10 Tips for Preparing Your Sailboat for Winter
Shortly after the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October, many Chesapeake sailors close their boating season. While it can be tough to bid adieu to our vessels, autumn is a great time to ensure successful spring commissioning. Whether you contract your boat’s winterization, DIY, or blend the two, here are 10 tips for your vessel’s winter spa treatments.
1. Inspecting the boat. If you didn’t keep a running list this season, take a hard look at your boat. Pretend you are once again a wary buyer, noting cracks, wear, and corrosion. A good DIY cleaning, above and below decks, may illuminate defects you might overlook if you contract the work to others. If your boat is on the hard, use a moisture meter to detect potential trouble areas that might be hidden by paint and gelcoat. Inspect the prop and rudder as well as steering cables, replace zincs, lubricate seacocks, clean battery terminals, tighten clamps, and clean the bilge. A thorough review of your boat at the beginning of winter will help you decide what repairs need to be prioritized before spring.
2. Inspecting the rig. Standing and running rigging should also be inspected for wear or chafing, including sheaves, blocks, and other moving parts. Memories are fresher after a season of raising sails and might identify needed repairs aloft, such as a broken windex. We don’t often unstep our mast, but when we do, we use the opportunity to inspect items that are tough to service. Recently, while the mast was down due to professional re-rigging, we confirmed our air draft measurement. There’s always an advantage to having components within easy reach.
3. Removing sails and canvas. There are only two days per year that sailors want a no-wind day, and removing sails in the fall is one of them. It can be helpful to anchor out for this task which assures the bow will be pointed into the wind if breezes shift. If your sails are large and heavy, it may be easier to flake them on the deck rather than wrestling them onto the dock and searching for a large clean area. As we remove each sail, we inspect conditions and decide if professional washing and storage is necessary, or if we can simply store them below decks. Additionally, we remove our dodger, full enclosure, and sun screens for winter cleaning and repairs.
4. Eliminating all water. To prevent winter’s freeze from damaging vessels, all water must be removed. Draining the freshwater system and filling lines with proper non-toxic antifreeze rated for anticipated temperatures also requires remembering every possible pump that could contain water. A checklist prepared for your specific boat is essential and might include potentially overlooked areas such as the stern shower, shower sump, and anchor washdown. Our checklist reminds us to remove the Sea Gull filter before using antifreeze and to drain the hot water tank via its bypass so antifreeze doesn’t leave an odor. We also remove all liquids from the boat, including soaps, cleansers, and sunscreens.
5. Winterizing engine(s). Whether you contract with a mechanic or winterize your engine yourself, there are three essential steps for cold storage: change the oil and oil filter; change the fuel filter and stabilize the fuel; and drain water from the engine or replace with antifreeze. We typically DIY our engine winterization. For step three, a five-gallon bucket of antifreeze is sufficient for our inboard diesel, though extra bottles are nearby if needed. Our raw water intake valve is clearly labeled, and we installed a bypass valve to make the process easier. Using our headsets (see spinsheet.com/headsets), the person above decks can communicate below decks when enough antifreeze has been circulated. We repeat the process for our generator.
6. Haul out or leave in? With electric bubblers and relatively mild winters of late, leaving boats in the water is not as risky if sailors frequently visit and monitor their boats, especially during winter weather events. For a few years, we alternated hauling out and leaving in. During the spring of 2020, we were especially delighted that we had left our boat in the water since the pandemic shuttered marinas which delayed splashings. We got lucky that year. But we also have reaped the benefits of “being on the hard” where it’s easier to work on components that need more than a short spring haul to be attended. If you decide to haul out, be sure to contract with a marina early. And last out is often first in!
7. To cover or not? There are as many opinions about covering boats for the winter as there are about whether to haul out. We cover our boat each winter but have many friends who never even consider it. We have found that winter enclosures keep water and snow off the boat and extend the life of our gelcoat and brightwork. Vented covers are essential to preventing mildew, and we have been pleased that our boats have never had a moisture problem.
8. Leveraging technology. Monitoring boats over the winter has improved due to recent technological advancements. In addition to well-placed cameras, several apps can keep you in touch with your vessel. We monitor batteries year-round with an app, which is especially helpful during the winter when our boat is on jack stands and not connected to power. Remarkably, our solar panels keep the starter and house banks charged, even with a winter cover.
9. Added touches. As you complete your checklist, consider a few added touches that could make you a welcome neighbor in your marina. Often there are liveaboards and marina staff who live or work near stored vessels. Clanging halyards can be a nuisance, as are empty in-mast furling systems. We innovated a solution by pushing vertically sliced swim noodles up our mast, surrounding the mechanism, and silencing the annoying noise.
10. Review and understand. “Boat winterization” does not enjoy a universal definition. Asking a marina to winterize the engine and freshwater system doesn’t mean that seacocks will be closed and heads will be winterized. Boaters should delineate or request a written contract that details all necessary tasks within a timeframe that occurs before the first hard freeze. If leaving your boat in the water, also understand if the marina will inspect lines and bilges over the winter. Review owner’s manuals of additional equipment that may be installed to assure appropriate winter protection to your electronics and other systems.
Note: We have found “The Boaters Guide to Winterizing” from Boat US to be a great guide for any boater.
About the author: Captain Cheryl Duvall is a USCG Licensed Master, Inland 100 GRT, and is the program director for the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association (CAPCA). She sails her Gozzard 44 Belle Bateau out of Annapolis. Reach her at [email protected] or sailingbelle.net.
