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According to the weather forecast, we are in for a bit of seasonal
weather, in other words, it’s
gonna get cold and stay that way for a while. If you
are like me, ready to embark on hunting
season now that it feels more like hunting season, you need to remember
to take care of your boats
and watercrafts before it gets much colder. Even if you plan
on using your fishing boat during the
winter, there are a few things you need to do in order to protect
your investment and avoid costly
repairs.
If you own a boat that you will definitely not be using during the
cold weather months, such as an
inboard ski boat or a personal watercraft, you should consider having
it winterized by a professional.
Here in Corsicana, Blake’s Boats can drain the water from your motor,
fog it to protect the inside of
the motor and get it ready for the cold months ahead. Spending
a few dollars now can help reduce
the risk of spending a lot of dollars in the spring, when you get
out to the lake and find you have
severe damage to your motor. Call Lamar Blake at 903-872-1292
to set an appointment or to get
supplies, should you want to do it yourself.
A good choice for your
personal watercraft winterization is Kenneth Napps of Cedar Creek
Watersports. I bought my PWC from them and Kenneth does all
of the work on it. He has been
selling and servicing PWC’s since they came out. Like Blake’s
Boats, Cedar Creek Watersports
does a thorough job at a reasonable price. You can reach
Kenneth at 903-451-9585 to set up an
appointment.
Now, what if you plan on using your fishing boat during the winter
months, like I do. For starters,
try to get your boat inside somewhere. The garage would
be a great place. If you cannot use the
garage or do not have one, it might be worth the money to rent a
storage space for you boat to
protect it from the elements during the cold weather months.
The price of the storage unit for a few
months would certainly be cheaper than repairing a motor damaged
by freezing weather. If both of
these options are out of the question, at least get the boat covered
with a tarp or boat cover. This
will not be as good as being stored inside, but it will be better
than nothing.
Each time that I come off of the water during cold weather months,
I pull the drain plug on my
boat and store it jacked up so the water will run out of it.
I turn on my aerator pumps and bilge
pumps to make sure all of the water is out of the lines to prevent
them from breaking in freezing
weather. I also trim my motor all the way down after coming
off the ramp to allow the water to drain
out of the lower unit of my motor. Water trapped inside the
lower unit can freeze causing severe
damage to the seals and the lower unit housing. This is especially
important for boats stored
outside.
If you must store your boat outside during freezing weather, as
I have had to do in the past, it
might be a good idea wrap the lower unit and prop with a plastic
bag to prevent water from entering
the lower unit should it rain, sleet or snow. It is
also advisable for boats being stored outside to be
stored with the motor trimmed down to help prevent water from entering
the motor. Finally, don’t
forget the batteries. I like to keep my batteries charged
up at all times. I never know when the
weather might turn nice and I want to go fishing, but more importantly,
it is better for your batteries
to keep them charged. They will last longer if you keep them
charged. It is extremely important to
protect them from freezing. If necessary, remove them from
the boat and store them somewhere
they can be protected from freezing.
If you have any question about winterizing your boats, please give
Lamar Blake or Kenneth
Napps a call. They will be happy to answer any questions you
might have or set you up with an
appointment to get the work done. By taking care of our boat
now, before you loose site of the
need, you will save yourself a lot of headaches and heartaches,
not to mention cash when you are
ready to use it again.
Until next time, enjoy
the Texas Outdoors.
Email: lester01@airmail.net
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