Winterization For Your Boat

winterizing my boat

Winterizing My Boat For Winter

It’s come again, that time of year when the seasons start to change and summer starts to disappear. It’s time to hang up your boating hat for the season. Also to get the boat ready for the brutal Michigan winter. If this is your first year owning a boat you may not understand the process that goes into getting your boat ready for hibernation, which is why we have written a few things to help you along the process of winterizing my boat.

  1. Clean up and Take Everything off the boat

First things first, and that’s getting the boat all cleaned up/cleared out. You want to make your spring cleaning minimal, so do it all now. Clean the decks, vacuum the carpets, empty out the jon. Take all your fancy equipment, extra clothes, and other boating accessories off your boat. Give enough time for any fabrics (bimini tops, carpets, tubes, etc.) to dry. While you’re doing this take some time to survey your boat for any winter fix it projects, or if items/parts that needs to be replaced. Winter provides a lot of down time, and off-season is a great time to purchase replacement parts and accessories.

*Note if you see any cracks in your boat, repair them before winter. Winter will exacerbate any cracks/ issues that your boat may have*

  1. Prepare the Engine for winterizing my boat!

Replace filters, change the oil, and top off the gas tank. Some people like to add a gas stabilizer to the gas tank and make sure it get through the entire system by running the boat for 10-15 minutes. Take some time to flush the cooling system of any impurities (debris, salt, etc.) and run some antifreeze through the system.

  1. The Rest

Draining water storage tanks and your water heater, charging up and removing your battery, and deciding on how you are going to store your boat. Lube up anything that moves, and make sure that you have a talk with a mechanic if you have any other issues. Then decide if you want to store you 

If you’ve reached your end of the winter storing game, and you want to get that big pain to be off your hands we can help! We are in the market of buying used and “just like new” boats from people all over the country. We’ve made it easy to do, and we take care of all the details. All you have to do is fill out our free online form here and we will take care of the rest. No hassle, no runaround, simple, easy. You should enjoy your winter months and not have to worry about your old boat in the cold. So contact us today!