Myrtle Beach and winter boat layup…what to do

The southeast coast (Myrtle Beach, SC) enjoys year round boating so what should we do for winter layup?  Let me give you a few practical tips.  First of all, think of it as an opportunity to do some housekeeping.  This is a good time to go through the boat from bow to stern making everything clean and neat and dry.  A Shop-Vac can do a whale of a job sucking up sand and debris and water and well, just about anything.  And remember, housekeeping includes  the bilge, too!  The bilge should be left dry and spotless so that any new problem that arises can easily be spotted.

Make a list of all of the maintenance tasks you perform so that you aren’t doing them again in the spring.  Make a list of “special items” such as which seacocks are closed or a hose left disconnected, or what bolts need to be re-tightened for the engine belt, etc.  Leave water tanks drained and faucets open.

You can cover the boat if possible.  This protect it from rain and UV sunlight damage, and pollutants in the air such as acid rain and carbon dust from power plants.  Outboard engines need to be winterized.  Water can be trapped in the cooling passages and freeze and crack the housing or engine block.  Salt-Away is a good product available from (saltawayproducts.com).  It combines with the salt and washes out the cooling passages to minimize corrosion.  Fogging is another technique that is recommended for outboard engines.  With the engines fuel supply shutoff, spray fogging oil into the air intake until the engine dies.  Then remove the spark plugs and spray fogging oil into the cylinders.

If you haul you boat to a yard, REMOVE the propeller.  This is something that could go missing come spring.  Out of sight, out of mind.  If the propeller has dings this is a good time to get it re-furbished.

Changing the oil is always a good idea.  Sitting idle is harder on the engine that running it regularly because engines are self lubricating when running.  When not running then the oil drains off of critical journal and bearing surfaces that leaves them unprotected and open to rusting.

Gasoline stabilizer prevents the fuel in the tank from breaking down.  Since gasoline has a useful life span, it can be extended by using fuel stabilizer.  Coolant, oil and gasoline cannot be pumped overboard, ever.  These items should be disposed of properly according to yard or marina instructions.

Well there you have it, a few good tips to keep your boat ship shape and ready for the coming boating season. If you need help with any of these tasks go to my website www.adamsmobilemarinerepair.com or call me.  We come to your boat 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Adam Wells

Certified Marine Mechanic

843-602-6545  Why wait?  Service today!