De-winterizing Your Boat
Now that the weather is warm, boaters everywhere are taking their boats out of storage and looking to get on the water as fast as possible. Before you enjoy the season, though, you should make sure your boat is in good shape for it. You probably took the time in the fall to clean and winterize your boat for storage, so now it’s time to reverse that process. If you’re not sure where to start, Water World Boat & Powersport has provided this convenient guide to get you going. We’re your local Medford, Oregon boat dealer, so if you come across any repair needs, you can schedule a service appointment with us to get your boat in peak condition for summer.
Initial Inspection
As soon as you take your boat out of the shed or storage area and throw off the cover, you should give her a close inspection to see if she’s sustained any damage in storage. This damage could take the form of mold, mildew, or an animal or insect infestation. Open all the hatches and the motor bay to have a good look around. Obviously, you’ll want to get any critters out of there if you find them and clean up any debris or waste they left in their wake. You should look over your carpets and seat cushions and other fabric for mold or mildew.
Another important feature of your boat for you to check is your boat’s hull. While it probably did not sustain any damage in storage, you might have missed some scratches or dents to it when you packed it up in the fall. Now is the time to ensure that it’s in good condition and needs no repairs.
Check The Engine
Your next step is to make sure your engine is in good running order. For outboards, take off the nacelle to do your inspection. Inboards will require you to open up the engine bay to see what’s going on. Check the coolant, oil and other fluid levels to see that they’re topped up and clean. Check the gaskets and engine heads for leaks. You could also remove a spark plug to see that it’s not corroded. If you need to do minor engine repairs like spark plug replacement, now is the time!
Test Electronics
You should gather up all the electronics you generally carry with you while boating and make sure they all function properly. Check your fish finder and GPS and any other electronics you have, see that the batteries work and aren’t corroded and get them charged up and ready to go.
Look Over The Canvas
Your boat’s canvas cover keeps it from collecting debris and damage, so you should make sure that it’s in decent shape. Look for rips and tears that need patching and also check for mold or mildew. Your seats may also have similar issues, particularly if they sustained sun damage, so check these over, too.
Clean Things Up
As a final step, you should give your boat a good cleaning. You likely cleaned her up in the fall before storing her so that dirt and debris wouldn’t feed mold, but you should polish up the chrome and sweep off the deck now. Clean your windows and other glass so you have good visibility. Make sure that your coolers and livewells are cleaned out and ready to be filled, too.
Looking to upgrade your current boat or maybe become a new boat owner now that you know some of the basics? Come down to our showroom today to see our wide selection of boats for sale, both new and used. The Water World Boat & Powersport dealership is located in Medford, serving the cities of Roseburg, Klamath Falls, Talent, Eagle Point, Central Point, Grants Pass and Ashland, Oregon.
