Most boats around Lake Conroe don't get put away for six months like they do up north. But plenty of them sit from November to March, with nobody touching them except to check the cover after a storm. That's when the trouble starts: stale fuel, a dead battery, mice in the console, flat spots on the trailer tires.
A good lay-up takes an afternoon. Here's how we'd do it.
Start with a clean boat
Wash the hull and deck, and get the lake line off while it's fresh. Dirt and grime hold moisture against the gelcoat and vinyl all winter. Pull out life jackets, towels, food, and anything that can mildew or attract critters. Open the compartments, let everything dry out completely, and leave them cracked if your cover allows airflow.
Deal with the fuel
Fuel is the number one reason boats don't start in spring. Today's gas usually has ethanol in it, and ethanol pulls moisture from the air. Over a few months, that can leave water and gummy deposits in your tank, filters and carburetor or injectors.
- Add a marine fuel stabilizer at the dose on the bottle.
- Run the engine for several minutes so the treated fuel reaches the whole system.
- Most owners store with the tank mostly full to leave less room for moist air. Ask us what's best for your tank and fuel system.
- If your boat has a water-separating fuel filter, winter is a good time to change it.
We cover fuel in more detail in Ethanol Fuel and Your Boat.
Change the oil before storage, not after
Used oil holds acids and moisture from combustion. If it sits in the engine all winter, it's working against your bearings. Changing the oil and filter before you put the boat away means fresh oil sits in the engine. On a sterndrive or outboard, it's also a good time to check the lower unit gear oil. Milky oil means water is getting past a seal, and that's much cheaper to fix in December than in May. See Lower Unit Repair.
Protect the engine from a freeze
Hard freezes don't happen every year in Southeast Texas, but they do happen. When they do, water left inside an engine block or manifold can expand and crack it. If your boat lives outside or in an unheated barn, winterizing the cooling system is cheap insurance. If you're not sure whether your engine is the kind that holds water, give us a call. Every engine is different. Read more on Scheduled Maintenance & Winterization.
Take care of the battery
A battery that sits connected all winter will usually be flat by spring. Small draws from radios, bilge pump float switches and clocks add up.
- Turn the battery switch off, or disconnect the negative cable.
- Better yet, put the battery on a smart maintainer (trickle) charger.
- Clean any corrosion off the terminals before storage.
If your battery was already dying overnight this summer, that's a sign of a draw we should track down. See Boat Electrical Repair.
Keep out water and critters
A good cover that sheds rain and stays tight in wind matters more than people think. Pooled water stretches covers, rips seams and finds its way into the bilge. Use a support pole or bows so water runs off. Mice love boats in winter. Take out anything they can eat or nest in, and check under the console a couple of times during the season.
Don't forget the trailer
Your trailer sits all winter too. Air the tires to the pressure on the sidewall, and if you can, move the boat a few feet once a month so the tires don't flat-spot. Check the bearings and lights now so spring isn't a scramble. We put together a full trailer checklist.
Write down anything that was "acting up"
That hesitation at full throttle, the gauge that flickers, the drip under the drive: write it down now while you remember. Winter is the easiest time to get repairs done, because spring is when every boat on the lake shows up at once.
When to call the shop
If you'd rather hand it off, we can take care of the oil, gear oil, fuel treatment, battery check and winterizing in one visit. No trailer? Our trailers can pull your boat out of the water and bring it to the shop, and it's stored on our fenced, locked lot. Call (833) 754-5978 for a phone quote.
Call (833) 754-5978 for a phone quote
Tell us what the boat is doing and where it is — we'll tell you what to expect.
