After the summer is over and all the summer fun has been had, its time to put your boat away for the winter. Some people choose to leave their boat docked in the water while others will find a warm comfortable place to keep their boat away from the winter elements. Either way there are some things you will need to do to protect your boat. The following paragraphs describe how to properly store your boat for the winter.

Storing Your Boat on land

Storing your boat on land is the best way to keep it from the harshest elements of winter. It also prevents blisters from developing around the hull area as a result of water soaking into any laminated area beneath the waterline. You should disconnect the battery and keep it at home for ease of maintenance and for prevention against theft. Also, another advantage of taking your boat off the water is that you will be able to thoroughly clean the outside of the boat.

Leaving Your Boat On The Water

If you decide to keep your boat in the water during the winter, you will need to keep the battery running so that the bilge pump can continue to function if required. However, the first priority is to make sure that all valves have been tightly closed to protect the thru-hulls. If you neglect to do this, not only will your boat possibly sink, but you may have to spend a lot of money on repairs. The only thru-hull which should be kept open is the cockpit drain, but you should clamp it with a hose made of stainless steel.

If you know that your boat is likely to be subject to freezing temperatures over the winter, you'll need to use some kind of de-icing system or install some kind of bubble system. It's also important that you check on your boat every few weeks or so over the winter months. If you're not going to be around, try to arrange for someone to check on it for you.

On land and in the water

Whether you're keeping your boat in the water or bringing it ashore, you need to cover it completely with a proper boat canvas cover. Make sure that the cover fits snugly and is well maintained. You can also buy special mould and mildew bags and situate them around the interior of the boat. This will prevent the boat from collecting any unpleasant odors and it will make your cleaning the boat in the spring time much easier.