How To Prepare Your Boat For Storage

One often told joke pertaining to boat ownership is that a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into. But the joke is actually on those who don’t appreciate how rewarding using a boat for fishing, cruising, or jet skiing can actually be. Yes, it can cost a pretty penny but the right plan can keep your boat ownership dreams afloat.

If you happen to know the joys of having and using your own boat, you likely understand the need to store it out of the elements during the winter season, when it won’t be in use. What follows is a look at how to prepare your boat for storage so that it’s raring to go when the summer touches down.

Clean it Up

First things first – clean your boat thoroughly and completely. This will not only allow you to ward off problems like mildew and mold, but will also help you find any possible damage you may need to fix.

Fix it Up

If during the cleaning process you find damage, be sure to fix these prior to storing away your boat over the winter. Yes, you could potentially wait until spring to do repairs, but that will mean a delay to actually getting your boat out on the water. If you get the repairs done prior to selecting the right boat storage solutions for your needs, you’ll be ready to hit the water as soon as the weather allows.

Add Fuel Stabilizer

If you’re going to keep fuel in your boat’s fuel tank over the winter, be sure to use fuel stabilizer. The amount you add will depend on the specific fuel stabilizer you buy. What this sort of product will do is keep your fuel fresh so that it doesn’t contaminate the carburetor and make your life miserable when you try to start it up in the spring.

Flush Cooling System

Visit your local boat store to obtain a flushing kit so you can flush out your boat’s cooling system. The flushing kit will contain the steps you need to follow to complete this important preventative maintenance.

Drain Oil

Drain the oil completely. It’s important that you drain everything because if you don’t, any water content that has accumulated could freeze during the winter. This could wreck your engine. If you damage your engine, that joke about a boat being a ‘hole-in-the-water you throw money into’ will unfortunately apply.

If you follow all of these steps, you’ll have prepared your boat for storage. Your next step should be to consider boat storage solutions so that you can store your boat over the winter. Then all you’ll have to do is wait for spring to return so that you can hit the water once again.