Even though it’s only August and the fun isn’t even close to pausing for the cold weather, it’s a great time to figure out what you’re going to do with your boat and gear during the winter months. Winters can cause damage to your boat, dock, and boat lifts if they aren’t prepped correctly. This can lead to quite a few expensive repairs or purchases next spring. Here at Boat Lift Warehouse, we want to make sure that your gear is protected against the cold. Here are a few tasks you can do to protect your possessions from cold weather conditions.
Find a Place to Store Your Boat Inside or Outside
Your boat should be stored in a place where it’s protected from wind, snow, hail, and severely cold temperatures. If it doesn’t get too cold where you live, the boat should be okay to stay outside year-round. Leaving your boat on the water is not recommended, however. It can lead to more preventable damage to your boat, theft, and has a greater possibility of sinking. After you find a place to store your boat, it’s important to get it ready to sit idly for a while.
You can keep it covered on a trailer, in a garage, or in a storage facility.
Clean Your Boat
Before it gets stored, you want to make sure that your boat is cleaned. The inside and outsides of your boat should be cleansed of any dirt, grime, spills, and anything else that can cause pests or smells you won’t want to deal with come spring.
Remove the Battery and Prep the Engine
Keeping an engine idle for a long time can actually damage it. To protect your engine, flush it and the cooling system with fresh water. Refill the coolant system with antifreeze, replace the oil and all of the filters, and remove and store drive belts. Once completed, give your engine a full tank of gas and run it for about 15 minutes.
Remove the battery and charge it, then clean it and lightly coat the terminals with grease. This can help keep the battery in good working condition while it isn’t being used. Store in a dry, warm place.
Remove Any Sensitive Materials
Anything that could get damaged or stolen from the boat should be taken with you. Life jackets, fire extinguishers, food, water, and any identification forms should be kept somewhere safe and where you will remember where they are. Try keeping them with the battery where they will all be in the same place. You can also remove anything from your dock that could blow away or become stolen, and make sure that our boat lifts are protected from the elements.
Perform Checkups
No matter where your boat is, it should be kept an eye on. Not only to make sure that it’s doing well against the elements, but that it’s working as well. You can check the battery to make sure it’s full, change the boat oil, add more coolant, and grease up the steering to keep it loose. It’s important that you make sure your boat is in good working condition the entire time it is stored.
Boat Lift Warehouse | Snow Hill, NC
You care a lot about your boat and boating equipment, and we care about it too. That’s why we want to make sure that your gear is taken care of when it isn’t being used. We can help you with any and all of your boat lift needs. From SUPs to boat lifts, we are ready to help you get the gear you need to have a fun and safe time on the water. Visit us online or give us a call today to learn more!
