Want Your Boat To Last Forever? Key Tips To Follow
Boats are a massive investment. They cost almost as much as a house, sometimes more. You rarely use them, because you are often working to pay for them. So, it is very important that you do all you can to make sure your boat lasts forever (or close to it). Here are some key tips to follow to keep your boat in the best condition it can be for many decades to come.
Empty the Hull
There are pumps inside the hulls of these big boats that automatically pump out all the water that sloshes into the boat's hull ports. Somewhat smaller boats require you to manually pump out the water. You will want to do that whenever you take the boat out of the water, store the boat, or move the boat to a new location to avoid transporting invasive species, like zebra mussels, to another waterway.
Unless Your Boat Is Ice-Proof, You Will Need to Store It in Cold Weather
Boat storage is key to keeping your boat in excellent shape. In colder regions, your boat should be out of the water by October (sooner if you live in Alaska or the northernmost parts of northern states) and not go back into the water until early or mid-spring. If you have your own mooring place on land or in a garage, that is great. If you do not, there are numerous moving and storage companies near you that will have boat storage facilities where you can stash your boat until spring. It is a good idea to bring your boat in on its own trailer, but if you do not have a trailer, or you have a really big boat, engage a moving company with large capacity boat trailers.
Clean the Exterior and Prep for Next Season
All kinds of water creatures and plants stick to boats while the boats are not in motion. When your boat sits in the marina six days out of seven in the warmer months, you may have everything from green algae and duckweed stuck to the hull to barnacles (if your boat is on seawater). The hull needs to be cleaned and scraped thoroughly before next season so that it will not rust, corrode, or transfer potentially dangerous plants and water creatures to another location next year. A sanding may be in order, as well as a buffing and polishing to prepare the boat for storage.
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