Preparing your boat for winter storage

[LostAnotherOne]

Just wondering what are some things you do when it comes to preparing your boat for winter storage?  Personally I bring my boat into the shop in December and get them to do there thing and just recently learned on a recent post to lift my trailer off the ground with a couple of axle stands.  Any info guys would be great.  Thanks

[Fisherman]

Yes, just high enough to get the tires off the floor too, no flat spotting.  It's a good time to check/regrease the wheel bearings, no point in waiting until spring, then it becomes a mad rush.  All the oil changes done, drain the tank and fuel lines,  change spark plugs.  Check/tighten all the nuts and bolts on the trailer, lights, wiring.  Any rope tie downs or mooring lines that look rotten, change then out before they fall apart when you need them.  Check wiring and connectors in the boat, downrigger plugs, etc.

[glen]

I keep a maintenance log book.  Any work on boat or trailer go in book.  Run time also goes into book.  I follow the manual for the engine.  
it helps make sure it’s ready to go when needed.  

[CrowMan]

All good advice....also disconnect your batteries completely, fully charge them, and then periodically trickle charge through the winter.  Some of the Smart Chargers have a "Winter Mode" that you can leave on all the time...especially benificial for AGM batteries. I actually remove them and store them in my basement (not on concrete).

And...good time to scrub and polish the hull before it gets too nasty outside.

[Brian Gavin]

I like to do the winter storage myself which is stabilize the remaining gas in the on board tank, remove the spark plugs and fog oil the cylinders, suck out any standing water in the bottom of the boat and water lines to the live well. Then jack up the trailer and block it up to get the weight off the wheel bearings.

[lew]

I always used 4 x 4"s front & back on the trailer then adjustable jack stands in the middle for a bit of extra support. Once everything was done I put a couple bowls of mothballs in the boat before covering it up. Never had an issue with critters even during many winters stored inside a barn.

 

 

 

 

[Fisherman]

5 hours ago, CrowMan said:

I actually remove them and store them in my basement (not on concrete).

 

Storing on concrete is an old wives tale, are you an old wife?

[AKRISONER]

I use a Turkey baster to pump plumbing antifreeze through my livewell and dump some so that my bilge can suck up some as well. 
 

spray fogging oil in the spark plug holes and blip the motor over to send it through the exhaust ports. 
 

lower end oil change

and prior to the end of the year I ensure that I’m running 100% ethanol free gas at all times with stabilizer in it. 
 

top all of my fluids to the brim and then disconnect the batteries except for the charger. I then charge everything once a month through the winter.

 

i keep myself sane by making projects for myself to give myself some boat therapy time. This year I’m going to do the water pump, and reconfigure the terminal ends of my electronics to put in a system of more accessible fuses and a total cut off for my electronics so that any time the boats in the garage nothing will be live on the batteries. 
 

last winter I swapped the vst filter, fuel filter and water separator. And totally rewired the electronics on the boat. Those garage sessions can sometimes be as therapeutic as fishing itself.

 

of course I ice fish. But it’s still not the same as working on the boat.

[BillM]

Change the engine/bottom end oil.  Suck up some RV Antifreeze into the livewell, and pump the tires up to 70-75psi so they don't flat spot.  Hook up the onboard chargers and toss in some moth balls.

Boat doesn't sit that long, usually out of the water mid Dec, back in the water in March.

[Rizzo]

run stabilized fuel through motor

have fuel filled right to the top so no condensation happens

change lower oil and seals

change upper oil 

change oil filter

pull plugs, spray fogging oil in, crank with battery for a sec

take weight off tires with axle stands

put motor in down position

pull the batteries and store them indoors

pull boat drain plug and have boat on slight angle so any water that gets in can drain

tarp boat up  at the side of the house and hope for the best (I leave motor "untarped" so no condensation forms)

...this has been working for me!