Hauling Out Tips for Winterizing

Hopefully you had a fantastic fishing season. You stretched it to the end and grabbed that last migrating striper. Now it’s time to haul the boat and get it set up for the Winter.  Here are a few things that I do to our Jones Brothers center console at the end of the season to prepare the boat for launch on that decisive day next Spring.

After the final haul, the first thing I do is hit the gas station.  I fill the fuel tank to mostly full but not all the way full. You need a tiny bit of room in the tank for expansion, but fill it enough to try and keep the chance of condensation forming.  Add Stabil or Techron. Good time to do it. Then, bring it home and take everything off the boat. This includes the lines, the fenders, the life jackets, all the extra shit you accumulated on the vessel all year, the electronics if you can, the radio if you can, fire extinguisher, ditch pack, anchor, whatever is remove-able. Get it all off of there. Leave the batteries for now though, you are going to need them for a little while longer for the mechanic.

Next open all the seacocks and drains. We don’t want anything freezing in there over the winter. Then grab a power washer. Hit the whole boat and take your time. The hull especially. Clean off everything you can, seaweed, the few stubborn barnacles all of it. Spray the living heck out of the hull, keel, sides, deck, bilge, hold, storage, everything.  Use deck cleaner and soap.. scrub.. wash it up nice. Salt be gone. And then hit the trailer. Spray all of it as well. Wheels too. If you can wax the gel coat, great. Crack open all the storage compartments on the boat for air circulation.

I then call the mechanic and set up an appointment.

I personally would rather not do the mechanical winterizing on my engine. I have a 4 stroke YAMAHA and I honestly, would rather a certified tech do all the internals correctly,  than screwing something up on my own. So at this point I make the call and set up a time for the internal stuff to be done. The mechanic does a full tune up so that I do not need to do the maintenance in the Spring. The job in the fall usually involves running the engine with fresh water, changing all the filters, the VST, plugs, fogging the engine, changing the engine oil, the lower unit oil, and spraying corrosion inhibitor. Also removing any water that may have the chance of freezing.  Adding the pink stuff to the hoses and drains helps as well. Probably a little more to it but lots to do correctly. Props, (no pun intended) to the mechanic. This comes off as well.

Setting up the boat when it gets to the final resting place for the cold months is something to take into account as well. I usually will block up the rear wheels off the ground just a little to take the pressure off of the tires. I will also block up the front of the of the trailer too. Again takes some of the pressure off of the jack.  Also the batteries will finally be removed. Put the engine down most of the way with just a small positive tilt.

After all of this is done a call to the shrink wrap guy is made. I have done the tarp thing in the past but I find spending the extra dollars to have it shrink wrapped really makes a difference for the snow to slide off in the winter during a stormy season. Shrink wrapping makes it all sealed tight and prevents those days of digging snow out of the bow when it gets too heavy. I have not had great luck with tarps but have had zero issues with the shrink wrap.

Everyone has their own methods, these are just a few things I do to get the process moving along. I hope everyone had a great season this year. Stay warm, and before we know it the Cherry blossoms will be out, it will be Mother’s Day and the stripers will be back here again.

And your boat will be ready to go.

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Words by Matt Kelleher. Photos by Brady Hall

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