All winter you’ve been missing the experience of being on your boat. If you’re like us, you’ve probably been making do editing and sharing pictures taken on the water from last year, talking about boats with other owners on forums pages, compiling a wish list of items you want for your boat, and more. Of course, the truth is, nothing compares to the real thing. So when it comes time to get the boat ready come springtime, being thorough with inspections and following through on maintenance now will ensure more boating enjoyment all season – without down time because of problems. And if you haven’t renewed that boat registration yet, do so immediately.
Here, we’ll share 10 basics for getting a boat ready for springtime. Naturally, we’ll start with removing any cover you have, if you’ve got one. If you don’t, consider purchasing a cover because it will absolutely protect your boat from the ravages of sunlight, water spray, bird droppings, extreme weather, tree sap, falling branches, and more. Our related article Boat Covers Protect Your Vessel All Year Long provides helpful clarification of cover types and guidance for what’s ideal for your use. Once the cover’s off, a good first step is to make sure no critters or birds have snuck onboard and nested. If so, there are humane ways to trap them as to not interfere with the course of nature.
1. Surface Cleanup
When it comes to cleaning a boat, there are so many different areas and types of surfaces requiring attention. Naturally, it’s your choice whether to jump in with both feet and get everything cleaned up early on, or spread things out once you’ve got the engine and other mechanicals up and running.
In the Boat Cleaners section of our website, we’ve got surface cleaners specially formulated for aluminum, fiberglass, metal, plastics, vinyl, wood, carpeting, and more. You’ll also find cleaners designed for hard-to-remove discoloration and stains that result from bird droppings, water spots, rust stains, water scale, barnacles, and calcium - just to name a few.
First things first, though. Whatever your cleaning preferences are, it’s essential to eliminate any built-up mold and mildew immediately because it’s capable of causing serious health issues. In our Mildew & Stain Cleaners category, you’ll find a number of cleaners we stand behind. They’re all pretty easy to use – just spray them on, wait, and wipe off thoroughly. If you’ve got heavier mold or mildew stains, try Star Brite’s Slime & Grime Remover. It’s also great for boat bottoms, shower stalls, floor tile, fiberglass, wood, aluminum, cement, and non-skid decks.
In our main category page, you’ll see Refine Search check boxes along the left side of the screen. These will help you narrow your product search to find exactly the types of cleaning products you need quickly and easily.
2. Change the Engine Oil + Filter
In our boat winter preparation article, we recommend applying “fogging oil” that can be sprayed right into engine cylinders by temporarily removing each spark plug. Regardless of whether you performed that step or not at the beginning of winter, spring marks the beginning of warm weather when you’ll actually be using your engine, so performing an oil and filter change now is essential.
Located in our Boat Engine Maintenance section is a great selection of engine oil and oil filters based on engine manufacturer. Since maintaining a boat engine is typically similar to maintaining an automobile engine, we’ve also got replacement air filters, spark plugs, spark plug wires, fuel filters, and more designed for marine use.
Whether you have a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine, we recommend using synthetic motor oil. Synthetic is made in a laboratory, with uniformly sized molecules that maintain their size and viscosity much longer. For this reason, synthetics can go a whole year before starting to break down, unlike traditional motor oil. This type of oil also leaves a superior level of lubrication on all parts it comes in contact with. Cold starts at any temperature aren’t nearly as hard on moving components, and synthetic is much more stable when left sitting during winter storage months.
If you’re not sure which weight of motor oil to use, a quick look at our related article What is Oil Viscosity, and Why is It Important To Me? will prove helpful.
3. Engine Antifreeze/Coolant
Engine antifreeze/coolant has two roles. First, it lowers the freezing point of water when mixed in a 50/50 ratio. This means unless outside temperatures drop to extreme arctic levels, a 50/50 mix will not crack the engine block by freezing and expanding inside coolant channels. Secondly, the 50/50 mix raises the boiling temperature of the water in it, ensuring that the coolant stays in liquid form and continues doing its job in high heat conditions. You can call it antifreeze or coolant – in combustion engine applications, it’s the same thing. If you’re interested in the different types of coolant that exist, see our related article Antifreeze Explained: What It Does And Why It's Needed. We recommend sticking with the type of coolant your boat manufacturer recommends, however.
More about boat engine cooling systems. Most modern boat engines use a 50/50 mix of distilled fresh water and traditional antifreeze/coolant circulating inside the engine block to keep the engine cool because saltwater is too corrosive. However, in place of using a traditional air-exposed radiator to lower the temperature of the coolant itself, the 50/50 engine mix is run through corrosion-resistant tubes inside a heat exchanger that saltwater is pumped through. So, saltwater is used to keep the engine cool – just not directly inside the block.
If you topped off your 50/50 coolant level before winter, now is the time to flush the whole system out and replace it with fresh 50/50. To thoroughly rid the cooling system of any salt water residue, we recommend a motor flusher such as the Moeller Marine Dual Flow Flusher for outboard motors, and the Panther Flush Buddy Adjustable Motor Flusher for inboard motors. Each is reasonably priced, and will serve you well season after season. If instead you did the whole flush during winter prep, you can get away with just topping the level off now – assuming an inspection of the coolant reveals clear and healthy-looking fluid.
4. Check Your Fuel and Fuel Tanks
If fuel was stored in the tank over the winter, add fuel stabilizer to address water vapor that naturally settles in the tank over time. If you are able to see the fuel inside the tank, check to make sure it’s clear. But more importantly, take a good look over the fuel tank itself along with its related fittings. A metal tank that’s positioned in close proximity to bilge water sloshing around has a higher likelihood of developing corrosion and pinhole fuel leaks. Sometimes, insulation around a fuel tank can absorb enough water or moisture to be a cause of tank corrosion.
Often, performing the close inspection you’d like to is almost impossible when fuel tanks are packed into tight spaces. But just because you don’t smell an active fuel leak doesn’t mean you’re not in danger of experiencing one. Equip yourself with a good head-mounted light or inspection light and telescoping mirror, and you’ll have a far easier time peering into tight spots you’d never see otherwise. Should you determine that a new fuel tank is necessary, we’ve got a good selection of replacement fuel tanks and related straps/brackets, fuel pick-ups, caps, and gauges.
5. Check Batteries and Replace if Needed
Boats with gasoline engines commonly have one battery for starting and one or more additional batteries for powering electrical accessories.
If you’ve got an electric trolling motor onboard, it’s typically rated for 12, 24, or 36 volts of power. For each 12 of those volts, you need a 12V battery. So a 36-volt trolling motor would require three separate 12-volt batteries.
We recommend having a specially designed battery tester on hand that automatically performs load tests on your batteries, then provides you with a report on their overall health. You’ll know right away whether it’s still strong enough to be in regular service, needs a good recharging, or has dead cells and should be replaced entirely. For example, the Thinkcar Battery Tester can test a battery in its normal resting state, when it’s cranking a gas engine starter, and when the engine is running.
If You Need a New Battery
If your main battery or any other batteries have gone flat and won’t take a charge, it’s safe to say they need to be replaced. For batteries used to start gasoline or diesel engines, we recommend a marine dual purpose battery. “Dual purpose” signifies the battery is designed to be both a “starter” battery (can handle the demands of an electrical starter motor) and a “deep cycle” battery which can be run down very low before being recharged. Deep cycles are ideal for boats and classic cars that aren't started regularly and are not stored within range of an electrical outlet that facilitates the use of a trickle charger. And when you’re out parked on the water, you can use electronics, lights, and stereo without worrying about the battery so much.
Battery Chargers
Having a portable battery charger is essential for boat ownership, and we offer a range of chargers. For example, the Associated Equipment Portable Automatic Full-Rate Battery Charger and Engine Starter is a good example of a charger that’s easy to carry and powerful enough to charge a battery quickly, or even jump-start a dead one. It can maintain a trickle charge as needed to keep your battery fully charged, and it features a built-in bad battery detector.
For a lower cost, you may prefer a simple, less-powerful battery charger that has the ability to adapt its charge rate to a trickle when only a little bit is needed to maintain a full charge. Some examples are the Stanley Tools 12 V Portable Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer, Duracell 6 V/12 V Battery Charger and Maintainer, and ATD 6 V/12 V Portable Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer just to name a few.
6. Check the Propeller for Damage
The propeller is an item that’s relatively easy to check, and it’s a good idea to do so periodically, especially any time the boat is taken out of the water. Inspect the blades for obvious dents, missing chunks, or bends. Damaged propeller blades are often curled up at the ends. All these types of propeller damage usually cause shimmying vibrations when the boat’s moving through the water. Propellers also wear out due to corrosion and contact with random debris in the water. If the propeller shaft has too much play and can be wiggled around, the bearing that supports it is worn and should be replaced.
If you can’t be sure looking at the propeller, check how far each blade’s outermost edge measures from a fixed point such as the lower hull on an inboard motor, or the anti-ventilation plate on an outboard motor. On a good propeller, each blade will be the same distance from your fixed point (don’t forget to rotate the propeller as you check so that each measurement is taken in a consistent manner).
It’s possible to fill and straighten propeller blade damage, but it takes an expert to get things perfect enough to avoid out-of-balance vibrations. For a number of reasons, you’re better off replacing a compromised propeller. In our boat propellers section, you’ll find a great selection of replacement props. Simply use our selection boxes on the side to refine your search based on engine manufacturer, number of blades, material, rotational direction, diameter, pitch, and other mechanical criteria.
If you find that annoying barnacles have cemented themselves to your propeller, the Greencorp Magnetics Prop One Propeller Cleaner Kit makes it easy to get them off and keep them off. The kit includes cleaning solution for scraping the props clean along with primer coat and clear coat paints formulated to create more of a non-stick surface on the propeller blades.
7. Inspect the Hull
If your boat is out of the water, it’s an excellent opportunity to take a close look at the hull (underside) of the boat. With fiberglass hulls, the main concern is moisture penetration through the substrate and gel coat. Check for damage in the form of missing chunks that expose fiberglass strands underneath. The hull will always need cleaning, and we recommend any of the hull cleaners we stock.
You’ll also want to take a look at the keel to hull joint, which is where the reinforced keel section is attached to the fiberglass hull. If there’s a lot of cracking or moisture coming out of that joint, the keel bolts are probably loose and should be addressed.
Check the condition of the rudder to see if it has any damage. Or whether it can easily be wiggled up-and-down and left-to-right. If there’s too much play in any direction, it’s time to replace worn bearings located in those areas.
7.1 Zinc Plates (a.k.a. “Sacrificial Anodes”)
An important item to inspect is the condition of any zinc anode plate(s) bolted onto areas of the hull that are submerged. Zinc plays an important role, because it draws electrical charges that naturally occur in the water to it like a magnet, sparing nearby propellers and other important metal components on the hull from harmful galvanic corrosion. Should you find your Zinc plates have become eaten away, we’ve got replacement pieces in our hull anodes section. Note that we also have zinc anode pieces designed for rudder & trim tabs, engine areas, and propeller areas.
8. Inspect Your Boat Trailer
If you’ll be towing your boat to and from the water, it’s important not to forget a thorough inspection of the trailer. After all, there’s no point in compromising the care, maintenance, and hard work you’ve put into your boat by using an unsafe trailer that can cause disaster. Start by connecting the trailer electrics and checking the operation of all lights.
If your trailer has sat for a length of time without being used, brake components and wheel bearings tend to corrode and may need replacing – moreso if the trailer has been backed into salt water during loading and unloading. We’ve also got replacement trailer tires available individually or with wheels in your choice of steel or aluminum. And when you’re checking and adjusting tire pressures, don’t forget any spare tires mounted on the trailer.
On the trailer itself, check for broken roller wheels, and inspect bunks to make sure none of the outer protective carpeting has torn away or worn through. And if you notice winch straps or cables are frayed or compromised, don’t hesitate to replace them. Not feeling the winch you’ve got? Check out our article Trailer Winches Provide the Muscle When Loading Your Trailer for guidance on selecting a new winch that’s better for your needs.
9. What Condition are Your Seats In?
Just like in your car or home, the condition of your seating areas (or furniture) casts a reflection on the entire condition of your boat in the eyes of others that come aboard. Plus, they lower the general quality of boating life as well as resale value. Allow us to point out that you don’t have to accept ratty and stained seat upholstery and padding that have degraded through wear and tear.
Our boat seats and chairs section makes it easy to replace or upgrade your seats with stylish, innovative bolt-on replacements that have the looks, comfort, and functionality you crave. A quick look through our article On-Deck Comfort - Boat Seats, Chairs, Sofas, and Other Seating Options will show you some of the seating options available for less than you might think.
10. Life Jackets
No matter how strict you are about guests bringing life jackets on your boat, it's a safe bet somebody will forget theirs. Or, maybe everyone suddenly feels like jumping in the water for a swim. When you've got extra life jackets stowed on board, you can rest assured that everyone is protected. In many areas, requirements dictate one lifejacket be present on board for every passenger.
Life jackets are inherently valuable because they'll keep you floating effortlessly with your head above water level conserving your energy for as long as necessary. In our Life Jackets & Vests sub-section, we've got a wide selection of vests equipped with foam cores surrounded by nylon, neoprene, or polyester shells. All feature adjustable straps for a comfortable yet snug fit which fully protects the wearer.
First, non-inflating "recreational" life jackets have front and rear sections which completely cover adult torsos and cinch snugly together via straps and buckles. These represent zero-maintenance, error-proof, low-cost choices. We've also got inflatable life belts & vests, life jackets specially sized for children and pets, and Fishing Life Jackets equipped with lots of storage pockets.
In closing, we wish you great times and safe enjoyment out on the water. We think you’ll enjoy reading our article Ten Must-Have Boat Accessory Products where we discuss tried-and-true and innovative products that can better prepare you for onboard mishaps, and allow you to enjoy greater convenience.