5 Tips for Winter Boat Storage

Boats are entertaining, but they have a bad image. One saying goes, "Boats are holes in the water into which you put money." Or, to paraphrase a family member who has a boat, "Don't buy a boat, befriend a buddy who has a boat."

It's difficult to disagree if you're the buddy who owns the boat, particularly when it's time to put it away for the winter.

Boat storage options include dry docking and winterizing in a slip. The best option for you will depend on where you reside and your financial situation. Make your strategy well in advance of winter, no matter how you choose to winterize your boat.

Here are some general suggestions regarding boat storage. Consult your boat and motor instructions before starting since inboard and outboard motors have somewhat different requirements. Next spring, if you do it correctly, you'll be out on the lake in no time.

Purify Your Boat

When you're getting ready to go in the spring, you never want to clean your boat. The debris left over from boating season might grow mildew or attract bugs throughout the winter.

Clean the decks and clean the seats and wood trim to minimize moisture ingress before storing your boat for the winter. Take out the towels, life vests, and other porous items from below the seats and storage compartments.

Fill the tank up

During the winter, the air in the fuel tank expands and shrinks, and vents attract moisture in. Just enough room should be left to allow for this expansion and contraction, but not so much that moisture builds up and condenses within the tank.

Over the winter, ethanol-containing fuel may actually absorb moisture and degrade, leaving you with a separated, sludgy mess come spring. Before putting your boat away, fill the tank up and add a stabilizer.

Replace the oil

Motor oil gathers combustion byproducts and lubricates engine components as well as the crankcase. Change the oil and filter before storing your boat for the winter to stave against rust and corrosion.

Choose a high-quality marine oil rather than the car's current oil since it has unique anti-corrosion elements that conventional motor oil does not.

Keep the engine block safe.

Like vehicle engines, boat motors feature an interior "block," which is a metal casing. The block has to be emptied of water before winter (boat motors are water-cooled). If not, freezing and expansion might cause the block to shatter and the motor to fail.

In addition to draining, it is sense to use antifreeze to safeguard the boat motor. Since it is hazardous to marine life, never use conventional automobile antifreeze (also known as ethylene glycol) to winterize a boat engine. Instead, seek for marine antifreeze produced from propylene glycol that is designed only for use in boats and RVs.

Wrap Your Boat

No matter where you store your boat, be sure to cover it to keep out rodents and the weather. Sprinkler systems and dust are features of indoor storage facilities. Simple tarps with grommets are one kind of cover, and there are also bespoke coverings that may be created to match your boat's unique specifications. Another well-liked method of covering is shrink wrapping.

In order to avoid mold and mildew, all boat coverings should have ventilation. If your boat is accessible and protected, you should sometimes let the weather in over the winter.

We advise boat storage in Lake Havasu as one of the greatest options if you need a suitable spot to keep your boat.