It's about time to Winterize your Boat

It’s about the middle of October already and we all should be thinking about winterizing our boats.  Some of us “trailer sail” and the winterization will be a bit different from what those of us who keep the boat in the water go through.  The following are twenty tips for winterizing sailboats.  Some of these tips will apply to your boat… others may not.

1. Clean out the boat. Empty all lockers, especially food lockers, icebox, refrigerator. Prop open all doors and hatches to improve air flow.

2. Drain the fresh water system. Empty and clean out all tanks. Bypass the tanks and fill the hoses and pumps with 50:50 water and eco-friendly anti-freeze mixture. Check shower sump. Check owners manual for details of water heater winterization.

3. Winterize the head. Pump out holding tank while flushing the head with fresh sea water. Close the water intake seacock, remove the hose and pump the head full of anti-freeze mixture. Make sure some goes into the holding tank. Replace the hose and don’t open the seacock.

4. Remove the batteries. Charge them and recharge every month. Check electrical connections.

5. Add stabilizer/biocide to your diesel fuel tank and fill the tank. Replace all fuel filters and drain the water separator. Run the engine for 15 minutes to get stabilized fuel into lines and injectors. Inspect fuel lines and vents for leaks.

6. Whether your engine is an inboard (diesel or gasoline) or an outboard (4-stroke), drain the oil while the engine is still hot. Change oil filters and fill engine and filters with clean oil. Drain and refill transmission or lower unit oil.

7. Drain the fresh water cooling and heat exchanger system and replace the coolant with 50-50 pink antifreeze and water.

8. Flush the raw water cooling system and replace with 50-50 pink antifreeze and water.

9. Spray fogging oil into the intake manifold and turn the engine over by hand. Cover the engine with a waterproof cover and seal all engine openings.

10. Start a gasoline inboard or outboard engine, shut off fuel and run engine until it stops. Spray fogging oil into the air intake while engine is running. Drain the gasoline tank and all lines. Ethanol in modern fuel absorbs moisture.  Put the “old” gasoline in your car.

11. Clean the boat thoroughly, inside and out. Wash down all surfaces and scrub the ice box/refrigerator with mild bleach. Clean and add antifreeze to the bilge.

12. Clean hardware, mast and rigging to remove salt and grime. Touch up any damaged paintwork. Lightly wax all fiberglass surfaces.

13. Inspect the hull and deck for cracks, blisters or any stress cracks. Repair as necessary. Inspect lifelines for signs of corrosion. Replace if necessary.

14. Close propane bottle and light stove. Allow stove to go out. Close off the supply at the stove. Remove propane bottles from the boat. Seal the end of the propane line. Inspect propane lines for damage.

15. Inspect and service all sea cocks, winches, mainsheet system, turning blocks and rope clutches.

16. Pull the mast out and inspect mast, boom and rigging for wear and damage. Inspect electrical wiring inside mast. Remove tape from spreader tips and turnbuckles and inspect.

17. Inspect sails and note repairs needed. Gently wash sails and running rigging in mild soap and dry carefully. Store sails and protect from rodents.  I bring my sails home and have an overhead closet for their storage.

18. Cover the boat. Either shrink-wrap, use plastic tarpaulins or buy a custom made boat cover (or even blue or silver plastic tarps). Make sure there is ample anti-chafe material. Vents and access panels are required for shrink-wrap

19. Ventilation is vital if mold is to be stopped. Best solution is a fan that pressurizes the hull, or a bilge blower fan, ducted outside and rigged up to a time switch.  I have two “Dry-Z-Air dehumidifiers as well as an electric dehumidifier and a 60 watt heat strip that I set up to keep air moving inside Snickerdoodle.

1.     20. Run extra lines right around the boat, outside the covers, for extra security. Install chafe protection where these ropes go over the gunnel and everywhere the cover could chafe on the hull and lifelines.

During the winter, check on your boat periodically.  Sweep off snow buildup.  She will be ready to go next spring.