Get Your Boat Winter Ready

Properly preparing  for winter is the key to protecting your boat, avoiding costly repairs, and making sure you’re ready to hit the water again when spring rolls around. From safeguarding the engine and fuel system to protecting electrics, and onboard equipment, a thorough winterisation routine helps your boat survive the off-season in top condition. 

Here are some top tips for effective winterisation:

Fill your diesel tank

Filling your tank with diesel before the winter reduces condensation in the tank throughout the season. You must ensure that water does not enter the fuel tank as the interference between water and fuel is where the diesel bug will thrive. If you suspect signs of the diesel bug, add a fuel additive to keep it under control. 

The following video explains how to test and treat diesel bug:

Change the engine oil

Changing the engine oil ensures any corrosive acids formed as a product of the combustion process does not remain in the engine over winter. You can do this with an electric or manual oil change pump. We have many different grade oils to suit a variety of engines.

Change the oil filter

Carbon, swarf and other combustion products build up in the filter and start to restrict the flow, so changing once a year is a minimum requirement but should be done as per the manufacturers recommendations. This is a messy job and if access is tricky you may need a lot of rags or oil clean up pads.

Check and top up the fresh water cooling level

It is important that you have the right ratio of water to antifreeze. If you have been topping up with just water all season you should drain the system and top up with the correct mixture. 

Antifreeze or coolant doesn’t just protect your engine from the cold but more importantly acts as a corrosion inhibitor that protects the internal water ways within the engine.

Remove the pump impeller

If the impeller remains in one position for too long then it might become de-formed, less effective and even fail. 

You should always change your impeller annually (at the least!). It’s also handy to carry an impeller on board as a spare.

The following video demonstrates the tools used to remove the impeller:

Relax or remove the drive belts

Leaving them in one position for several months may cause them to deform and crack. We strongly recommend that you replace them if there are any signs of wear and tear. 

The sign to look out for is black belt dust on the engine and engine bearers, as this means the belt is slipping.

Batteries

Where possible, keep batteries warm and dry over the winter, fully

charged or topped up at least every four to six weeks. Batteries left uncharged for long periods may need to be replaced completely. 

If you’re unable to remove batteries, the best advice is to leave them fully topped up and regularly recharged, as full batteries are less likely to freeze. Disconnect the batteries from the rest of the electrical system and clean and grease the terminals.