Don’t Put Your Boat Away Until You Do These 2 Things
We're clinging to the last nice weather of the season. If you've lived in Minnesota long enough, you know that when the weather switches to fall, it happens fast. Still, fall is some of the best fishing in Minnesota, as those fish start biting, trying to get their bellies full before the cold sets in.
Putting Away Your Boats For The Season
In a perfect world, we would have the time to wash, wax, vacuum, and polish up our boats before putting them in storage. But we're all busy, and sometimes you just can't get everything done you want to.
That's something that our marine expert, Russ from Marine General, understands. I asked him today what you MUST do to your boat before winter to make sure it's properly stored and will work right in the spring. Nothing is worse than pulling your boat out and it not working properly, or having damage because you didn't take care of it.
Two Things You Should Absolutely Do To Your Boat Before Winter
Russ has owned Marine General for 50 years, so if there's someone you can trust, it's him. Boats are expensive. The joke is that BOAT stands for Bust Out Another Thousand. So, if you want to take care of your investment, the most crucial maintenance begins right before winter.
#1 Run Marine Fuel Engine Stabilizer
Before you put your boat away, add some fuel stabilizer to the tank and run it for a couple of minutes to ensure that the gas gets into the lines and into the engine. Stabil brand recommends that you use it before every fill-up. Remember, if you do run your engine, make sure you have muffs on the lower unit with a hose, or run it in the water.
#2 Drain The Lower Unit
When you are all done running the engine for the year, and you have the boat out of the water, drain the lower unit oil from the motor. Sometimes water can mix in with the lower unit, and if that freezes in our cold winters, it can expand and damage the lower unit.
Personally, I drain the lower unit in the fall, and then fill it up with fresh oil in the spring. Either way, it's important to check it before every winter.
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If You Have An I/O, Winterize The Motor
If you have an inboard/outboard motor, make sure you drain the water from it and put antifreeze in for the winter. Changing the oil is a good idea, but if you don't have time, just make sure you get the motor winterized so it doesn't freeze up.
Bonus Money Saver - Take Care Of Your Batteries
Have you purchased a marine battery lately? They aren't cheap, and depending on your boat, you probably have several of them. In my Crestliner, I have a starting battery that also runs my electronics, and then I have two deep-cycle batteries for my 24V trolling motor. That's three batteries that, if I had to replace all at the same time, would be around $450-$500. So every fall I pull the batteries out, bring them inside to my basement, and periodically charge them up to keep them fresh.
Oh, and another tip: take a picture of your wiring. I do it every year with my phone, so that 6 months later I can look back and make sure I connected everything again. There are a lot of cables to hook up!
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Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger
