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Sailboats at their moorings in Newport harbor at dusk

Laying up for winter: a checklist for New England boat owners

Engine, water, fuel, batteries and cover — the jobs to do before the freeze, and the ones to leave to your yard.

BoaterBase Editor

A good lay-up is the difference between launching in April and spending May chasing a cracked block or a dead battery. Here is the short version. Your engine and equipment manuals come first, and if your yard does the work, use this list to agree what is on the contract.

Before the boat comes out

  • Book the haul-out and decide: indoor storage, outdoor on stands, or shrink-wrapped in the yard.
  • Run the engine to temperature and change the oil and filter while it is warm — old oil holds acids that sit on the bearings all winter.
  • Fill the fuel tank close to full and add stabilizer, then run the engine long enough to draw treated fuel through. A full tank leaves less room for condensation.

Water is the enemy

  • Raw-water cooling: flush with non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze until it runs out of the exhaust.
  • Fresh-water system: drain the tanks and water heater, then pump antifreeze through every tap and the shower until it runs pink.
  • Heads and holding tank: pump out, flush, and leave antifreeze in the lines.
  • Bilge: dry it and clean it. Water left in the bilge will freeze.

Systems and gear

  • Batteries: charge fully. Take them home, or leave them on a smart charger or a solar maintainer if the yard allows.
  • Outboards and sterndrives: fog the cylinders, grease the fittings and change the gear oil — milky oil means water got in.
  • Electronics, cushions and sails: take home what you can. Dry sails before bagging them.
  • Through-hulls: close them once the boat is out, and leave a note at the helm listing everything you closed.

Under cover

  • Wash the hull while it is still wet from the water, and look for blisters and dings.
  • Make sure the cover or shrink-wrap has vents; trapped moisture means mildew.
  • Check on the boat after the first big storm.

Most BoaterBase marine services offer winter storage and lay-up packages — find one near you.

Photo: Newport harbor, Adrian Scottow, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Keywords

  • guide
  • maintenance
  • winter