This time of year Vans Sport Center is basically in winterization mode. Almost all of our mechanics are either winterizing motors or shrink wrapping boats. We still have some service work and new or used outboard installation jobs to take care of, but we are far less busy with that work in the fall months.

The purpose of winterizing your boat is to prevent any potential damage of leaving water in dangerous places when freezing temperatures arrive. Repairing damage due to freezing is a costly expense, and in some cases the damage can be so bad that boaters are forced to replace their whole engine. This can be a huge price to pay for being too lazy to bring your boat to a marina or winterize it yourself.

When we winterize boats for customers, we generally make sure to get rid of all water first. This is the most crucial part of winterizing. If you are going to winterize your boat on your own make sure to drain all water from pipes, plumbing lines, exhaust manifolds, sewage tanks, and most importantly, the engine. Any water left to freeze in these areas can cause significant and costly damage to your boat during winter.

We then add a fuel stabilizer to the motors fuel. It is important to make sure that the stabilized fuel is distributed throughout your fuel system. After that we will go ahead and lubricate the engine, change the gear lube, fog the cylinders with a fogging oil, and grease all of the joints and bearings.

Once you have your motor winterized we suggest you shrink wrap your boat for the winter months especially if you are storing your boat outdoors. Doing so helps keep water out of your boat and the shrink wrap will also hold up to the heavy build up of snow during the winter months.

If you choose to not shrink wrap your boat for winter it would be a good idea to get yourself a good cover. Don't just use a tarp that you got at the hardware store because it was on sale. Protect your investment and make sure that your cover is designed to handle the extra weight of snow build-up and that it has a snug fit to keep unwanted visitors, like rodents, off the boat. Some people place moth balls in the boat to deter any critters looking to chew on wires or find a nice dry place to call home. Once you have a solid cover, find a way to raise the bow high enough to create a slight angle. Also don't forget to remove the drain plug! This step is important for storage because it provides drainage for any water that may enter the boat over the next few months.