Boat Storage

If you are a boat owner and need to store your boat during the winter there are few alternatives than to pay a boat yard the high price for storing your boat. But you can do it a lot cheaper by storing it yourself in your back yard.

Depending on the size of your boat, boat storage cost can run from as low as $300 dollars to as much as $600 dollars, depending on your boat’s requirements and if the marina stores the boat on an outside rack or inside a storage building. In every storage situation a boat must be preserved to prevent damage to the engine (motor) and the boat structure. As most boats are made out of fiberglass there is little that needs to be done to the hull beyond a thorough cleaning.

However, the interior such as cushions and storage lockers require cleaning and preservation. If your boat motor is an outboard motor preparing and preserving for storage is much easier than an inboard motor. The water is drained from an outboard motor each time it is taken out of the water. Inboard motors do not drain by itself when the boat is taken out of the water. They require that all water be drained for winter storage to prevent damage from freezing.

This high cost of boat storage can be minimized by storing the boat yourself in an outside environment as long as it is preserved properly and properly covered. A large tarp (canvas) is adequate to protect a boat through the winter season providing it covers the entire boat and has ventilation to reduce the greenhouse effect from the sun and trapped moisture.

The boat storage checklist below is offered as a guide to storing a pontoon boat with an outboard motor on its trailer outside.

Remove all equipment from the boat including items in storage lockers. Store them in the   garage or basement.

Thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the boat.

• Preserve the motor as follows:

• Remove the cowling to gain access to the motor.

• Do not drain the oil from the crank case.

• Remove the spark plugs and spray approximately one ounce of WD40 into each cylinder, Fig – 1.

• Reinstall the spark plugs.       

• Motor the engine a few seconds to ensure that the complete inside of the cylinder is coated with WD40 oil.

• Replace the fuel and oil filter in accordance with owner’s manual.

• Drain the fuel from each carburetor. Most boats have a drain screw for draining the carburetors, Fig - 2.

• Install the motor cowling

• Plug the air intake into the motor to prevent bird nesting or rodent entry, Fig – 3. 

                                        Fig - 1                               Fig. - 2                                Fig. - 3