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Successful Winter Storage!

October '08 - Update:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

HOW TO AVOID THE SIX MOST COMMON BOAT WINTERIZING MISTAKES

Free BoatU.S. Winterizing Guide Available

ALEXANDRIA, VA, October 28, 2008 - With winter approaching, BoatU.S. Marine Insurance has reviewed its claim files and reports the following six most common mistakes made when winterizing a boat:

1. Failure to winterize the engine: Freezing temperatures occur in all 50 states and while they are taken seriously up north, it's the balmy states of California, Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia where boaters are most likely to have freeze-related damage to engine blocks. It routinely occurs to boats stored ashore here. Boats left in a slip are less susceptible to sudden freezing as the surrounding water retains heat longer than air.

2. Failure to drain water from sea strainer: If your winterizing plan calls for draining the engine, the seawater strainer must be winterized or residual water could freeze and rupture the watertight seal. Sometimes you won't know it's damaged until spring launching and water begins to trickle in.

3. Failure to close seacocks: For boats left in the water, leaving seacocks open over the winter is like going on extended vacation without locking the house. If a thru-hull cannot be closed, the vessel must be stored ashore - the sole exception is cockpit drains. Heavy snow loads can also force your boat under, allowing water to enter thru-hulls that are normally well above the water line.

4. Clogged petcocks: Engine cooling system petcocks clogged by rust or other debris can prevent water from fully draining. If one is plugged, try using a coat hanger to clear the blockage or use the engine's intake hose to flush anti-freeze through the system.

5. Leaving open boats in the water over winter: Boats with large open cockpits or low freeboard can easily be pushed underwater by the weight of accumulated ice and snow. Always store them ashore.

6. Using biminis or dodgers as winter storage covers: A cover that protects the crew from the sun does a lousy job protecting the boat from freezing rain and snow. Unlike a bonafide winter cover, biminis and dodgers tend to rip apart and age prematurely by the effects of winter weather.

To get a free copy of the BoatU.S. Winterizing Guide full of tips to help you prepare your vessel for the winter, go to http://www.BoatUS.com/seaworthy/winter
or call 800-283-2883.

My Brother-In-Law is the Technical Editor for "Porsche Market Letter", a great newsletter for Porsche Fanatics. In one of his articles, he articulated something we all know: If you bring your car to a shop to be worked on, and it is littered with beer cans and other crap, the guy working on your car will take just a little less interest in your car than if it were clean, neat and tidy. This is the Brush-Your-Teeth-Before-Visiting-The-Dentist attitude.

When you store your boat for the winter, and particularly if you know there will be people working on it, tidy things up a bit before hand.

Specifically, before closing the hatch for Winter:
-TAKE ALL THE LOOSE GEAR OFF YOUR BOAT. It Will Mildew if you don't! Your expensive gear is better kept at home. And it gets in the way if we work on your boat. If we launch for you, LEAVE TWO DOCK LINES AND TWO BUMPERS, That's It.
-FILL YOUR GAS TANK 95% FULL. There are good reasons to do this. Check the links below.
-EMPTY YOUR BILGE BEFORE YOU GET HERE. To dispose of oily, dirty, water, we (YOU) have to Pay a Hazardous Waste Removal Company (Safety-Kleen, in our case) to burn it. It Is Expensive. Very Expensive. See our Ground Rules Link below.
-EMPTY YOUR HOLDING TANK BEFORE YOU GET HERE. We have to hire a truck to do this for you at Wise Marine, and it is easier and cheaper to get this done at a pump out station before you arrive.
-TALK WITH US. Let us know what you want, and don't want, us to do. This is an ongoing conversation about your boat. We enjoy boats and like to talk about them. Let us know what you are thinking about your boat.

Check these links below for some other, Solid, Winterizing Information.

No one is perfect. And we don't expect everything to be perfect on your boat (in fact, we are here to help you get there!) And you can expect us to pay attention and do our best to help you enjoy your boat!

The links below are to Boat U.S. articles that go into some depth about the preparing your boat for winter storage and the winterizing process.

Please don't hesitate to give us feedback on this information, and, like I said, we love to talk about boats...Cheers!

Links
Recommendations on Storing Ethanol-Enhanced Gasoline
Articles on Ethanol
Boat U.S., Seaworthy Magazine: Winterizing Your Boat
The "Ground Rules" For Boat Storage at Wise Marine.