The dreaded time is coming! The beautiful summer is over, and it’s time to pull your boat from Candlewood Lake and get it ready for storage. Winter proves to be the most challenging season for your vessel (cracked blocks, corrosion, etc.). Knowing how to prepare your boat for these months is crucial to ensure its integrity for springtime. If you think you are just going to get some professional help once spring rolls around, think again—spring is the busiest time for the local Candlewood Lake marinas.
So it pays to take care of any problems, and dealer-required maintenance, in the fall before winter’s icy grip clutches your craft. Here’s what you need to do.
The Hull Story
Winterizing is more than just sloshing in some fuel stabilizer, draining the engine, and adding antifreeze. Winterizing should be a systematic process running from bow to transom. Because boats and engines differ, start by consulting your owner’s manual in the winterizing/storage sections.
Fiberglass is made to stand up to the ravages of the summer sun and saltwater, so a little snow should be a problem, right? Wrong. Ice accumulation can split open hatches and window tracks, causing leaks. So outside storage demands the proper boat cover.
You’ll also want to scrutinize your hull, checking for stress cracks (often found around the bow eye) and gelcoat blisters. Stress cracks can indicate structural damage, and anything serious should be looked at by a professional. To find a local professional, check out our page listing all the marinas on Candlewood Lake.
Algae and any other unwelcome guests tagging along on your boat bottom should have their free-ride privileges terminated. A good pressure washing will remove dirt and the dreaded algae on the bottom of your boat. You’ll make this job a lot easier in the future if you apply a product such as 3M’s Marine Restorer & Wax. It’s a two-in-one product that removes oxidation and residue on your boat, revealing its true color and shine. With a nice coat of shiny wax, the crud stays on the surface where it can be easily removed.
The Inside Scoop
Winter air can be humid or dry, and both conditions can bring grief to vinyl interiors. Vinyl cleaners and protectants, available on Amazon, can prevent your vinyl from drying out and cracking. Moisture is a catalyst for mildew. More than one boat owner has unzipped their boat in the spring to find the interior looking like a science project with mold and mildew growing everywhere! Venting your boat cover for good airflow to minimize trapped moisture will ensure no springtime science projects! Mildew sprays are a big help, as are chemical dehumidifiers that pull excess water from the air.
The Moisture Mess!
Along with causing havoc on your interior, moisture likes to do other nasty things, like corrode your on-board electronics and electrical system. If your wiring is of the non-marinized variety, it’s especially prone to corrosion that can cause shorts, blown fuses, and a big migraine—with an extensive service bill to match. Remove any electronics that you can, and store them properly. Then, spray all exposed electrical connections with a moisture-displacing lubricant.
Now is also the perfect time for a thorough cleaning. Giving your boat a proper cleaning in the fall will make fewer headaches in the spring! Start by cleaning all exposed metal and woodworking. Then move downward, with a vacuuming/washing of the carpets and deck. If you own a boat with a removable head, clean and dry it before you store it. Built-in units, including sinks and showers, should be drained and pumped with antifreeze.
Your Boat Needs A Coat!
If you’re storing your boat outdoors over the winter, a proper cover is needed. There are many do-it-yourself options, such as tarps and polyvinyl covers. While these options can be practical, shrink wrapping your boat will keep it better protected from the elements. You can shrink wrap your boat at home, but like anything with open flames, it’s one of those jobs that should be left to the professionals! Any of the local Candlewood Lake marinas will wrap your boat up nice for the winter!
No matter what type of covering you choose for your vessel, make sure they are used with a frame to distribute the weight of snow evenly and away from the boat’s weak areas.
The Motor Matters
Engines are prone to freezing, corrosion, and fuel degradation during the winter. Properly inspecting and preparing your engine in the fall will ensure its integrity in the spring. The following steps should be taken when examining your engine:
- Pull the engine cover and check for such problems as frayed or loose wires, connections, and clamps.
- Check the condition of all hoses and replace those that are mushy or that show cracks.
- Check the shape of the belts and adjust the tension if necessary.
- Touch up any paint nicks to prevent corrosion.
- Run the engine up to temperature and change the oil and filter.
Water or other contaminants must be flushed out and replaced with fresh fluids before winter. Any water present in the gear case, for example, will sit on steel shafts and bearings over the winter, coating them with rust.
Flush the engine with fresh water. Some outboards have an attachment for a garden hose to make the job easier. Idle the engine when flushing, making sure it doesn’t overheat, until the water flushes clean. Drain all the water from the engine and store it in a vertical position to make sure the water drains completely. Even a small amount of water left in the engine can freeze and cause significant damage. Inboards and sterndrives require refilling with propylene glycol antifreeze to prevent small ice pockets from forming, which can crack the block.
Get The Gas Out
Gasoline breaks down in storage—the lighter factions evaporating off and the heavier ones forming a jet-clogging and injector-sticking varnish. The degrading action can begin in as little as two weeks, and the fuel’s octane rating decreases in the process. Add fuel stabilizer to the tank and idle the engine for 10 to 20 minutes to distribute the stabilizer throughout the system.
To protect engine internals from rust and corrosion, remove the engine flame arrestor and spray fogging oil down the carburetor with the engine running. For fuel-injected engines, use two-cycle oil instead of fogging oil. Shut off the fuel supply – either with the fuel valve or by pinching off the fuel line—to burn up the carb/fuel-injection system’s remaining fuel. When the engine stops, pull the spark plugs and squirt some fogging oil into the cylinders. Rotate the engine a few times for a good oil coating and reinstall the plugs. An alternative is to disable the ignition and crank the engine while spraying fogging oil down the carb.
On four-cycle engines, the carb’s main jets are so small that even a tiny amount of fuel left in the carb can gum them up. You need to remove the carb drain plug to extract all of the fuel.
It’s A Stern Matter!
Moving to the stern end, wedge a block of wood between the prop and anti-ventilation plate, loosen the prop nut, and pull the prop. Check the condition of the prop, hub, and splines. Changing the water pump impeller is cheap insurance against water pump failure next season.
Drain the gear case lube and look for a milky color, which would indicate water in the oil. Also, look for metal chips, which means your gears are grinding more than horsepower.
Too Much Work?
Winterizing your boat proves difficult for many people who are not familiar with engines. You can have your boat winterized at most of the local marinas on Candlewood Lake. There are even some companies that will come right to your house to winterize and shrink wrap your boat!
If you’re conscientious about winter maintenance, your reward will be a quick launch in the spring—instead of time spent stuck on the trailer.
Engine Winterizing Checklist
- Add gas stabilizer
- Check plugs, wires, rotor, cap
- Inspect the belts, adjust the tension if necessary
- Check hoses
- Clean fuel screens, replace the fuel filter
- Check shift/throttle cables and settings
- Lube shift/throttle cables and linkages
- Flush cooling system
- Drain block, manifold, circulating pump, and coolers
- Fill block, manifold, and circulating pump with antifreeze
- Change gear lube
- Change oil and oil filter
- Check gimbal bearing
- Grease U-joints and gimbals
- Lube engine coupler splines
- Check/replace sacrificial anodes
- Fog engine
- Check steering and power trim fluids
- Touch up nicks and scratches
- Check propeller/hub
- Check/lube splines
- Replace water pump impeller
- Spray electrical connections with moisture repellent
- Spray the entire engine with anti-corrosion treatment
- Check fuel line and bulb
- Remove the battery and recharge if necessary
Download your Candlewood Lake Life Winterizing checklist by clicking here
