Winter Maintenance, Part 1

by Peter F. Ten Haagen
(Jacksonville, Fl)

Spring is sneaking up on you - get a jump on it over the winter months.

If you are lucky enough to be reading this in a warm sunny climate aboard your boat, you may as well skip ahead to the next link on this site because this column is directed at your less fortunate northern brethren who=s boating dreams are in storage along with their vessels, most likely hauled out months ago. This is not to imply that there are no year around liveaboards up where it snows, but it does tend to be more of a period of hibernation than one of any kind of active boating. Anyway, here are a few ideas you can put to use during the cold months to speed your launching and recommissioning schedule come spring.

The off season is an excellent time to step back and review your boat's strong and weak points. What is the overall condition? Systems? Equipment? Perhaps reviewing your log books will help you zero in on some of the problems and inconveniences you have experienced on past voyages. The idea is to decide what you could do to improve your boat from the standpoints of structural integrity (most important) and mechanical/electrical reliability (a close second) and then from utility - what upgrades would simply make it more pleasurable to use?

Many typical maintenance projects are impractical to perform in cold weather so it makes sense to single out some tasks (mandatory items) and projects (options) which could be accomplished in the basement, garage, or aboard with a heater going on idle winter weekends. How is the wiring on your vessel? Have you got a light that never seems to work when you need it, or is not aimed properly, or worse, a shore power connection that you don't have confidence in? Maybe you=d like to add a light for reading charts at night, or a fan or other appliance - a separate stereo up on the bridge would be nice. Perhaps it is time to upgrade those troublesome fuses with a panel of circuit breakers. How about installing heavier gauge battery cables to improve the starting and charging characteristics of your engine(s)?

Some ideas might be installing a shelf in a cabinet or locker, or how about a taste and odor filter in your galley sink=s supply line? You can find full sized filters at marine stores ($$$$) or at plumbing supply and home improvement stores ($) and spare cartridges are commonly available so you can find replacements when you need them (although of course you will carry spares). Aboard ATransition@ I have a pre-filter - a housing with a cartridge and a short length of hose to put into the deck fill that I use whenever I take on water. Next, my boat has a sediment filter between the water tank and the pump which protects both me and the pump from dirt, sand, and debris. Finally, a taste and odor filter between the pump and the rest of the system provides all the sinks the benefit of good tasting water.

Part 2 Coming Up...