As much as we hate to do it, those of us living in northern climes are about to winterize our boats. And if you think that simply means dumping some antifreeze into the engine, you may be looking for a mechanic come springtime.
Winterizing your boat is as much about the next boating season as it is about preventing winter damage. You want the boat to be tucked away safe for the winter, and ready to roll when the warm weather blossoms. That means a fair amount of preparation and work. And in this particular arena, shortcuts can be costly.
GLEN JUSTICEReplacing the oil for winter insures that dirty oil, which contains the corrosive byproducts of combustion, does not sit in your engine for months.
To help with the process, Mad Mariner will cover the winterization process in detail over the next three days, examining how to protect your engine, your water and electrical systems, and the exterior of the boat.
How you chose to store your boat, on land or in the water, will depend on your location, your budget and how you use the vessel. But when it comes to the systems onboard, most of the winterization steps will be the same.
Because there is much to be done, efficiency is your friend. Plan your work and work your plan. The best approach is to start with a checklist like the one attached to this article (see link below for download). If you are going to do the work yourself, it will organize your thoughts. If you plan to hire professionals, it will ensure you know what to request, and give you a handy way to inspect what was done.
Parse out the jobs–items for you, your spouse, your children, your mechanic and anyone else you can recruit–and create a realistic schedule. Most boats can be winterized in a couple days or a long weekend, though smaller boats may take less time. Make a shopping list based on the tasks, collect all the product names and part numbers and try to get all your supplies purchased in one trip. Similarly, list all the tools you will need and make sure you have them on the boat.
OIL AND FILTERS
Winterizing an engine is similar to the routine maintenance you perform regularly, except that there are a few very important additional steps. The processes here apply to all engines–gas or diesel, inboard or outboard–except where noted.
JABSCOPumps like this make oil changes far easier. There are many on the market in all price ranges, including portable and fixed units.Before you do any work on your engine, make sure that you have a service manual and parts list on hand. If you don't, check the manufacturer's website. Manuals for popular engines also can be found at marine stores. Expect to pay about $40–and consider it money well spent. Another trick is to talk your mechanic into copying his. However you obtain it, just make sure it is the proper manual for your engine.
It may seem obvious, but you should plan to winterize every engine on the boat, including the main(s), the generator(s) and the outboard for the dinghy. In the case of a light outboard, one quick road to winterization is to simply run it until it's out of gas, drain the rest of its fluids (consider changing the oil in the lower unit, as described below), detach the tank and take the engine home. The same goes for portable generators. Keep them in a warm place that won't freeze and you're done.
For the machines left behind, start with an oil change. The chances are good that you didn't change any of your vessel's oils during the last boating season. But you have run your systems all summer and that causes a build-up of combustion byproducts, acids and possibly some water. This is the ideal time to change the oil and prevent these corrosive materials from sitting in the system during the off season. The same thing holds true for oil filters, which have been cleaning the oil and collecting goo all summer.
An oil change is best done while your boat is still in the water, because it is easy to warm-up the engine before you swap the oil. The advent of manual or electric oil changing systems, either portable or fixed, has made this much easier. To avoid dirty looks–and potential fines–dispose of the oil and filters properly. The Environmental Protection Agency website offers tips on how to do so (see link below).
