Boat Winterization Checklist

26 items · Travel · Hard difficulty · 1 day

Put a powerboat away for winter in order: stabilize the fuel, run and fog the engine, drain it, then protect the water systems and battery and fit the cover.

• Read the winterizing section of your engine manual
• Check what your insurance policy requires for winter storage
• Fill the fuel tank to about seven-eighths and add fuel stabilizer

  Less air in the tank means less condensation, and the gap leaves room for the fuel to expand. Follow your engine maker if they say otherwise.

• Run the engine on fresh water for 10 to 15 minutes

  Use a flush attachment or the flush port. This clears salt and silt from the cooling passages and moves treated fuel through the lines.

• Change the engine oil and filter on a four-stroke engine

  Used oil holds acids and moisture that can corrode the engine over the winter. Warm oil drains more completely.

• Replace the fuel-water separator filter, if your boat has one
• Fog the engine as your manual describes

  Fogging oil coats the cylinders against rust. Some fuel-injected engines need a different method.

• Drain the cooling water from an inboard or sterndrive, or replace it with antifreeze

  That includes the block, the manifolds and the raw-water pump. Use the antifreeze your engine maker specifies. Anything that drains into the water in spring takes propylene glycol antifreeze sold for marine use, not automotive ethylene glycol.

• Store an outboard upright, tilted down

  An outboard drains its own cooling water when it stands vertical.

• Change the gearcase oil on an outboard or sterndrive

  Milky oil means water is getting past a seal, and that water can freeze and crack the case. Get the seal fixed before spring.

• Take the propeller off and check the shaft for fishing line

  Line wrapped behind the prop can cut into the shaft seal.

• Grease the steering, tilt and other fittings your manual lists
• Drain the freshwater tank and water heater
• Pump non-toxic antifreeze through the water lines until it runs pink at every tap

  Bypass the water heater first, or you will fill it with antifreeze.

• Pump out the holding tank and put non-toxic antifreeze through the head
• Drain the raw-water strainers and any livewell or washdown pump
• Clean and dry the bilge

  Look at what you clean out first. Oil or fuel in the bilge can point to a leak.

• Charge the batteries fully, then disconnect them

  A fully charged battery is much less likely to freeze. Keep it on a maintainer or recharge it once a month.

• Take off electronics, cushions, life jackets and anything that holds damp
• Check the expiry dates on the flares and the fire extinguisher while they are out
• Prop open lockers and hatches and set out moisture absorbers
• Wash the hull as soon as the boat comes out of the water

  Growth and scum come off easily while wet and are much harder to shift once dried on.

• Cover the boat with a frame or supports and vents

  A sagging cover collects water and snow until it tears, and vents stop mildew underneath.

• Grease the trailer wheel bearings and check the tire pressure
• Write down every repair the boat needs and book it with the yard now

  Spring is the busiest time for marine repair shops.

• Check the boat and its cover after the first heavy snow

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