Winterizing your Boat

Since taking the boat out of the water for the season the weather has been tough to winterize the boat but I finally got to it yesterday. Some folks pay a lot of money to do this but it is fairly easy to do. I hope these tips help.

The first thing I do when I get the boat home is power wash the hull to remove the scum while it's still fresh. Don't worry about any barnacles on the hull because you will be able to scrape them off easy in the Spring before you touch up your bottom paint.

Next I pour marine grade fuel stabilizer ( blue stuff ) in to the fuel tanks. I use a pint on each side.
Place your ears on your lower end of the outboard....not your ears ears..LOL but a sort of clamp with suction cups that you attach a garden hose to. Place the ears over the intake vents behind the prop.

Turn the water on and start the engine, let it run for a little while to make sure the stabilizer gets in the carburetors.While its running turn off your fuel switch and let the motor run till it runs dry. Some folks have the engine fogged, I've never done it so I don't know if it's good or bad.

Changing the lower end fluid is important One it's lets you see if you have water in the oil which means your seals are gone. And two it lets you see if you have any metal chips in the oil . Unscrew the top screw on the lower end then on do the bottom one. Drain oil and take a look at the bottom screw. The bottom screw should have a magnet on it . Check for metal flakes and if the oil is milky you have water.

If everything looks alright refill your lower end fluid. Some products come with a hose that screws into the lower end or what looks like a caulking tube. Fill from the bottom hole first till it comes out the top hole.. Your done.  
 

Remove engine cover and spray WD 40 on wires and linkage. This keeps moisture from rusting parts and keeps wiring from drying up.

I have been having my boat shrinkwrapped the last 4 yrs and it is well worth it come Spring time. You can pay anywhere from $8 to $10 a foot and for a little more they can put a zipped door in if you what to.
Anyway it's not hard to do.

Sea Ya

The Capt.    

    

Last Boating Day of the Season

I don't know where the summer went, but here it is the last day. All in all I had a good fishing charter season and it was great to see my regulars and new customers. The Striper fishing was strange this year with most of the big fish being caught in deep water instead of in the mouth of the Merrimack River.

Next season I'll be looking at some changes at the marina as we have new owners. I've heard they plan to push the marina out closer to the channel to accommodate more boat slips and push the gas docks out and widen it to accommodate four boats at the same time.

I don't know what will happen to the old Fish Tale Diner ,some say it was sold and to be moved to a new location and I've heard they may turn it into a Tiki Bar. With all these changes I knew my slip fee would go up and it did by four hundred.

I don't plan to move because I still have the best deal and location on the river. I just hope they will let the charterboat captains operate with no restrictions.

The take out went smooth with us going out to sea and picking up the lobster traps for the last time. We had bugs in every one but only one keeper the rest were either shorts or eggers. We headed back in and put the traps in the back of the truck.

The guys went to the boatyard and picked up my boat trailer and met me up river at Cashmans Park boat ramp. I always feel a little sad as I putt up river looking at all the empty mooring balls and boat slips but I'm also happy that I get to do what I love.

My wife is also happy because she has a list a mile long of chores to do around the house.
I'll talk about winterizing your boat on my next blog.

Sea Ya
The Capt.