As a follow-up to our article ”Winterizing Your Boat On Your Own: A Checklist“, avid sailor and fellow Burlington Boatyard member, Eliot Beck has compiled a quick guide focused solely on winterizing your sailboat…

• Make sure to get any water & other liquids that may freeze out of the boat, and find ways to let air circulate.  If covered, make sure there are vents (even if shrink-wrapping, you can provide venting).
• Gas tanks should be filled to prevent as much air in the tank as possible. Alternatively, you could make sure the tanks are thoroughly drained & left totally dry.  Keep in mind however, more often than not the method you chose depends on the fuel system.

 

• It is much easier to get the scum, barnacles and other growth off of the bottom when you haul it in for the season, rather than waiting until spring. The preferred methods to do this are power-washing or hand scrubbing.
• If using a small boat cover, do not haphazardly “throw it on”, but rather take the time and precision to ensure a proper fit. Many people do a sloppy job, and come the first drenching rain or big snow storm, the cover can collapse and let water into the boat, which can then freeze and create problems. 
• If there is water in the hull, try to open all the plugs and get it dried out. Prop the boat up to drain if possible before storing and covering.
• Take the sails to a reputable sail maker & have them checked for wear and tear; There is not much of a need to wash them unless it hasn’t been done for a few years. Rinse with fresh water & store them only when completely dry.
• Check all the little gear & fittings for wear, rust, etc. before putting it all away. It is not a bad idea to rinse off & clean all the blades, mast, and standing rigging.
• Do not forget to rinse and dry all lines as you disassemble for the winter. Take all the lines that have fraying ends & get them fixed up now, before storing for the winter. There is nothing worse than storing damp sheets and lines with frays and having to deal with them in the spring. 
• Check all the small parts and when dry, put them in zip-lock bags and mark the bags with a Sharpie.
• You may also want to think about greasing (or silicon) various fittings before storing, such as centerboard bolts, to keep moisture out. 
• Finally, check, rinse & dry out blocks, and any other parts to your boat that may not have been covered in the above outline.

The winterizing process may be tedious, however it is essential to ensure that you preserve the life of your vessel as it will prevent rot, rust and ageing over the off season.

We thank Eliot for his helpful and kind contribution to the community’s sailors, and the BBY Blog. Feel free to let Elliot know your thoughts and feedback by commenting below.

- Jimmy

Tags: Burlington Sailing, BurlingtonBoatyard.com, Eliot Beck, lake champlain, Lake Champlain Boating, Lake Champlain Sailing, Sail Boat, Sail Storage, Sailing, Vermont, Vermont Boating, vermont sailing, Winterizing, Winterizing Sailboats

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 12th, 2008 at 10:00 pm and is filed under The Boatyard, The Boatyard: Boating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.