's manual for advice on proper oil viscosity for cold-weather operation. Mercury and Yamaha specify 10W30, while Honda prefers 5W30 oil. If you are going to run a lot in cold weather, you might need to change to a lighter-weight oil. And I'd highly recommend that you make sure that oil meets the new FC-W spec for four-stroke marine lubricant. To give that oil a chance to do its job, let the motor warm up before heading out on the water.
The most common cold-weather outboard problem is something which occurs (mostly with hunters) when the operator tilts up the outboard to keep it out of marsh muck or to pull a skiff ashore. This traps water in the motor, which freezes if the air temperature is low enough. If the water pump freezes up, the rubber impeller vanes may tear apart when the motor is restarted. In an extreme case, the expansion of freezing water could crack the pump housing or even the aluminum mid-section of the motor. When the air temperature is below freezing, always keep the motor in its down position when it's not running. This will allow all water in the motor to drain to the waterline. Water in the submerged portion of the motor will not freeze. If you pull your boat ashore, try to lift the stern with the motor lowered to drain as much water as possible from the outboard. Before trailering your boat home, lower the motor completely and allow it to drain for a few minutes. If you keep your boat in a slip, leave the motor down in freezing weather.
Ice coating the motor's steering mechanism can also be a hazard when the temperature drops. Keep the steering tube and swivel tube well greased, and operate the steering through its full port-to-starboard range to clear any ice before you put the motor in gear. Then turn the steering lock-to-lock to after each outing to keep the steering from freezing up overnight.
Winter fuel blends often contain some alcohol. Outboards are designed to run on up to 10 percent alcohol fuel blends, but adding more alcohol to the fuel with a de-icer additive can wash the cylinder walls of two-stroke motors free of oil. Excessive alcohol will also damage some fuel system components. To keep moisture out of your boat fuel system, you can install a large water-separating fuel filter if you do not already have one. As preventive measure you can keep your boat fuel tank filled to prevent the formation of condensation.
Freezing water can also damage the bilge pump and live well pumps on fishing boats. After each outing, pull the hull drain plug and tilt the bow up to allow all water to drain from the bilge. Then run the bilge pump for a short time to make sure it is clear of water. Live well pumps and lines can be hard to drain completely, and it may be wise to avoid using the wells at all in cold weather. If you do, try to drain the system completely after the boat is on its trailer.
Trolling motor batteries that are discharged are also prone to freezing. In very cold weather, pull the batteries and put them in your vehicle for the ride home, and then re-charge them immediately. Water splashing on deck can freeze up the inside of hatch latches. Spray them with a water dispersant like WD-40 before heading out and keep lock de-icer on board to un stick a stubborn latch.
Your bass boat is not an icebreaker. Never attempt to run through ice no matter how thin it looks-it could get a lot thicker in a hurry. Ice is sharp enough to cut through a boat hull, and could tear fish finder transducers and speedometer pitots right off the transom. And consider this-how thick will the ice be when you return? You could become stranded in very cold weather.
Finally, be sure to dress appropriately, always considering the wind chill created by a moving boat. A PFD is a good insulator and should be worn at all times in cold weather. Carry dry clothing on the boat to change into in case someone does fall overboard. A person in soaking wet clothes is a case of hypothermia waiting to happen.
Winter is coming, is your boat ready?