Many boat owners spend hours or days getting their boat ready for winter, but when the spring thaw comes they’re so anxious to get out on the lake that they fail to do some de-winterizing. There are several areas you need to spend some time on if you’re going to get your boat in seaworthy condition for the summer boating season.

Cleaning

You need to start with some general cleaning. You want to clean the hull, the deck and the topsides. Use a mild detergent, and follow it up with a good coat of wax. Check to see that your scuppers and your drains are clear, too. You need to wipe down any metal with a metal polishing product, and you need to clean your teak and oil it. Make sure to clean the interior of the boat, as well, including your bilges.

Hull Inspection

After a thorough cleaning, spend some time on your hull. Look for scratches or other damage and make minor repairs as needed. If there are blisters, refinish them. Inspect your swim platform or ladder, too. Look at your rudder and your fittings, to make sure they’re in working order. Inspect your trim tabs and test them. Replace your zincs, if necessary. Look at the cutlass bearing, shaft, strut and the prop.

Deck Inspection

Next, spend some time looking at the deck. Make sure your lifelines, pulpits and stanchions are all good. Check for leaks around your windows, on your deck and on your port lights. Make sure your winches are cleaned and greased, and clean your ground tackle too. Make sure your life raft and dinghy are in working order.

Other Areas

You’ll want to spend some time below decks checking your hoses and clamps, your bilges pumps and your seacocks. You’ll need to thoroughly inspect your electrical system. You’ll want to make sure that all of your ancillary equipment, such as PFDs and sound signaling device are in working order. You should spend some time doing engine maintenance, checking your head system and water system, and even looking at your trailer.

Paperwork

You want to make sure that your boat registration is current and that it’s onboard. The same holds for your boating license. You also need to make sure that your boat insurance policy is up to date and that everything is covered the way you want it to be. Don’t wait for an accident to find out that your investment is sunk because your boat insurance lapsed or because you thought you had more coverage than what you actually have.

If it all seems overwhelming, here’s a helpful checklist to make sure that you’ve got everything covered.

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