Boat storage

[Joe S.]

If you have a boat, how do you go about storing it for the winter? Any good tips out there on effectively preventing mildew?

[Gunny Webb]

Make sure air can flow under the cover. Keep boat inside or cover with a cloth or canvas cover and wrap with a plastic tarp. The plastic keeps the water off. The purpose of a cloth cover is simple, it doesn't sweat and collect condensation on the bottom like plastic would. Air flow is the big key. Also lightly clean all the seats and cover with a vinyl treatment.

[ppine]

Drain all the water out of inboards to prevent blowing out the freeze plugs. Drain outboards. Treat fuel with stabilizer. Inject fogging oil in all cylinders. Make sure your boat has plenty of ventilation especially if it is a wood boat. Open up the canvas on a nice day in the winter to dry it out.

Prop up the bow and pull your drain plug. It is best to stow batteries in the garage or basement off the concrete and connect to a trickle charger.

For plastic and glass canoes with wood trim, loosen the screws attaching the trim to the boat. In cold weather the boat and the wood contract at different rates.

Don't let snow fall off the roof on to boats. Some canoes have been wrecked this way.

My Dad sold the plywood Chriscraft we had when I was a kid to a friend. The boat was used in MD on Chesapeake Bay which is definitely a humid climate. The guy sealed up the boat carefully in the fall. Within 2 years it was full of dry rot. Whoever came up with plastic wrap should not use it on wood boats.

[Lucy]

We use a product called DriZAir. We use it in both our travel trailer and our boat over the winter, and we have never had a mildew issue.

[den's wife]

We winterize our boat and remove clothing, and anything made of fabric that isn't attached, then cover it with a tarp. One thing that works well to keep out moisture is to run a small electric heater set at the very lowest setting to keep the inside from dropping below freezing.