Checklist, Please

Boat winterizing is an annual process for many boat owners, and most would agree that a checklist is invaluable to keeping track of the many tasks, large and small. Recently I followed this approach, but met with a few snafus, which you might want to note to ease your progress in this area.

First, before pulling the boat, I changed the engine oil and filters. The good news is that the task was well-placed on the list; the bad news was that I forgot to write down the engine weight and filter numbers. Buying two grades of oil from Auto Zone and getting some last minute filter choices off the local marine dealer shelf worked, but it wasn’t the smoothest process.

Second, on the pull date, I went through the process of running fresh water through the engine, draining the block, and refilling it with antifreeze. That went pretty well, but if I had put bilge plug removal on the list before the engine  procedure, there would have been a lot less splashing around.

Third,  when I went to check the drive oil dipstick for level and contamination, I discovered that I didn’t have the right bit for my impact wrench; checking the toolbox for all the right tools before leaving the house would have been smart.

Other things that came up at the last minute included; knowing grease nipple locations; disconnecting the bilge pumps; shutting off the fuel supply; shutting off the batteries; and  bringing extra cords to tie down the cover. You get the idea.

Now, I’ve winterized my boat annually for over 20 years, so I typically catch my mistakes before suffering any negative consequences. But with a little more forethought, there might not have been so many to catch. Take a couple minutes before getting involved in this important process, you’ll be glad you did.