AKRISONER Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 well..its that time of year. After some unforseen circumstances with my intended location of storing, I am stuck (although somewhat willingly because i can get my boat out of storage in march now to go fishing in the south carolina) using a navigloo to put the baby away for winter. I am also probably going to take some extra care and wrap the baby up in extra tarps around the trailer, jack up the trailer onto blocks to keep it off of the ground etc etc. Its my first time winterizing a boat! Bass Boat Central has a great guide on winterizing your boat. found here http://www.bassboatcentral.com/winterizing.htm Ive got the fogging oil, the lower end oil, the marine fuel stabilizer, the premium ethanol free gas to top the tanks up, the marine oil to top that tank up as well. Im ready to pull all of the batteries out and store them on wood somewhere warm, and ive got some plumbing antifreeze to dump down the livewell drains and pumps. One common theme of concern though that I keep coming across is moisture and mice. the last thing i need is some damn vermin chewing through my fibreglass. Does anyone have any tips for keeping the moisture and mice out? I have heard of "buckets of moisture manager" being placed inside the boat...what products are you using? Ive also heard of using mothballs to keep mice away...but is it effective? Anyone have any tips?
DanD Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 (edited) 28 minutes ago, AKRISONER said: jack up the trailer onto blocks to keep it off of the ground etc etc. Don't take all the weight off of the trailer's suspension; only about half. The leaf spring hanging all winter, could cause the springs to re-arch causing a very hard ride for the boat. If the tires are a concern being in the dirt; place a piece of plywood under them. With the tarp you're going to wrap the boat in; it should be vented at the highest point. This will allow for air circulation and stop condensation from forming. You can buy vents made for shrink wrap that should work well with vinyl tarp? Dan. https://www.amazon.ca/Dr-Shrink-DS-683-Adhesive-Weather/dp/B003ZDMIR2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541002957&sr=8-1&keywords=shrink+wrap+vents Edited October 31, 2018 by DanD
OhioFisherman Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 (edited) As I recall when they shrink wrapped the boats at the marina they used this to provide ventilation. https://www.lowes.com/pd/ADS-4-in-x-100-ft-Corrugated-Perforated-Pipe/50163593 wrap an old towel or rag around it were it makes contact with your gel coat. Edited October 31, 2018 by OhioFisherman
DanD Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 16 minutes ago, OhioFisherman said: wrap an old towel or rag around it were it makes contact with your gel coat. And put a bug screen over the end that sticks out from under the tarp. Otherwise it would act like the 401 hwy for the critters to get in. LOL Dan.
KawarthaAngler Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 I don't put anything in mine and haven't yet had any issues with animals. Keeping my fingers crossed! My neighbor has a $100K Ranger and he uses moth balls. It stinks. But the smell dissipates quickly once the tarp is off. My sister has a trailer at a trailer park that is on Buckhorn Lake. It's her summer get-away spot. She puts tons of dryer sheets (i.e. Bounce) around the trailer when it is put away for the winter. Rodents are a winter problem with camping trailers. She said that is a common technique used at her park when people put their trailers away for the winter. Myself ... I prefer the strong smell of many dryer sheets to that of moth balls.
lew Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 (edited) I stored my boats, both aluminum & glass, in an old barn for 10 years that was full of mice & rats but I put a couple bowls full of mothballs in the boats and never had a problem with the critters. Don't know if that would work outside though with raccoons and the like when they're looking for a winter home. Forgot to add that it's not necessary to put the batteries on wood. Edited October 31, 2018 by lew
hutch4113 Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 I have used Bounce Sheets since I started storing my boat. Got that from people that used them in their RV's. I put them all throughout the Boat. I have never had Mice - but no idea if the Bounce Sheets are actually doing anything. However - my Dad's boat was next to mine in Storage - and he had mice in the Motor casing (because of the sound insulation). No bounce sheets in his boat - so take it for what it is worth.
BillM Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 Winterizing in October? What is this madness? I turn it sideways in the oldmans garage, add some bounce sheets, make sure both motors are down all the way and that's about it. Also check the bottom ends for water on both (Haven't found any yet).
AKRISONER Posted October 31, 2018 Author Report Posted October 31, 2018 40 minutes ago, BillM said: Winterizing in October? What is this madness? I turn it sideways in the oldmans garage, add some bounce sheets, make sure both motors are down all the way and that's about it. Also check the bottom ends for water on both (Haven't found any yet). lol not quite yet, got some walleyes to catch for the next few weeks. But it may be time to at least start the work of doing the leg oil and getting everything else in order so that I can get it put away before our first big snowsquall event up there.
JoshS Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 I've always wondered when adding stabil to your tank, how does it get mixed in with all the gas if you are not premixing? If I'm filling up 70 liters of fuel, I usually add a bit of stabil beginning, middle and end of fill up. Run the boat and hope it all mixes in. But I never really know if the stabil really mixes well with all the fuel. Anyone know? I also store my boat in barn. Mothballs work well for me. I've had a few mouse poops in spring but like 5-10 total at one entry point. Seems like the mice come in and leave. I load my boat with moth balls in all hatches and spaces.
boombap Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 I've always wondered.. is fogging oil really necessary? I run seafoam every other tank and always use shell 91.
hutch4113 Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 With my old engine...2006 optimax...I never fogged it. Ran stabil at end of year...and put it away (after changing the lower unit oil). It was stored in a shelter...etc. Never had a problem. But that was only my experience. Others may have had issues with a motor seizing....so it may come down to peace of mind. My new ETEC has a self "fog"...injects more oil into the cylinder. So I did that this year, since it is part of the motor anyway.
boombap Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 Mine's a 2009 mercury 50 elpto.. had someone tell me it may do more harm than good.
misfish Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 Boy do I miss all this fall fun. Now I just deflate,roll up,spray the tube frame with WD 40 and pack away til spring.
captpierre Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 I remember hearing about mice building a nest in a box of Bounce sheets ???
OhioFisherman Posted November 1, 2018 Report Posted November 1, 2018 I don't know about mice chewing on gel coat, but they may chew on any electrical wiring they can get at. I have run across a couple of cars with chewed plug wires.
Chuck Enwinde Posted November 1, 2018 Report Posted November 1, 2018 5 hours ago, captpierre said: I remember hearing about mice building a nest in a box of Bounce sheets ??? Yup. Pretty sure @Irishfield and @chris.brock both had mice build nests out of dryer sheets. It may be better than nothing but it might be a good idea to wrap it up in a way that you can check on it periodically.
grimsbylander Posted November 1, 2018 Report Posted November 1, 2018 13 hours ago, misfish said: Boy do I miss all this fall fun. Now I just deflate,roll up,spray the tube frame with WD 40 and pack away til spring. Having a couple stiff drinks is how you fog the motor! lol
grimsbylander Posted November 1, 2018 Report Posted November 1, 2018 Great now I have to start buying mothballs! I back the Ranger into the backyard, lower the outboard, change the oil, and tarp it up. Done. Now I'm gonna get mice because I read this! lol
AKRISONER Posted November 2, 2018 Author Report Posted November 2, 2018 whats everyones take on emptying and then cracking open your storage compartments? Im a little concerned that leaving them open just invites vermin in to make a house...but then at the same time...wide open maybe does make sense?
BillM Posted November 2, 2018 Report Posted November 2, 2018 If they aren't wet inside, what's the point of opening them? I never open mine.
Cast-Away Posted November 2, 2018 Report Posted November 2, 2018 Moth balls work well and the smell goes away after a few days. It's just tough getting their little legs apart to harvest them!
porkpie Posted November 3, 2018 Report Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) 7 hours ago, AKRISONER said: whats everyones take on emptying and then cracking open your storage compartments? Im a little concerned that leaving them open just invites vermin in to make a house...but then at the same time...wide open maybe does make sense? My boat sits outside all winter. I empty all compartments and if they are dry I close them and that's that. If I am going to uncover and fish the Niagara mid winter I throw my gear in a milk crate and a couple of life jackets in the boat. All safety gear other than life jackets stays on board. Edited November 3, 2018 by porkpie
Garnet Posted November 3, 2018 Report Posted November 3, 2018 I lived under that moth ball ,bounce sheet dream. I buy mouse kill from TSC 16 small pouches of pellets. 16 small plastic containers from Dollar Tree and spread them around interior of boat. Everyone will be empty come spring. I pour plumbing antifreeze down the floor drain so any little bits of water will give mice a bad belly. This boat doesn't have any compartments with moisture problem. My old Sprint did. Unscented kitty litter kept it dry.
AKRISONER Posted November 5, 2018 Author Report Posted November 5, 2018 On 11/3/2018 at 6:20 AM, Garnet said: I lived under that moth ball ,bounce sheet dream. I buy mouse kill from TSC 16 small pouches of pellets. 16 small plastic containers from Dollar Tree and spread them around interior of boat. Everyone will be empty come spring. I pour plumbing antifreeze down the floor drain so any little bits of water will give mice a bad belly. This boat doesn't have any compartments with moisture problem. My old Sprint did. Unscented kitty litter kept it dry. awesome tips, i like the plumbing antifreeze down the floor idea too just to incase theres a tiny pocket of moisture in the floor somewhere.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now