What is Winterizing a Boat?
Boat winterization is the task of preparing your boat for winter. At its most simple, every boat should have all on-board water (think water tanks, hoses, heads, engine coolant systems, etc.) drained and replaced with marine antifreeze. This will protect your boat from cracks and breakage due to the 9% expansion in volume that occurs to freshwater when it freezes. At its most complex, winterization includes checking all systems and areas of the boat, doing a deep clean, and covering with a canvas boat cover or shrink wrap in preparation for winter.
Is Winterizing Always Necessary?
If your boat is located anywhere in the US where temps dip below freezing during winter months, winterizing is an absolute necessity. If you visit any boat storage yard in Pennsylvania or New Jersey as the season winds down, you’ll likely see many boat owners draining their boats of water and pouring “the pink stuff” in to protect their investment over the coming months. In other areas of the country, like Florida or Texas, winterization may come later in the year or not at all; however, that may not be a boat owner’s best course of action.
It is surprising to note that Florida has more freeze-damage claims than frigid Minnesota and that Texas leads the country in freeze-damaged claims according to the GEICO | BoatUS Marine Insurance claims files. The chart below from BoatUS shows the top 10 states that file freeze-related claims. This is important to note that no matter where your boat is, you should at least do the minimum of a water drain and antifreeze application!
All About Antifreeze
We won’t go into too much detail here as there is plenty to be learned with a quick internet search or a visit to your local marine supply store, but we wanted to mention a few key points about antifreeze prior to touching on the other steps of winterization.
First, and most importantly, you should NOT be using automotive antifreeze. Automotive antifreeze works to lower the freezing point as well as acting as a cooling agent, and it can cause damage to marine engines as well as the environment. Marine antifreeze; on the other hand, is specifically designed to use propylene glycol as the main ingredient. Propylene glycol poses little to no threat to the environment and is generally considered to be a safe chemical. It is the best choice for marine winterization purposes.
In addition to making sure you choose the right chemical, you must also consider the freeze and burst point of the antifreeze you’re choosing. The freeze point is the temperature where ice crystals begin to form in the fluid and the fluid becomes slushy, but it does not expand. The burst point is the temperature where the fluid will freeze solid, expand, and potentially crack or fracture the area surrounding the fluid. Most brands will offer several “levels” of protection, each with different ranges.
Always check the label of the product you’re planning to buy for these ranges as well as the application instructions. Some products may need to be used full strength while others can be diluted. Shopping for best prices is not always apples to apples when holding two similar sized bottles of antifreeze.
Fuel Stabilization
For long term storage, fuel stabilization is fairly simple but does require some planning ahead. It is best to start with a low amount of fuel in your tanks before adding the fuel stabilizer. This is important to ensure equal distribution of the fuel stabilizer throughout the tank as the adding of fuel after the stabilizer helps to disperse it.
Whether you haul out on a low tank or choose to stabilize in the water is up to you. Choose the appropriate fuel stabilizer for your fuel type (gasoline or diesel) and look to the bottle for specific measuring instructions. Most fuel stabilizers will come with a measurement cap to help measure the exact quantity needed.
After adding, the next step is to add fuel. Be sure to leave a bit of room in your tank to account for any expansion over the winter. Finally, to help the fuel stabilizer to reach the entire fuel system, you’ll need about 5-10 minutes of active run time on the engine. If you’re still in the water, consider this a last hurrah before the end of the season. If you’re already on the hard, be sure to do this step prior to adding your antifreeze and don’t forget to hook up to a freshwater source to ensure the engine doesn’t overheat.
Battery Preparation
There are a few schools of thought on battery preparation prior to winter. Ultimately, considering your climate, how often you visit the boat over the winter, the age of your batteries, and your level of risk aversion come into play.
Battery removal is a common practice for boat owners along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Many elect to pull their lead-acid batteries from their boat and take them home for the winter. This is a safe option because it will protect the battery from any potential freezing and you will have the opportunity to hook up a battery maintainer or trickle charger should you not have 24/7 power at your boat yard. The downside to this option is that batteries are heavy! Lugging them back and forth can be difficult work depending on access and your own physical condition.
Another option, and one that we are trying for the first time this year, is to give a full charge to your batteries, completely disconnect them (always loosening the negative terminal first) and crossing your fingers! If your batteries are still in good working condition and you’re not in subzero temperatures, this is considered a safe way to store over the winter. It is less work but a little more worry.
Regardless of what you choose, it is highly recommended to at a minimum disconnect the battery. This will prevent any erroneous pull of charge while you’re away from the boat for an extended period.
Changing Your Oil
At a minimum, an engine’s oil should be changed once a year; however, some debate whether it is best to do so in the fall during winterization or in the spring. Boat Planet says that no matter the style of engine, the overwhelming consensus is that fall is the better choice. This isn’t just a personal opinion either. Most boat manuals recommend changing the oil at the end of the season. Doing this will remove the accumulated dirt, combustion residue, and acid that have been building up all season and will coat the engine with fresh oil that contains rust inhibitors thus helping to extend the engine’s life.
It is important to use an oil that meets the specifications as stated by the engine manufacturer in the owner’s manual. Be sure to run the engine a bit to get it warm before starting as this will help loosen the contaminants prior to draining. After draining is complete and you’ve carefully stowed the old oil, switch out the old oil filter with a new one to avoid reintroducing contaminants before adding the new oil.
At many Bucks County, PA automotive business locations, you can drop off your used oil for free or a minimal fee to have it disposed of properly. If you’re changing your boat oil in New Jersey, you can check out a list of locations here.
Clean, Wax, and Cover
Your boat has likely accumulated some dirt and grime throughout the season and you may have made a mess during your winterization activities. The final step to preparing for winter is to do a deep clean and wax before installing your winter cover. The cleaning and waxing will help keep your gelcoat and deck in top shape and make your job easier in the spring when it’s time to get back on the water. For your cover, a custom made canvas boat cover is a great option. At Elemental Enclosures, we custom fabricate winter boat storage covers in New Jersey and all along the Delaware River. Our boat covers will help protect your boat from anything winter can throw at it and can be reused each year, making them a sustainable and earth-friendly option!
Boat Winterization Summed Up
Boat winterization is important no matter where you store your boat if you plan to be away from it for an extended period of time during the off-season. Even if you don’t experience long term temperatures below freezing, it only takes one night to dip down low and freeze a water line causing major damage to boat systems.
In addition to doing the bare minimum of draining water and adding marine safe anti-freeze, there are several steps you can take each year to help extend the life of your boat and make your spring re-launch more simple and pleasurable.
