Wintering your boat

Posted By Sail Power on 28/11/2011

Give your boat a little love this winter. It is that time of year again when we look back on the sailing seaon with mixed emotions of some successes and many of moments of billiance!

But without your boat none of this would have happened, so dont just throw it on the trailer, put a tarpoline over it and forget it until next Spring.

Below are some tips to wintering your Cruising boat

1. The Water Trap

Look behind the heads, open up the hatches, check all access lockers. Water lines have low bends and these can trap water, if the water freeezes the line may crack. John Vigor, author of Practical Mariners Book of Public Knowledge gives the advice to add a 50/50 water vodka solution to lines coming from the water tank.

2. Cover and Ventilate.

Use a well postioned cover to both protect and ventilate your boat during the winter months. The cover will divert water off your boat as rain, sleet, snow and condensation will find any crack or crevice and combined with cold weather will lead to deterioration.

3. Attack your hull.

As soon as you take the boat out of the water, before it dries scrape the hull free of those marine creatures. Otherwise they will dry rock hard on the hull.

4. Replace metal protectors.

Remove vents and cowls from the deck replace them with tight fitting covers to keep dust dirt and insects out. Replace all zinc fittings from the bottom of the hull. Replace pencil zincs in small diesel engines.

4. 5 point engine check

(Check the small boat diesel manual for your boat and follow the winterisation process.)

Below are general tips

Drain the raw water system
Add fresh coolant to the fresh water system
Change the engine oil and filter
Spray lubicant over engine body (be careful not to spray lubricants like WD 40 on hoses or belts as it will cause rubber to soften)
Squirt oil into the water intake manifold to protect he pistons and cylinders.