Top 14 Tips for Safe Boat Storage

Once boating season is over, it’s time to store your boat during the offseason safely. Boat storage is mandatory to preserve the life of your boat, engine, and other components. Even in relatively mild climates, the winter can take a considerable toll on your boat because you won’t be able to address any developing issues until it is taken out of storage.

Failure to properly store your boat means you’ll likely have to deal with corrosion, wasted fuel, and plenty of other issues you won’t know about until you take it out of storage.

In this article, we’ll look at the fourteen top tips for safe boat storage to help you prepare your boat for the long winter and other times when your boat is out of the water, including:

Take Your Boat Out on the Water One Last Time Before Storage
Inspect and Clean Your Entire Boat Thoroughly
After Washing, Dry Your Boat Completely
Battery Storage and Maintenance
Exterior Corrosion Protection
Prep Your Fuel System and Gasoline
Proper Wood Care
Change All Engine Fluids
Lubricate All Moving Parts
Protect the Drive Belts
Wax the Exterior
Secure All Covers and Tie-Downs
Choosing the Best Boat Storage Location
Planning for Future Care

Following these tips will protect your boat adequately, and you shouldn’t have to get your boat serviced before hitting the water next season. Let’s begin!

1. Take Your Boat Out on the Water One Last Time Before Storage

Adequate boat storage requires taking your boat out on the water one more time.

The purpose of this trip shouldn’t be recreational. Instead, pay attention to any last repairs or troubleshooting you might discover before storing. Test your engine at different RPMs and listen to any problems during idle. For example, if your boat has issues with overheating, it may be wise to change out your water pump impeller when you get back to land.

Long periods of sitting during the winter months can easily exacerbate many boating issues. Plus, you’re more likely to forget about developing problems and hope they get better during storage (answer: they won’t). Even if you feel you can put some repairs off until next season, you’ll likely be disappointed when your boat starts to malfunction next season.

2. Inspect and Clean Your Entire Boat Thoroughly

It’s essential to clean your entire boat before storing it. Proper cleaning of the exterior and interior removes dirt, grime, pests, salt deposits, and more while preparing the boat for long-term storage. If you don’t remove these contaminants, they can spread into serious issues or reduce the efficacy of waxing before covering your vessel.

Cleaning is a big job when it comes to boat storage. Here are some tips before you clean:

Choose a dry day to clean your boat, preferably closest to when you will put away your boat.
Check for any signs of corrosion, especially around the trailer and other exposed metal components. If you find signs of corrosion, you’ll want to address them (see “Corrosion Protection” section). For example, if your cleats begin to corrode, this can lead to burrs that eat away at wires and ropes over time.
Check for fuel and oil leakage on the hull, engine compartment, and other areas of the boat. Cleaning can introduce moisture into your system, so you’ll want to be more careful around these areas until you resolve these issues.
Check for any dents or cracks in the boat’s fiberglass or gel coat. Repair using a marine-grade epoxy resin filler followed by a skim coat of high-bond primer surfacer to address imperfections before cleaning is highly recommended.

For cleaning:

Begin by opening your boat’s bilge drain plug and seacocks for complete drainage.
Start at the bow and work toward the stern, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies where contaminants like to hide.
Begin with a simple hosing down of fresh water to remove surface dirt and grime. After this, a mild soap and water solution will help you remove even more dirt.
Choose a boat cleaner formulated for all the surfaces on your boat. For example, a gel coat requires special cleaning that may not be appropriate for fiberglass decking or wood surfaces (and vice versa).
You’ll want to do as much cleaning by hand as possible to eliminate hard-to-remove substances. Use an extension handle for areas that are out of reach. (PartsVu has plenty of cleaning kits with everything you need).
Also, don’t neglect to clean the boat’s interior thoroughly. Bacteria can eat away at fabrics and materials, degrading these materials and leaving an unpleasant mildew smell that’ll be even harder to remove when you take your boat out of storage. Also, ensure that the refrigerator lockers and bait storage areas are thoroughly cleaned out, as this can be an opportunity for pests to infest your boat. Add dryer sheets to ward off areas that are prone to infestation.

3. After Washing, Dry Your Boat Completely

After washing your boat, make sure that every surface is completely dry. This helps you apply protective coatings and avoid any leftover moisture, potentially leading to mildew and rot.

One of the most efficient ways to drain water from your boat is to raise the bow and let gravity draw any water away from the boat.

For your interior, place moisture absorbers and mold control bags inside the cottage and in any other compartments to combat moisture in the air from being absorbed during boat storage.

4. Battery Storage and Maintenance

Once everything is completely dry, the next boat storage best practice involves disconnecting your batteries.

First, safely disconnect the batteries by removing the negative terminal and then the positive terminal. Use plastic caps on the exposed fasteners to prevent electrocution when dealing with multiple batteries.

Next, with the terminals exposed, you want to ensure that the batteries are completely clean of any corrosion, which can damage a battery’s ability to hold a charge after storage. Corrosion on batteries can be brown, white, or blue/green and must be scraped away with a wire brush to expose the fresh metal. Once scraped, coat them in vaseline or WD40 to avoid corrosion. Apply terminal caps and secure the batteries in a dry space.

After the terminals, check all cables for any signs of wear or damage from use. Damage can include frayed wires, burned insulation, or even a burnt smell. It may require examining your entire electrical system for shorts if you discover this.

5. Exterior Corrosion Protection

Corrosion is a severe problem for safe boat storage. While your boat is in storage, salt can accumulate on the exterior and cause serious damage.

Use a premium salt removal product, brush off debris, then wipe the whole surface with a slightly damp cloth before applying the corrosion prevention spray. Adequately coat all metal surfaces, such as trim tabs, rudders, and engine brackets. Furthermore, use good-quality, moisture-cured polyurethane paint to add another layer of protection.

6. Prep Your Fuel System and Gasoline

To prepare your fuel system before boat storage, it’s important to either a) completely siphon all of the fuel or b) stabilize your gasoline before storage. Most mechanics recommend stabilizing your fuel, which has a better chance of preventing moisture and corrosion in the fuel system. Here’s how:

Run the engine until almost empty
Add fuel stabilizer
Fill your engine almost entirely with no-ethanol gas (leave a space for the gas to expand during storage)
Run your engine(s) for 5 – 10 minutes to let the stabilizer fully circulate

7. Proper Wood Care

If you have wood on your boat, use a penetrating sealant to avoid warping, cracking, and other types of damage. Applying a coat of paint or varnish before storage can also help to add an extra layer of protection.

8. Change All Engine Fluids

For boat storage, most experts recommended changing all fluids instead of solely draining them. Only draining fluids enables corrosion moisture to accumulate during storage, wreaking havoc on the internal components.

9. Lubricate All Moving Parts

Properly lubricate all moving parts before you store your boat. Use a marine-grade lubricant for this step because most automotive oils are not suitable for water exposure or colder temperatures.

The main areas to lubricate your boat include:

Propeller shaft
The outdrive and its bushings
The outboard and its grease fittings
Cables and pulleys
Shackles and cleats
Springs
Turnbuckles
And any other grease fittings

10. Protect the Drive Belts

Do not store your engine’s drive belts at tension. With freezing and thawing temperatures, the quality of the belts will degrade, leading to cracks. Therefore, either loosen the drive straps or remove them until next season.

11. Wax the Exterior

When you’ve finished all the steps, give your boat a final waxing to give the boat an attractive look and stop corrosion. You may also want to plug any ports on your outboards with wax to ensure a water-tight fit (just remember to remove this wax completely next season).

12. Secure All Covers and Tie-Downs

As the last step for safe boat storage, protect your vessel with a quality storage cover to prevent it from collecting dust and grime while in storage. Select a cover that repels UV rays, resists water, and is properly fitted to your boat. The cover should be big enough to cover your boat completely, yet not so large that it becomes unmanageable.

You’ll also want to secure all tie-downs as you cover your boat. Securing the tie-downs will help prevent the boat from moving while in storage, preventing any tilting or grinding against the boat rack.

13. Choosing the Best Boat Storage Location

Choose a storage location with moderate humidity levels and temperatures between 10°C – 32°C (50°F – 90°F). Choose the best option, preferably a location away from waterways, foliage, direct sunlight, and other outdoor elements.

If you have the option, use a storage rack for your boat so that it isn’t directly touching the ground to avoid pests and will stay free of moisture.

If you don’t have space on your property for self-storage, plenty of marine companies specialize in boat storage. These companies can handle the entire storage/winterization process for you if you have the cash, or they can store your boat when you’re ready.

14. Planning for Future Care

Proper boat maintenance is a year-round affair, so make sure you have a proper plan for maintenance when you take it out of storage.

In an ideal world, you’ll want to turn over your ignition and hit the water once you take it out of long-term storage. Of course, you may leave some tasks until the following season, such as replacing a propellor or all of your fuel lines, but it’s important to

make a checklist for all the repairs you intend to do in the following season. Additionally, make a list of all necessary tools or equipment required to fix anything on board before next season.
Schedule any needed interval maintenance, such as the 100-hour, 300-hour, 500-hour, and other service intervals.
Collect all of the parts and products you need ahead of time. Safely store these items, so they don’t get contaminated, corroded, or warped by excessive heat.

And if you need work performed by a qualified marine mechanic, book them in advance. If you don’t, you may wait for weeks while everyone else is enjoying the new boating season!

As you can see, there’s a lot involved with boat storage and winterization. That being said, nearly any amateur boater can use these boat storage tips to preserve the life of their boat’s interior, exterior, outboard motor, and fuel systems for years to come. Best of all, you gain valuable insights about your boat that’ll help you avoid hefty repair costs and maintain your boat’s warranty for its entire duration.

Browse PartsVu’s complete catalog for over 200,000 quality OEM parts and products for all major brands (Yamaha, Mercury, MerCruiser, Suzuki, and more), as well as the tools you need to get the job done. Being proactive means saving money and enjoying your boat when you finally take it out on the water again.