As boating season winds down, you’ll need to prepare your vessel for winter. If you recently purchased a new boat, use these tips to ensure it remains damage-free, whether it’s staying in the water or being moved to a dry dock.

4 Boat Maintenance Tasks to Complete This Fall

1. Prep the Engine

Change your engine oil before winter to remove residual moisture and debris. Replace the fuel and oil filters to avoid motor problems in the spring. If there’s fuel in the motor, add a stabilizer product to keep the tank clean. Add dry gas to a gas motor to prevent condensation.

2. Clean the Hull

Use a long brush to eliminate algae from the hull if you’re keeping it in the water. If your boat is in dry dock, power wash the hull, then wait one month for the boat to dry out before removing debris with a paint scraper. Apply primer and paint in the spring. Wait one day for the primer to dry before adding two coats of hull paint for protection.

3. Flush the Bilge

Pick the floorboards up in the main cabin to inspect your bilge, which sometimes fills with water if it rains or if there’s an internal leak. Lift the switch with your finger. If the bilge is functional, it will turn on. Otherwise, replace the switch and the pump. Flush the part using a wet-dry vacuum, whether it’s staying in the water or not. Check the bilge once a month if you’re leaving the boat in the water to keep the cabin dry. 

4. Drain the Water Tank & Use Heaters

To prepare the water tank for winter, remove a water line and let the tank drain into the bilge. Use the wet-dry vacuum to flush it. Drain water from the toilet line if you are placing the boat in dry dock.

If your boat remains in the water, keep it warm to avoid a frozen bilge as well as frozen lines and pumps. Use electric space heaters. If there’s an overheating issue or other problem, the breaker will shut the appliances off.

Add an ice heater to the water to keep ice from forming around your new boat. Frozen water lifts the vessel, which could make it lean and crack the hull.

If you’re interested in a new boat, check out Silver Lake Marine, Inc. in Silver Springs, NY. They sell new boats to residents throughout Rochester, Buffalo, and the Finger Lakes region. The boat dealership has a 40-year history and also provides boat repairs and parts in addition to rentals and sales. Call the marine supply store today at (585) 237-5185 with new boat questions or visit the website for more information.