How Do You Store A Boat For The Winter?
There are numerous methods of storing a boat for the winter, all of them involving some amount of work and misery. A proper storage plan will result in a small amount of misery now rather than a huge amount next spring when you find the boat in ruins. If you don’t have basic engine and maintenance skills, you should probably pay a boatyard to winterize the craft for you. Begin with the engine, since this is the messiest and potentially most expensive item. Change the oil and filter. You don’t want old, dirty oil sitting in the engine all winter. Drain the engine’s cooling system. If it’s a closed system (like a car’s), refill it with the manufacturer’s recommended antifreeze and water solution. If it’s an open system (one that draws water from outside the boat), flush it with clean water by inserting a garden hose into the intake opening. Drain the system completely by opening the coolant drain(s), located at the lowest point(s) of the system, usually near where a hose attaches to the
