Dry storage for a season or two.

[uchu]

Well, my two sons will be off to college next year (and I thought boating was expensive ...yikes!) and we won't have any time at all to use the boat next season and possibly it won't be back in the water until 2024 or 2025.

So, I'd like to know if some of you had actually have left your boats  on dry storage for one season or more. What precautions for the inboards and the outdrives, the cabin, cables, electronics, etc. should I take? Maybe I'm overthinking it and just the typical haul and wrap for the winter would be enough.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

PS. I would be leaving the boat stored at the marina where it's at right now, as we don't have a trailer for it. 

[bud37]

Will you be able to visit the boat regularly to check it and ventilate, especially in the summer with the heat and humidity.

Good luck to your sons at college.

[KyleR]

From my experience - boats just don't like being laid up that long. Like bud37 said, if you can get to it regularly to check on things, do some routine cleaning/maintenance - and potentially run the engines - you will fare better than just letting it sit.

Unless there is a lot of sentimental attachment and you definitely know you won't be using it for 2-3 years, you might want to consider selling it. Seems like prices right now are about as high as I have ever seen so you probably would get an above average price (assuming it's in overall good condition). Who knows what the market will look like in 2024 but you might be able to scoop something up at a pretty good price by then. Or not!

Good luck whatever you decide! And I know all about the college thing - we just got ours graduated last year! Hence why we were able to finally buy another boat!

[km1125]

If you know FOR SURE you won't use it for at least two full years and maybe three, then I'm inclined to agree with KyleR's suggestion about maybe selling it. This year is almost over, so if you think 2024 might be a boat year, then you're only really losing ONE year.

That all said, I had to lay up my boat for FOUR years. Not intentionally and didn't plan on it, but that's just what ended up happening. Too busy with travel and remote work and I thought I was just going to store it for a year. That stretched into another and then another... I was most concerned with the FUEL in the boat having sat that long, and there was about 3/4 in both tanks. Ended up using up that fuel and it was ok, but I didn't really push the engines till that was flushed through.

Had I PLANNED on storing it for more than one full year, I would have...

Run the fuel tank(s) AS LOW as I could, possibly completely empty and use a fuel conditioner on the last bit of fuel run through the engines.
Drain and winterize EVERYTHING with good-quality PG antifreeze
Fog the engines, then spray them liberally with WD-40 (and the outdrives too)
Drain lower unit fluid and replace to make sure NO water was sitting in there that long.
Remove the batteries. If they're already a few years old, then I'd try and use them for something else in the meantime and just plan on buying new ones when I recommissioned the boat. I would keep them charged though, and they might still be good if launched again within a couple years.
If stored outside, I'd pay for shrinkwrap and make sure to protect against 'critters getting inside. If stored inside, still make provisions to cover it with a tarp or even a light-duty plastic, as it will otherwise get VERY dirty/dusty.

And I would make plans to visit it periodically to check on the condition and make sure the shrink/tarp was doing fine.

[uchu]

Thank you all for the comments. Yes, with the guys going to college, a new stage in life starts for my wife and I, for sure! That's why I'm thinking the boat might be back in the water by 2024, but there's a chance it may extend until 2025 (some family issues I need to take care of back in the old country).

Selling it is always an option, but...the boat is old but it is in good shape, overall. We use it mostly as a "cottage" (docked) but we take it in the lake once in a while and it runs really nicely! I'm thinking it's going to be hard for us to find an equivalent boat for the price we paid for it (a VERY good deal!). That's the main reason we would prefer to keep it.

The marina is close by, so I would certainly be able to check and ventilate the boat next year. I'm already removing the batteries every year, at storage time, so that wouldn't be an issue. Fuel, I always add stabilizer at that time as well.

[Viper]

I agree with the points KM made, especially the importance of using the proper winterizing antifreeze here. Use one that's designed for both plumbing AND engines, don't cheap out on this. I'm not a big believer of fogging when I winterize unless I know in advance that the vessel will be out of service for more than just the winter. So fogging is a must in this case.

I don't like leaving the internal moving parts of an engine in the same position for extended periods so even when only out for a winter, I bump each engine at least once a month. I don't remove my batteries for the winter but in your case it's a smart idea, and start with fresh batteries when she goes into the water again unless you can maintain them properly at home. Take a booster pack with you on your visits and bump the engines over periodically.

Something that's usually overlooked is the control cables (throttle, shift). It's a good practice for extended layups to grease the cable ends where the inner cable enters the outer sleeve. This keeps out excessive moisture. In a sterndrive application, the drives would have to be removed to seal the cable at that end. That lower cable in a Merc application is the one that typically fails so treating it right helps prolong its life.

Grease all the typical areas of the drives including the gimbal bearings if you still have the older greaseable ones. If your bellows are in great shape, spray them with a rubber protectant or they will be toast by the time you get back to boating. Check to see if your engine couplers have grease nipples and grease them too if applicable. Don't worry about the impellers for now but you will need to split the drives and replace the impellers prior to launch. You should also remove the props, clean the splines in the hubs and drive prop shafts, apply a good grease, and reinstall the props. Leave the drives in the full down position, and if you don't already have them, you may want to consider installing drive locks.

Make sure you change your engine oil prior to layup. Use the cheapest oil you can get, run her for 5 minutes on the new oil before putting her away. If you run them for winterizing, that duration is good enough. Then change it again with a good quality oil before putting her back into service.

There are a couple of schools of thought when it comes to raw water exhaust manifolds; one is leave them full of antifreeze as that helps prevent them from rusting internally. The other thought is that they be drained after running antifreeze through them during winterizing. The thought is that if they have or develop an internal crack and they're full of fluid, they'll drain into your cylinders and you could kiss the engine goodbye after sitting with liquid in the cylinders for that long. This effect might be minimized with the proper antifreeze as it contains a lubricant.

Fuel stabilizer won't do you any good for that long, it's usually only good for a few months. Burn as much fuel as you can. The only issue with that is that you'll accumulate a lot of water in your tank/s from condensation which is something you should check before putting her back into service.

If you're going to have her shrink wrapped, make sure the bottom of the wrap does not sit against the hull. Water will collect along the bottom of the wrap and when it sits against the hull for that long, the hull will blister along that line in the lower levels. Install vertical strips of something between the wrap and the hull every few feet to keep the wrap away. Some guys use swim noodles but it could be anything that will stay in place. And don't let them use regular shrink wrap tape on anything again on the boat, you'll have to deal with removing a bunch of glue if they do. Use Preservation Tape as it has UV inhibitors for long term storage and leaves very little glue residue. Of coarse ventilation is extremely important even in winter but more so in the heat and humidity of summer. Moisture grabbers are good to have on board in the summer months, more so than winter IMO. There are also mold control spray products that you can spray surfaces with that help mold from taking hold in the first place.

On a final note, I've seen all too often boats that are left on land for years get picked apart unless there is some good security around, so keep that in mind. For some reason, boats that have been on land for a while give the impression that they've been abandoned so everything is up for grabs especially if it's stored well out of the way where nobody can see it on a regular basis, it's best to be out in the open front and center so it's very visible to passersby. If folks see someone around it on a regular basis, they'll know it's not abandoned.

Finally, you may want to touch base with your insurance company and see if there is an opportunity for some savings since it will not see the water during the summer months. I assume this already holds true for your marina fees.

I'm sure there's more but it's getting late!

[RGrew176]

I rack stored my boats for several years. A lot depends on whether you will be storing inside as I did or outside. Inside if you properly prep the boat for storage it should be fine. Obviously disconnect all the electricals. Fog the engine(s) change the drive oil give the boat a good cleaning. If it is outside I would check on the boat as often as possible. Much better inside storage.

[Phrancus]

If you like it, keep it. You will not find the same and you know what you have. On the other hand, you know what you have and you might want something else.... Depending on taste newer is not always better and when buying the same or similar, you'll get new problems that come with someone else's old boat.

Perhaps I might add that I would emtpy the fuel tank(s) too. Put some synthetic fuel in it (not much, just enough to fill the system up with it instead of the standard fuel). Change filters so the engines are clean inside and will not deteriorate. (we have big problems with diesel bacteria in normal diesel but also aging of regular gas (with bio/eco additives) is a problem after a few months (gets thick and deposits form a glaze in fuel lines/filters).

remove impellers. grease and leave (half) open the various taps and seacocks. Note that on many types water can be trapped inside. There are tricks to get that out or at least to prevent it from causing damage when freezing/defrosting. Stuff them all with some flexible material cloth, tape, caulk, whatever prevents critters from creeping in and still allows for expansion/contracting due to temperature changes.

perhaps take the pressure off the steering system (I know mine sweats which doesn't matter in normal use but if stored for years that can become a bit messy and is easy to prevent).

take notes of what you do and what you will have to do to get it going again so you won't forget an impeller, seacock, cable, how to wire the batteries. Believe me, I forgot even after one winter some of the wiring in the boat. mark it clearly (not just take pics, those will disappear in the big heap on your storage drives)

depending on the location and circumstances you might want to consider an air dryer that leaks into the sink (attach a short hose outside so it won't run along the hull and leave a mark) these can be small and don't use much electricity. Sailors use them here for winter storage without taking all the stuff out. If you go this way you may want to add some checking system as you have power available then anyway (like a simple watchdog that sends an sms in case of power failure or some other trigger) if you're into that sort of stuff. Best to drop by every so often of course.

Of course take out and away everything of value or that will deteriorate over time (pillows, curtains) and open all hatches.

Outside you may want to use something to protect the stainless steel fittings. Especially the screws and bolts. Can be simple white grease if it's going to be wrapped anyway. Helps against oxidation by condensation.

Or do like most seem to do: just do a winter preparation and skip a few summers... and fix whatever is broken afterwards.

[uchu]

Thank you very much for the additional comments and detailed information, especially viper and phrancus!

I'll definitively have all those steps and tips in mind for my checklist in the fall. Still a few weeks of boating left, so we will try to squeeze every outing! It's going to be a long boatless hiatus But all for a good cause!

[bud37]

I will add a bit.....As mentioned, rolling the engines over periodically is something I would definitely do, with the fogging oil getting on the valve seats it helps to keep the valves from sticking over the heat cycles and rolling them over opens and closes the valves leaving different ones in a closed position ( on the seat ). If valves get stuck even a little, the starter can bend a pushrod or tweak a valve on first crank. The other thing to mention would be to loosen off the belts on the engine/engines, takes the pressure off the water pump and alternator bearings.....they can be spun by hand after.