Preparing your boat for winter

by Mark Jardine 30 Oct 12:00 GMT

As we head towards winter, the likelihood of storms increases, so it is important to ensure that your boat is protected from the elements and ready for the cold.

This doesn't just help you avoiding an insurance claim, it will extend the life of your boat, fittings, ropes, sails and engine. The last thing anyone wants is to have to sort a repair when the weather turns nice again and you want to get out on the water.

I spoke to Adam Swallow at Noble Marine for some handy hints and tips to help you prepare.

Sails

Rodent damage is most likely when you leave your sails on board your boat. When it's cold, a mouse likes nothing more than finding a nice warm home and using your sails as insulation for its nest.

Take your sails home and, if possible, suspend them in a garage so that mice find them hard to get to, let alone, use them for nesting. Bringing them home will also keep them in top condition, extending their life and performance, as well as help avoid mould and mildew developing on them.

On a yacht, if you have a jib on a furler, or a mainsail stowed on the boom, then take these off and store at home, or at least keep the jib inside a good quality sock.

Seeing a jib slightly unfurled and flapping in the breeze is a sorry sight and will quickly render that sail unusable.

Taking them off the boat will also dramatically reduce the windage on the rig, which can become a serious problem in a storm, and contribute to a boat breaking from its anchor chain.

Rigging and Halyards

If you can, running the halyards so that they're not slapping against the mast when in the wind will help prolong their life, as well as protecting them from salt in the air and UV damage. If you can take the mast down safely on a dinghy, then it can help reduce the chances of the boat capsizing in the dinghy park in a strong wind.

Tie down your boat

Securing your dinghy to the ground or a decent weight can help prevent it capsizing while ashore. If you have eyes in the ground in your dinghy park, then use them, tying a strong rope between them and your shroud base each side. The same goes if you have a secure point near the front of your boat, which you can tie to the forestay fitting on the bow.

If you don't have any eyes in the ground, then it is simple enough to make suitable weights with eyes by filling a bucket with quick setting concrete, available at most hardware stores, pouring into a bucket or old large paint can, and hanging a stainless steel eye bolt on a rope into the concrete so the eye is just showing, then adding water as per the instructions to harden the concrete.

Other tips include opening your self-bailer to stop the boat filling with water and angling is so it's flat or, if it's an open transom design, ensuring the bow is lifted so that the boat naturally drains towards the stern.

Water Tanks and Engines

On a yacht, it is worth emptying your water tank so that it doesn't freeze, when the water would expand and can crack containers and pipes. Leaving taps open can provide a route for expanding water when it does freeze to help stop pipe cracking.

With engines it can be worth putting a rag or cloth into air intakes to stop anything getting into them.

In both these cases, be sure to have a big note written on the boat in an obvious position to remind you what precautions you have taken, so you don't get caught out!

With outboard engines, if you boat remains on the water then make sure it is tilted up, and flush through the water system well with fresh water before the end of the season.

Remember to keep your engine regularly maintained. Having a professional service it will prolong its life, keep it running at best efficiency, and give you peace of mind.

Bilge Pumps

Keeping a bilge pump on can help prevent your boat sinking in heavy rain. Make sure your batteries are in good condition, as they don't perform as well as cold temperatures, and also ensure they are fully charged.

A solar trickle charger can be a very worthwhile investment and will help keep the battery topped up when the bilge pump is working more during the winter.

Check that your bilge is clean and free of debris, such as flaked paint or wood, as this can quickly block a bilge pump and stop it from working.

Trailers

Grease your bearings and make sure the brakes aren't seizing on. If you can, jacking up your trailer and putting the frame onto suitable blocks, so that the wheels are just off the ground, will make it easy to occasionally spin the wheels.

If your trailer is one that goes into saltwater to launch, then rinse well with freshwater to avoid corrosion.

On braked trailers, either chocking or raising the wheels, and then leaving the handbrake off can help stop the brakes seizing on.

Finally, secure your trailer well. Make sure the tow hitch is locked, if it has one, or use a universal hitch lock and wheel lock, which are also available in most good hardware stores.

Do's and Don'ts

Adam had some other really good points about things not to do, including:

• Don't put your boat on a roof rack when it's windy. There is a serious risk of it flying off, particularly when the straps aren't yet on.

• Do your preparation early. Don't do it in the middle of a storm!

• Do check on your boat regularly to check the cover is on securely, it's not pooling water anywhere, and it is still firmly tied down.

It may seem like a lot to do, but it's actually very quick, and once you've done it, you'll sleep better knowing your pride and joy is prepared for winter and ready for when you next want to go and enjoy your time on the water.