Understanding Storage A Little Better

If you know you are not going to be taking your boat out on the water for a while, the best way to keep your boat safe is by putting your boat in storage. Before you put your boat in storage though, you need to make sure that you take care of a few maintenance tasks.

#1 Put In New Oil

Before you put your boat to rest for a while, change out the oil in your boat. Changing out your oil will ensure that no water or acid that may have gotten into your oil reserves during the summer will corrode your engine during the winter.

Change out the filter, flush out the oil, and put some new oil in your boat. That way, you ensure that only oil is inside of your engine, nothing extra.

#2 Flush The Antifreeze

Just like the oil in your vehicle, the antifreeze may have gotten water and other contaminants in it over the summer season. You don't the components of your boat system to get rusted over the winter or freeze up.

You'll want to drain out the old coolant. Then, flush out your system with water to get it clean. Next, put new antifreeze in and make sure that you dilute the antifreeze properly.

#3 Loosen Drive Belts

Take care of your drive belts by removing them from your boat. If you don't want to remove them from your boat, loosen them up significantly. You don't want your belts to remain tensed up all winter. All the freezing and warming up that happens in the winter while your boat is in storage can cause cracks to develop in your drive belts if you leave them all tense on your boat. Instead, loosen them up or just remove them and store them somewhere dry and safe until you take your boat out of storage.

#4 Add Fogging Oil

Protect the moving parts of your boat with fogging oil. Fogging oil will help ensure that the moving parts on your engine don't get stuck or corroded over the course of the winter. You want to add fogging oil to your engine when it is turning over. Put the fogging oil on the carburetor and into the spark plug holes on your engine.

#5 Disconnect The Battery

When your battery is not in use, it can drain out during the winter. Disconnect the battery in your boat. Then, put some distilled water in it it to keep things working well.

#6 Fill Up The Gas

Finally, you are going to want to fill up the gas tank. Having a full gas tank will prevent moisture from creating condensation in your gas tank. This can cause your gas tank to corrode. Filling up your gas tank will protect it from corroding.

Change out and refill all the fluids on your boat—the oil, the antifreeze and the gas—before you put it in storage to prevent your boat from developing internal corrosion while it is in storage. 

Contact a company that offers boat storage units for additional advice on how to properly store your boat.