|
|
Winter Storage Tips For Better Boating Safety
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
 PITTSBURGH, PA -- So you have put up your boat for the winter and everything’s winterized. Now you have nothing to worry about until Spring, right? The United States Coast Guard and its Auxiliary civilian volunteers say, "Think again!"
Let’s say this is an “in the water storage.” Ice and snow loads on the covers can raise the waterline to the point where water can back up through the cockpit drains, bilge pump lines, or even exhaust pipes (that is, the wooden plug may have worked loose). Chafing of the lines is a constant worry; not only yours, but those of the boat in the slip next door which can then be blown to chafe your vessel. If you depend on electric power to keep the cabin dry, are the fittings and cord still in good connection and properly energized? Did the slip manager check the shore plug on your boat to see if it was a little warm, indicating a corroded or loose connection?
Storage on shore eliminates a few of the above possibilities. However, snow and ice loads can still damage covers and let melting snow or ice enter the boat and re-freeze, doing much damage. Snow puts an unintended load on jacks and blocks under the hull, which could cause them to buckle or slip. Perhaps there’s no obvious damage, but if the snow or ice is followed later by high winds, the supports can work loose and let the boat roll off. A thorough inspection is in order to prevent this occurrence.
If your boat is close enough to home or work, a weekly drive by can ease your mind. If that is more than you can arrange, perhaps you or a nearby friend can make a thorough monthly check. Maybe a kind word to the yard superintendent and a little trip around the yard would not hurt to make sure your next boating season “will start off right.”
Submitted by:
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Back
to All Articles
|
|