Lengthen Your Boating Season

If you did everything right when you put your boat away for the winter, you don’t need to read any further.

However, if you are like most of us, you probably noticed a few problems that you thought could be dealt with later. Well, guess what now IS later and you have a second chance.

Perfect Opportunity

Now is the perfect opportunity to visit your marina service department and take advantage of their shop while the marinas and their subcontractors are less busy before the spring rush. Don’t leave it until May 24th because they’ll be stacked up with work and they won’t be able to fit you in. The boating season is already short enough. You don’t want to be in the shop in June or July or August.

There are lots of jobs that can be done on boats, while they are not in the water and running. Here’s a list of a few just to get you thinking about what needs to be done on your boat.

• Canvas - Do your zippers, windows, Velcro or bows need repair or replacing?
• Upholstery - Repairs like seams, rips, snaps and fasteners
• Carpeting - Pull old carpet if it snaps out, and get it repaired or replaced in the shop or steam cleaned
• Gauges - Do you have electrical gauges either motor or electrical for shore power that were not working right, that can be tested and replaced without running the motors?
• Bottom painting - Schedule to be attacked as soon as the weather breaks.
• Props and Lower Units - Check the prop(s) for dings and send them out for repair and reinstalling to avoid spring delays.
• Sterndrives - Did you have some extra clunks and grinds coming from your outdrive(s) that you forgot to tell your marina about when you were hauled? Now’s the time to get them rebuilt/repaired as necessary.
• Trailer - Does your trailer need the wheel bearings repacked, repaired or replaced? Get it done or scheduled depending on your trailer availability.\
• Other jobs - Any other jobs that cannot be done in the cold, get them scheduled for the marina service department to do as soon as the weather permits.

Get on the Water ASAP

With a little brainstorming, you will probably be able to come up with a few items to add to this list and deal with sooner than later. Everything you can get done during the winter or get scheduled for early spring will eliminate spring launch delays.

You want to enjoy the WHOLE summer. Get planning, so you can get splashed ASAP.

Doug Dawson

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