LAYING UP GUIDE
Here's our handy guide to preparing your boat for the winter. We look at the boat's interior, exterior and machinery.
1. Keeping You Boat Interior Fresh
The inside of your boat is an area particularly prone to the effects of damp and mould over the winter, normally caused by condensation.
We stock a range of Dehumidifiers and Moisture Traps that can help keep your boat interior in top condition. A great product to help with this is the August Race ‘Boat Bomb’, which fogs the interior of your boat with an anti-mould formula.
Other great ideas are Tube Heaters and a bit of Ventilation. Leaving cushions and storage hatches propped up can help air circulate. You should also make sure you don’t forget to empty Holding Tanks and leave either fresh water or no water in the toilet bowl – sea water will cause smells over time.
2. Exterior Winter Boat Care
For smaller vessels, a good winter Boat Cover is a great idea, it’s also worth covering seats and consoles as this helps should any wind or rain get past your Main Cover or Tarpaulin.
If you have a RIB, it’s well worth applying a UV protection to the tubes if you don’t have an all-over RIB Cover. Camper covers and biminis are often best taken down for the winter. \
It’s also worth applying a Coat of Wax to the hull now, as this will prevent things such as leaves from leaving Stains on the hull, and will also help protect it from any UV damage (the sun does still shine occasionally in the winter!).
3. Winterising Your Engine and Machinery
Engines are a topic in their own right, but the basics are relatively easy.
Your engines main enemy is the cold, particularly in the form of ice which can expand and crack cylinder blocks and pumps. This can also affect the fresh water system inside the boat, so it’s worth either draining the system or adding a Non-Toxic antifreeze.
Check your Engine Coolant contains the required amount of Antifreeze, or use a Tube Heater to keep machinery spaces a bit warmer.
Outboard motors can benefit from a Outboard Motor Cover as this keeps the elements away, or if the engine is small enough remove it altogether and keep it on an Outboard Trolley or Bracket it in a shed or garage. Storing Fuel is a consideration too, Fuel Tanks are best left either full or empty, and a Fuel Stabiliser is a good idea for petrol, and a Diesel Bug Treatment for diesel.
If you boat is remaining afloat over the winter, check Bilge Pumps are running as they should, and that the battery is being Charged & Maintained.
Happy Sailing!
